John Paul Took On Communism, Benedict Took on Relativism, Next Pope Must Take on Militant Secularism

3/1/2013

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there is no truth. Cultures stumble, drunken on the false notion of freedom as giving some people a right to kill the innocent, divorced from norms to guide the exercise of human choice and govern our behavior. Any culture which rejects the truth is destined to be enslaved by error. When there is nothing objectively true, which can be known by all and form the basis of our common life, then there is no basis for real freedom. Instead, we rush into anarchy.

The Cardinal who would soon become Pope continued, "However, we have a different goal: the Son of God, true man. He is the measure of true humanism. Being an "Adult" means having a faith which does not follow the waves of today's fashions or the latest novelties. A faith which is deeply rooted in friendship with Christ is adult and mature. It is this friendship which opens us up to all that is good and gives us the knowledge to judge true from false, and deceit from truth. We must become mature in this adult faith; we must guide the flock of Christ to this faith."

"And it is this faith - only faith - which creates unity and takes form in love. On this theme, Saint Paul offers us some beautiful words - in contrast to the continual ups and downs of those were are like infants, tossed about by the waves: (he says) make truth in love, as the basic formula of Christian existence. In Christ, truth and love coincide. To the extent that we draw near to Christ, in our own life, truth and love merge. Love without truth would be blind; truth without love would be like "a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal" (1 Cor. 13: 1).

Pope Benedict XVI tried to guide the flock of Christ toward this mature faith. He asserted the primacy of truth as revealed in a Divine Person who is the Way, the Truth and the Life, Jesus Christ. (John 14:6) Communism proclaimed a counterfeit gospel. It offered equality and promised a contrived utopia through statist manipulation of the economy. It was a materialist error which promoted a counterfeit new man. Karl Marx, its lying demagogue, promised that his godless system would produce a new world.

However, the dictatorship of relativism is a voracious vacuum devoid of any such claims. It is an ideology of nihilism and despair. It threatens the very existence of the human person because it denies the existence of any values which can make us human or undergird the charity necessary for a common life. Not only does nature abhor a vacuum, but spiritual vacuums lead to false substitutes for truth and can unleash a reign of terror.

The next Pope has to continue the work of his predecessors. However, he also has to confront another "ism". One which has removed its sword from its sheath and declared war on the Church and her rightful role in culture. That adversary is militant secularism. I am not speaking of a secular state, in the sense of a political polity which embraces no specific religious identification but respects the role of religious faith and the values informed by faith.

Rather, I am speaking of the intolerant, anti-Christian, anti-religious secularism which is behind the growing effort to marginalize the Church and her institutions by attempting to keep her message and her mission within the buildings which she uses and out of the public square. The struggle we face in an increasingly hostile western culture involves a clash of worldviews, personal and corporate, and competing definitions of human freedom, human dignity, and human flourishing. The Catholic Church is at the center of that struggle.

We need to see our struggle in light of our own Christian history. I do not care how modern the issues of this age purport to be, humans do not change all that much, at least without grace. We need to engage the dictatorship of relativism which claims there are no truths and insist that there is Truth, it can be known - and it must govern our lives. This means facing persecution. Our path is already paved with the insults, accusations and calumny of our fellow citizens. It will get worse.

We are accused of being against progress and anti-science for defending the dignity of every human life - including the lives of our first neighbors in the womb. Nothing could be further from the truth. We are Pro-life because it is right. Science exists to serve the person, the family and the common good. In an age deluded by the architects of a cultural order of death we will never compromise on the truth concerning the dignity of every human life from conception through natural death. Science confirms what our conscience confirmed, those little girls and boys in the womb are our neighbors. It is always wrong to intentionally kill our innocent neighbors. To say and do otherwise is barbaric.

We insist that true marriage and family have been inscribed by the Divine Architect into the order of the universe. That is because they have. Truth does not change, people and ...
- - -

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: papacy, interregnum, chair of peter, pope benedict XVI, Pope John Paul II, Conclave, New Evangelization, Missionary age,

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1 - 10 of 21 Comments

Fikru
2 months ago
I have learned how great pope benedict was.I believe the struggle today is fundamental secularism where by anychurch, Catholic or evangelical is forced by political figures and so called nobles to accept and support any UNGODLY action, belief or agenda in the name of Democracy. The ethist agenda a is not for their own right but about imposing the Christian to accept homosexuality and the worship of demons in the name of secularism.
We must pray for the right successor who will keep fighting secularism.
Ben in SoCal
2 months ago
God bless and guide His Church through these dark times. The sex abuse crisis is the greatest threat to the Church in generations. It is the primary reason I rejected the Catholic Church years ago, and only until recently have I returned to communion with the Faith.

Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin is the man to ascend as the Successor of St. Peter. Ireland, it can be said, is now the epicenter of the sex abuse crisis and collapse of Catholicism in the West. Far worse than America.

Pope John Paul II was elected from communist-dominated Poland, during a period of Communist domination in various regions of the world. He was the right man for the Church at that time.

Yes, the Catholic Church must challenge the militant secularism plaguing Europe, America, and the Western soul. But the Church needs to further repent of the horror of the sexual abuse crisis. The Church is collapsing in Ireland- IRELAND- of all places. The land that sent priests and nuns the world over to spread and strengthen the word of God.

Yes, militant secularism is a cause for grave concern. But just as much as the Counter-Reformation was launched by the Council of Trent, the Protestants were not off in their "protest" against the abuse of indulgences. Many people are rejecting the Church due to what they perceive as an incomplete and negligent approach to resolving the frightful specter of the abuses.
Theophilus Bernard
2 months ago
I like the new Pope to be bold, daring and to bring discipline within the Church itself before addressing outside issues which are also very important right now.
Sadly a number of our own Priests seem to dilute the tradition and the teachings of the catholic Church an put their own spin on them.
These are some of the things I have heard Priests saying in private discussions:

1. There is no Hell
2. Husband and Wife can use contraceptives
3. Soft peddling on divorce and re-marriage

There is also a growing tendency among the Hierarchy to just "take it easy" on important issues which confront the Church today, like Atheism, same sex marriage , active anti Christian propaganda and give their opinion occasionally to the TV reporters within the confines of their Offices and assume that the job is done.

We need much more power than that to combat the modern evils if we are to defeat the enemy.
vance
2 months ago
Our next Pope will have his hands full dealing with the radical Catholic despising Liberal Establishment. He will be wearing the same crown of thorns that Pope Paul VI wore during his reign. I pray that God the Holy Spirit has a man chosen to Shepard the church closer to Jesus Christ and his gospel. I hope he will shake up the church by unloading the anti-church liberal Bishops, priests, and nuns who are misleading the faithful, creating scandal and strife while driving more people out of the church..
jose thomas
2 months ago
Let us pray that we have a Pope who will be loyal to Christ, His Church and the Holy traditions of the Catholic church that the ordinary believer is not confused further. If we understand guidance of the Holy Spirit as something apart from Christ and His Church, we may perhaps fall into error. Bible has to be understood in its totality then the tradition of the Catholic church will have meaning. Otherwise Holy Bible may be used to defeat the Catholic faith. I think really the traditionalist should understand how Christ is proclaimed and experienced through the Holy tradition. And the modernist should understand the true meaning of the tradition and adhere to it for proclaiming and experiencing Christ. Do not transform the Church into an agglomeration of cults.
Andrew
2 months ago
"Give to Caesar that which is Caesar's, and to God that which is God's". I hope the next Pope will deal with the unhealthy growing trend of fundamentalist traditional Catholicism which stifles the Holy Spirit by claiming to speak and act on its behalf to the exclusion of other memebrs of the People of God.
KarlVDH
2 months ago
Rafaelmarie... point of correction... priessts not marrying is nothing like a 2000 year old tradition, nor is it mentioned as a requirement in scripture. In point of fact, we HAVE maried priests now, and always have. Our Bzantine brethren- in full communion with the Holy see- have married Priests. A married Deaacon in our own Church can be ordained to the priesthood. Historically, Priests married, and it was ABNORMAL for Bishops, Cardinals and even Popes to be married. Sait Peter himself CLEARLY, DEFINITELY had a wife. The Bible say so! So... whatver this next Pope says or does regarding that particular issue- which I predict won't even be addresed- shouldn't we just trust it to God rather than put ourselves in the position of judging the Pontiff?
KarlVDH
2 months ago
Well said, tom!! Jesus didn't attack secularism at all- arguably far more rampant in his day than in ours! Instead, he attacked (eviscerated) the religious... the faithful... the people who made the faith and its observance more important than the people... the people who would enforce on others a religiosity that He knew good and well none of them would or could really live- especially those calling for it the loudest. Jessus fought the Pharisee, the Saducee, the religious authority and hierarchy that had forgotten that its prome function was not to make the people serve God, NOT to defend God, NOT to deciide who could and couldn't worship God, Not to choose right and wrong for others but to ENABLE people to worship and commune woth God and trust Him to make others well and right. Jesus was clear... if the Faithful weren't seeing as their prime objective the making available of God to the world, but were rather putting themselves in a position to admit or deny this person or that, THEY were the ones in the wrong... something that people who would take upon themselves the idea that they have a say or even a right to an opinion about what the next Pope's agenda "MUST" be would do well to think about. Hard. Our task is to FOLLOW the Holy Father. Not to advise him, not to direct him. To do so is unbelievably arrogant. God save the Chair of St. Peter and whoever occupies it from the evil of Western-particularly American- political influence. The Papacy is not and must never be or bend to a democracy.
Monica G.
2 months ago
Very thoughtful and insightful article. Pope Benedict identified the dangers to the soul posed by the twin threats of relativism and secularism. In doing so, he reached out to the lost, disillusioned and fallen-away souls of the prosperous post-industial nations, neglected by a church formerly interested only in that they obey, pray and pay, and he demonstrating repeatedly a care and concern for their salvation. His care and concern showed me the Church cares about me and I came back.

I'm laying my bets for the succession on the Holy Spirit's choice, and not on the political machinations postulated by media around the world
DLL
2 months ago
The secular folks are simply trying to destroy the Catholic Church. It is their secular agenda forced on everyone they are promoting and they are very well organized,with their own website and followers. President Obama forces the secular agenda as do all of the Democrats as it is written into their secular party platform,on their website. Read what they say on their websites as to what they themselves stand for. They are loyal to promoting and enforcing their agendas to becoming law that all must accept,like it or not. Such as homosexual marriage in California a state that voted it out as marriage is between a man and a woman. The Catholic Church opposes secularism as the Catechism is the book that defines what Catholics believe. The Church does not force their agendas to become law for everyone like it or not. The Church stands behind its Religious teaching because it is a matter of Faith and not law. One can attempt to push law but no one can push a faith on anyone because that is a matter of a core belief in God. Secular humanists that do not believe in God have their right not to but they can not force issues of conscience that are opposed to what people of faith believe. This is a matter of respect because all must respect each other wether or not they believe in God. Respect is the neutral position. The neutral position respects individual points of view to the degree that laws are not unfairly written that oppose core beliefs,because they cater to a minority viewpoint that ,has not proved itself to be an acceptable standard,because it applies only to the standards of a minority opinion,not the majority one. Militant secularists use the term "hateful" to refer to anyone who does not agree with them,in the attempt to make an opponent look the fool,so no one can debate an issue like same sex marriage,so that it will become a written set of a forced on everyone law. This is the battle because the minority does not rule to control he implementation of laws that the majority simply can not accept. Natural law is ordered law,not common law,as we can see common law is becoming dis-ordered law,because of special interest groups that are able to buy the change in the law,because of the funding that they have raised to push their agenda. That is a fundamentally dis-ordered way to bring about change in a society that calls itself a democracy.

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