“Jesus’ blood does not cry out for vengeance and punishment, it brings reconciliation. It is not poured out against anyone, it is poured out for many, for all.”
—
Pope Benedict XVI
Further to yesterday’s post about the increasing secularisation of this country, I saw this quote from Pope Benedict. When the Pope came to visit Britain last year there was uproar from secular figures, and the humanist society, about the fact that he was accorded a state visit. (Even if we accept the argument that the Vatican is not a state, he’s the head of an organisation of over a billion people. He’s going to be accorded security and such on a visit as a matter of course.)
Richard Dawkins threw his toys out of the pram and surrendered reason to ranting; as the Telegraph said “Dawkins has moved away from the defence of science, and towards attacks upon religious belief. The reckless showman in him is outstripping the ardent rationalist.” Dawkins even tried to organise the arrest of the Pope for crimes against humanity. If he took his professed desire for a better world seriously then he would have tried to approach the visit as leaders of other faiths did and engaged in a process to try and further understanding, instead he resorted to cheap insults about the Pope’s dress and his childhood in occupied Europe.
What I did find pleasing was that, while I’m no papist and come down strictly on Luther’s side in that whole thesis nailing incident, Benedict came and defended faith. He offered a reasoned and rational defence of faith and of the rights of people to believe in the face of militant atheism. I found myself glad that at least the head of one branch of the Christian faith had spoken up and done so with the eyes of our whole nation watching. I’m not a catholic, I disagree with aspects of Catholicism, but I have often found myself in many instances agreeing with things the pope has said.
While our own national church - which I am admittedly no more a part of than I am a part of the see of Rome - flounders around with leadership that is introverted and often seems unsure if it even believes in it’s own doctrine, the Pope has at least stood up and been vocal and combative in defence of faith.
The above quote strikes me as a very good point in reference to all who seek to use Jesus’ name to pursue their own agendas of revenge, anger or retribution.
