Pope criticizes Latin America's leftward swing (Extra)

Americas News

May 13, 2007, 21:35 GMT

Aparecida, Brazil - Pope Benedict XVI expressed concern Sunday about the resurgence of leftwing politics across Latin America and urged the region's governments to promote equality and globalization 'led by ethics.' To close his five-day pastoral visit to Brazil - his first trip to the Americas as pontiff - Benedict opened the fifth General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean, also attended by bishops from North America, Spain and Portugal. The crucial bishops' gathering - continuing through May 31 in the Brazilian pilgrimage destination Aparecida do Norte in Sao Paulo state - aims to devise strategies to halt the exodus of Roman Catholics to Pentecostal churches. 'There are grounds for concern in the face of authoritarian forms of government and regimes wedded to certain ideologies that we thought had been superseded, and which do not correspond to the Christian vision of man and society as taught by the social doctrine of the church,' the pope said in his opening speech. This was a clear reference to the advance of leaders like presidents Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, Evo Morales of Bolivia and others, who have in many cases clashed with the local Catholic hierarchies. However, Benedict praised the region's 'notable progress toward democracy' and urged more conservative governments to pay attention to the needs of 'the ever-increasing sectors of society that find themselves oppressed by immense poverty or even despoiled of their own natural resources.' The pope issued a clear warning against liberation theology, which is closely tied to radical leftwing politics and promotes a greater presence of the church among the poor. The movement, which strongly encourages political activism, is popular in Latin America but out of favour in the Vatican. 'If the church were to start transforming herself into a directly political subject, she would do less, not more, for the poor and for justice, because she would lose her independence and her moral authority,' Benedict said. At the beginning of what he has termed a 'missionary' bishops' conference, the pontiff urged Latin American bishops to use modern communications tools. 'We must have recourse also to the communications media: press, radio and television, websites, forums and many other methods for effectively communicating the message of Christ to a large number of people,' the pope said. Benedict blamed the weakening of the Church in the region on 'secularism, hedonism, indifference and proselytising by numerous sects, animist religions and new pseudo-religious phenomena,' and urged the Catholic hierarchy to come up with 'new paths and creative pastoral plans' to counter these challenges. © 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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laMay 13th, 2007 - 21:57:46

moral authority??? that is pretty good coming from the leader of an organization that has a documented history of invading foreign lands, practicing genocide on the indigenous peoples who wouldn't convert, and supporting the 'war on terror'.

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Former CatholicMay 13th, 2007 - 22:22:09

Secularism is not evil. 'Leftist' politics are not evil. The Pope, however, with his association to the extremist right wing fascist Nazi regime in Germany, can be said to be evil in the truest meaning of the word. I gave up on the catholic church a long long time ago, the policies and the hypocritical practices of the church and its most ardent followers have given me no other choice.

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Big KenMay 13th, 2007 - 23:09:45

Dear Pope Benedict, a quiz
would your boss, Jesus,be in favour of a) power being concentrated in the hands of right wing military juntas and their american political and big business bosses or b)as many poor people as possible via the mechanism of land redistribution and nationalisation of the mineral/oil assets providing funding for health and education services?

In your case it would appear you are in bed with those of answer a which I'm afraid utterly discounts you from supposing to speak for the poor and the oppressed as you are simply an old senile and corrupt lackey without the wit nor wisdom to understand how the abuse of power leads to such corruption. we suggest you do the world a favour and resign.

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Mr. NeutronMay 13th, 2007 - 23:37:39

Is this a joke ?

I thought Pope's were fictitious characters in stories, like Kings, and dragons, and Eskimos...

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BAD LEFT WINGERSMay 14th, 2007 - 10:13:12

Of course the left wingers are bad people because they do not advocate to give millions of dollars to this thug, in the silk and gold and sitting on a multibillion dollar estate, the richest man on earth.

WHAT A PARASITE! Democracy the aftermath of Feudalism, is supported by those who do not live by democracy. Is church a democracy, can an ordinary Christian become a pope? NO Has there been an african pope in the whole history of this paganic institution? NO
SO WHAT DOES THIS THUG SAY?? HYPOCRITIC MAN!

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