Pope Benedict : God, religion, no menace to a just secularity
Pope Benedict sent a video message at the conclusion yesterday of the Courtyard of
the Gentiles which ended its first encounter in Paris, France. Speaking to all those
who had participated, Pope Benedict said that one of the reasons for this initiative
was to encourage such feelings of fraternity, over and above our individual convictions
yet not denying our differences. And to recognize that God alone, in Christ, grants
us inner freedom and the possibility of truly encountering one another as brothers
and sisters.
The Holy Father continued by saying that young people, believers
and non-believers alike, had chosen to come together, in order to meet one another
and to discuss the great questions of human existence. He added that the question
of God was not a menace to society, it does not threaten a truly human life! and it
must not be absent from the other great questions of our time. Pope Benedict then
said the challenge is that people build bridges between one another.
Addressing
in particular young people the Pope stressed that it was up to them, in their countries
and in Europe as a whole, to help believers and non-believers to rediscover the path
of dialogue. Religions, the Holy Father said, have nothing to fear from a just secularity,
one that is open and allows individuals to live in accordance with what they believe
in their own consciences. Finally, the Pope called on all those gather in Notre
Dame Cathedral in Paris, especially the young people who were non-believers, to open
their hearts to the sacred texts, “let yourselves” he said, “be challenged by the
beauty of the music and, if you truly desire it, let your deepest feelings rise towards
the Unknown God." Listen to Lydia O'Kane's report: