Pope Benedict XVI says: God Matters

(December 12, 2009) Pope Benedict XVI says he is hoping for the success of a conference under way in Rome that is considering the theme "God Today: With or Without Him Everything Changes." In a note to Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, archbishop of Genoa and president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, which is sponsoring the three-day event, the Pope expressed "profound appreciation for this important initiative, which addresses one of the great topics that has always fascinated and questioned the human spirit." The Holy Father proposed that the "question of God" is essential for our time as well, since "openness to the Transcendent" is often considered irrelevant. In fact, he said, a relationship with God is "essential for humanity's journey." The international congress will look at the "God question" from the perspective of various disciplines and themes: philosophy, music, visual arts, cinema, science, the issue of creation and evolution, and the enigma of violence. Such a line up, the Pontiff suggested, "will be stimulation for a profound reflection on God's place in the culture and life of our time." The Holy Father also pointed to the aim "to bring to light the essential importance that God has for us, for our personal and social life, for understanding ourselves and the world, for the hope that illumines our way, for the salvation that awaits us beyond death." Pope Benedict XVI expressed hope that the conference "might at least contribute to disperse that semi-darkness that makes openness to God precarious and fearful for the men of our time, though he never ceases to knock on our door."