2010-05-12 18:14:46

INTERVIEW OF THE DAY 


Pope Benedict and Raising the Value of Vatican II -  Fr. Peter Stilwell is the Dean of Theology at the Catholic University in Portugal, and one of the almost one thousand people from the world of Portuguese Culture who attended the encounter with Pope Benedict in Lisbon’s Belem Culture Centre Wednesday morning.



He gave us his reactions to the Holy Father’s speech: “First of all it was very interesting from the point of view of the reaction of the public, the reacted very warmly several times they applauded him”.



“His talk was a challenge to the Portuguese people, a reminder of the need for wisdom to guide dialogue between peoples, and that the Church is learning, its learning to dialogue with others, to speak to them of ‘their truths’ and ‘our truths’”.



Fr Stilwell also said he was particularly struck by Pope Benedict’s reference to Vatican II and how it “transformed and overcame the critiques that gave rise to the modern world”:



“The Pope makes a reference to the Second Vatican Council and says that it produced a new synthesis of what was the essence of the criticism of the Reformation and Enlightenment and this is a form of answering the modern world and its questions.  That seems to me particularly interesting, its raising the value of Vatican II as assumed by his own Magisterium; an announcement to the modern world”.







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