Pope Benedict speaks to Germany's political leaders

Pope Benedict addressed members of the Republic of Germany’s federal parliament in Berlin Thursday, reflecting that politicians should strive for justice, not success or material gain. Our correspondent in Berlin, Veronica Scarisbrick filed this report:

Upon arriving in Berlin on Thursday Benedict XVI pronounced the words “ I have come primarily to meet people and speak about God”.
And as he crossed the threshold of the Reichstag, a neo-renaissance building which since reunification of Germany houses the nation’s Parliament anew, he entered a building which has the iconic words dedicated to the German people: “ Dem Deutschen Volke”, cast in bronze above the main entrance.

This was no courtesy visit but the response to an invitation on the part of the Bundestag , the Federal Parliament to address their Assembly, a privilege reserved to Heads of State. A decision which has provoked heated debate within Parliament on the grounds that the Pope is viewed more as a religious leader than as Head of State. And when he spoke in his key note address he auto defined this role :

“ In issuing this invitation, he said, you are acknowledging the role that the Holy See plays as a partner within the community of peoples and states. Setting out from this international responsibility that I hold, I should like to propose to you some thoughts on the foundations of a free state of law.”

When he first arrived at the Bundestag, the President of Parliament, Norbert Lammert welcomed the Pope who seemed totally at ease in this hall which is located right under the hallmark Norman Foster large glass dome, an architectural feat considered controversial too at first but now the second most visited sight in Berlin.
And all those present cheered and cheered.

And as the German Pope took the floor to begin his reflection on the “Foundations of Law”, the natural light filtered down from above.
And the Holy Father drew inspiration from a story from Scripture which illustrates that what should matter for a politician, is neither success, nor material gain going on to say that politics should strive for justice and hence establish the fundamental preconditions for peace.

He then turned to the history of his nation and robbing a line from Saint Augustine: he said: “Without justice – what else is the State but a great band of robbers?”

Further explaining with these words: “We have seen how power became divorced from right, how power opposed right and crushed it, so that the State became an instrument for destroying right – a highly organized band of robbers, capable of threatening the whole world and driving it to the edge of the abyss.” Insisting that : “Man can destroy the world”.

Benedict XVI then went on to say that the question of how to recognize what is truly right when framing laws has never been simple and today, in view of the vast extent of our knowledge and our capacity, it has become still harder.

And all the while there was a friendly atmosphere, he even spoke off the cuff a couple of times and his audience cheered again.

As predicted while the Pope delivered his address, outdoors pressure groups protested, shouting against the decision to invite the Pope to address Parliament but mainly against what they see as his conservative views on a number of issues, including birth control, abortion and the rights of homosexuals.

When asked about these protests on the plane on his way to many ,the Pope didn’t seem particularly perturbed. Peaceful demonstrations are a healthy sign of democracy after all on the part of people.

As he ended his speech I looked up once again at the cast bronze words over the Reichstag building and pondered how already in 1916 the words spelled out there were considered controversial, owing to their democratic significance and wondered how many of his fellow countrymen protesting in the streets of Berlin would ever read the words of his key note address “to the German People” .

With the Pope in Berlin , I’m Veronica Scarisbrick
Listen: