Vatican City (kath.net/KNA) Pope Benedict XVI has encouraged the Bishops of Angola to decisive measures against heathen practices like the ostracism and murder of children and the elderly. Such traditional African practices are horrific and incompatible with Christianity, stressed the Pope on Saturday to the top Bishops of the southwest African land, who are fulfilling their ad limina visit at present in Rome. The Bishops must raise their voices against ostracism and the condemnation of these persons through witchcraft and magical incantations. Human life is holy in all of its phases, underscored the Pope.
The baptized are often torn between the traditional African religions and Christianity, continued the Pope. For that reason there are some practices which are incompatible with Christian doctrine and are dramatic in their consequences. Specifically, the Pope criticized the exaggerated concern with tribal associations, which limit the socialization between different people, and suggest that they are not prepared to receive people from other regions. In the Church there is "no place for this kind of ostracism", said the Pope. The bonds of brotherhood between Christians are stronger in the final analysis "than our earthly families and their heredity", stressed the head of the Church.
Link to original...kath.net..
Additional coverage at CNA.
3 comments:
If he truly condemns witchcraft, then I await for him to condemn Harry Potter, etc.
He has already "condemned" the Harry Potter series.
The Pope's actual views on the Harry Potter nonsense are, like everything that emanates from the Vatican these past fifty years, extremely ambiguous.
First we read that he was sympathetic to the books. Next we read that he condemned them. Recently we read that he has backtracked somewhat from his previous position.
I guess we will have to wait until this head-spinning ceases so that we can get from Rome a straight answer. Frankly since a book review by the Pontiff does not qualify as an infallible declaration I really could care less what he thinks of these stupid books. But if he does approve of them that would at least give us an insight into the man's thinking.
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