VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI has said Western societies are threatening the family to its foundations through a false understanding of freedom and a manipulation of human nature, thereby calling into question the very meaning of what it means to be truly human.
In a lengthy discourse to Roman Curia officials Dec. 21, during a traditional address in which the Holy Father exchanges Christmas greetings and reflects on the passing year, the Holy Father said that, although the family “is still strong and vibrant today,” there is “no denying the crisis that threatens it to its foundations — especially in the Western world.”
The Pope said the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization in October highlighted that the challenges facing the family “are manifold,” in particular an inability to make a commitment. This, he said, is an “increasingly widespread” phenomenon that results from a “false understanding of freedom and self-realization, as well as the desire to escape suffering.”
“[It] means that man remains closed in on himself and keeps his ‘I’ ultimately for himself, without really rising above it,” the Pope explained. “Yet only in self-giving does man find himself, and only by opening himself to the other, to others, to children, to the family, only by letting himself be changed through suffering, does he discover the breadth of his humanity.”
The Pope added that by repudiating that commitment, “the key figures of human existence likewise vanish: father, mother, child — essential elements of the experience of being human are lost.”
Rabbi Bernham’s Insights
Benedict XVI then referred to the chief rabbi of France, Gilles Bernheim, who, he said, has shown through extensive study that the attack on the traditional family “goes much deeper.”
“While up to now we regarded a false understanding of the nature of human freedom as one cause of the crisis of the family, it is now becoming clear that the very notion of being — of what being human really means — is being called into question,” the Pope noted.
The new philosophy of sexuality being put forward under the term “gender” is one in which sex is no longer “a given element of nature,” he said, but, instead, a “social role that we choose for ourselves.” But this “anthropological revolution,” the Pope continued, is obviously a “profound falsehood.”
Today, the Pope said, the biblical account of God creating people as male and female is now disputed and is no longer seen to apply. “What applies now is this: It was not God who created them male and female,” he said. “Now we decide for ourselves,” and man and woman as created realities no longer exist.
“Man calls his nature into question,” the Pope continued. “The manipulation of nature, which we deplore today where our environment is concerned, now becomes man’s fundamental choice where he himself is concerned.”
Today, the concepts of man and woman as complementary versions of what it means to be human “are disputed,” the Pope said, making the family no longer “a reality established by creation.” Likewise, he added, children have lost their dignity. The child is “an object to which people have a right and which they have a right to obtain.”
He reminded that when God himself is denied, “ultimately, man too is stripped of his dignity as a creature of God, as the image of God at the core of his being.” Defense of the family is about man himself, the Pope asserted, “and it becomes clear that when God is denied, human dignity also disappears. Whoever defends God is defending man.”
Interreligious Dialogue
The Holy Father then discussed the true nature and effectiveness of interreligious dialogue in the context of the New Evangelization. He explained that, although dialogue aims at a better mutual understanding rather than conversion, “the search for knowledge and understanding always has to involve drawing closer to the truth.”
“It would be too little for the Christian, so to speak, to assert his identity in such a way that he effectively blocks the path to truth,” the Pope went on. “Then his Christianity would appear as something arbitrary, merely propositional. He would seem not to reckon with the possibility that religion has to do with truth.” And yet, the Pope argued, Christians can afford to be supremely confident to dialogue without fear of losing their Christian identity because “we do not possess the truth; the truth possesses us.”
“Christ, who is the truth, has taken us by the hand,” he explained, “and we know that his hand is holding us securely on the path of our quest for knowledge. Being inwardly held by the hand of Christ makes us free and keeps us safe: free — because if we are held by him, we can enter openly and fearlessly into any dialogue; safe — because he does not let go of us, unless we cut ourselves off from him. At one with him, we stand in the light of truth.”
In a further reflection on the New Evangelization, the Pope said proclamation of the Gospel “is effective in situations where man is listening in readiness for God to draw near, where man is inwardly searching and thus on the way towards the Lord.”
The Pope also made a point of recalling “unforgettable encounters with the power of faith” during his trip to Mexico and Cuba in March, the “great Meeting of Families” in Milan over the summer and his trip to Lebanon in September.
At the end of this year, the Pope concluded, “We pray to the Lord that the Church, despite all her shortcomings, may be increasingly recognizable as his dwelling place.”
Urgent Issues
In his weekly editorial for Octava Dies, a weekly Vatican television program, Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said the Pope’s words to Curia officials at Christmas “are always among the most personal and carefully crafted by the Holy Father throughout the year” and cover issues that the Pope considers “most urgent.”
He said the Pope’s reference to Rabbi Bernheim shows that his positions are “not dependent on the peculiar teachings of the Church, [but] rooted in reason and available to the great tradition that is common to Jews and Christians alike.”
Edward Pentin is the Register’s Rome correspondent.
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The Year of Faith is a Hope that Catholics be nenewed toward fulfilling the New Commandment: Love One Another.
When Faith is ignored, it is rendered irrelevant.
To engage in a dialogue on Faith, no matter how difficult, rescuses Faith from irrelevance.
Substitute Faith for religious in this quote of Paul Tillich’s, ” Being religious means asking passionately the questions of the meaning of our existence, and being willing to receive answers, even if the answers hurt.”
In the citation below, a Catholic layman offers a challenge for the renewal of our Faith.
http://christiancatholicism.com/vatican-a-new-child-protection-strategy-now-by-jerry-slevin-retired-wall-street-lawyer/
I am so grateful the Pope is able to beautifully expound upon the disintegration of the family. There are many organizations working on issues that seem disparate: abortion, parenting, fatherhood, contraception, abortion, sex education…and more. Maybe through the Pope’s discourse, we can see how important for everyone involved to persevere and unite. God bless Pope Benedict!
Profound falsehood…that is accurate as well as precise. As one who migrates back and forth between the truth and faith of his parish and the ever and increasingly bizarre falsehoods of university life, I can only look on as looking at the results of a car accident. I stare jaw dropped, eyes wide open, stunned at the values students, some of which I teach, are ruthlessly indoctrinated with. This falsehood has them convinced their warped values are good, their intolerance for tradition is a means to show tolerance and that only the future, which is for us to define has anything good to offer. It isn’t too much to say, that in our lifetime we should expect genetic engineering of our own species to become commonlplace.
When reading revelations, I recall that satan, who wanted to be like God, also mocked him as he mimicked. I see this in this new social engineering. All the institutions are being created, some with seemingly similar goals. Like ending the sad, yet real fact of suffering. Yet they seek to do it by killing people off before birth. By sterilizing them and denying Gods grace to enter the world through family and children. They seek to show universal compassion by tolerating any action no matter how sinful or unnatural. It is as if the goals of God are mocked by doing them in the most horrific ways that limit grace from entering the world.
The problem is, this kind of discussion results in even further hatred (yes, I mean HATRED)and stigmatization directed against single people, and especially single women. The plain fact is there is a vast shortage of non-violent, non-porn-addicted, responsible, reasonably mature men throughout the world. Yet, instead of supporting single women, and remembering that single women and men are EQUAL IN VALUE IN GOD’S EYES to any married person, we’re seeing a rebirth of the evils of the hatred of spinsters, and condemnation of women who refuse to live with porn-users, alcoholics, misogyists, chronically unemployed, exploitative BUMS as somehow being “too picky.” I challenge His Holiness and ALL other Catholics to speak out on behalf of unmarried women whenever someone condemns us, and to address realistically the masulinity crisis throughout the world.
Kell- I understand your frustrations, however its important to trust God’s will and that may not include being married. There are all types of vocations in life. All are important to the Creators plan,I dont think the Holy Father is picking on singles to get married. I think his address is to the ones who are called to be married. It sounds like you have a hardnss torwards men.. and while again, I agree men arent as masculine say as my grandpa was, it is the culture we live in that demands women’s rights to everything, while the men are somehow deemed weak,it is because we have diminshed the mans role in a relationship as protector and leader. There will never be a perfect man (or woman) we have to just follow God’s will and pray to St. Joseph for the future of husbands.
BALONEY. WOMEN DO HAVE THE RIGHT TO EVERYTHING, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT.
Once again, you’re trying to blaim women for MEN’S FAILURES. Taking women back to being battered and raped with impunity, cheated on and abandoned with impunity, rampantly exploited and denied equal pay and opportunity in the work place is not an acceptable “solution” to MEN’S PROBLEMS. MEN HAVE TO CLEAN UP THEIR OWN CRAP. WOMEN ARE NOT GOING BACK TO BEING BATTERED SLAVES JUST TO MAKE IT FEASIBLE FOR LOSERS TO BE MARRIED. WE. WILL. NEVER. GO. BACK.
If you want to resurrect marriage, MAKE MEN WORTHY OF MARRIAGE.
This really goes to show that what this Pope learned as a young man growing up in the 1030s really effects his ruling of the dumb.
Next he will be saying us gays are taking over the world and need to be rid of.
The Pope is a loser whos church is dying at such a fast rate, its funny to watch.
I love how the pope expresses Truth like it is very important.
Unless of course your harbouring paedophiles, child rapists and monsters. Then by all means, it’s ok to lie.
And of course lets discuss the poor young children who the pope calls “an object to which people have a right and which they have a right to obtain.”
One would mistake this comment to mean the priests he hid from the law, but no no no, he means gay people.
Catholics, if this man you call pope is Gods man, you can keep him away from me. Oh and my young kids.
Andy and Michael, there are reasons why you’re hanging around on Catholic web sites. You know that nagging feeling that there’s something you need to do, but don’t quite know what? I recommend starting your reading with C. S. Lewis. Maybe Peter Kreeft, or some of Catherine of Siena’s stuff if you’re more right-brained.
I have far fewer problems with His Holiness, who, among other things, is a fierce advocate for women’s economic independence throughout the world, than I do with that particular cabal of cafeteria Catholics who actually think God approves of their misogyny and sexism. St. Bonifacia Rodriguez y Garcia, pray for us!
Kell, I’m hanging around a Catholic web site because I was directed here from an atheist web site. Like reading the Bible, atheists see what the Pope and the Catholic church say as one of the best tools for creating more atheists. If the Pope wants to claim his support for women and the family let’s see some evidence that he truly supports women and families. Edit out those parts of the Bible that place the church above the family and give some of his flock the excuse to treat women as second class. Even the Ten Commandments should be revised to remove the self-centered focus on God psychological problems with jealousy and being worshipped. Here’s a thought, include a clause that thou shall not beat the snot out of ones spouse. Remove reference to Jesus’ demand that his followers should reject their families before they can follow him. If you are happy to keep the bit of the Old Testement that homosexuals are an abomination, how about the Pope explain why the ban on tattoos, shellfish and blended fabrics are ignored.
I encourage all your readers to actually read the Bible themselves; don’t be lazy and rely on the interpretation of a bunch of people whose jobs and influence depend on your gullibility.
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