Comments for Pope Must Defy Expectations – Again at http://www.thecatholicthing.org , comment 1 to 8 out of 8 comments http://www.thecatholicthing.org Thu, 23 May 2013 02:43:09 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2009/pope-must-defy-expectations--again.html#comment-1757 Once again, the message that Pope Benedict gave at Regensburg is given in Israel. The Regensburg lecture was popularly twisted into a Christianity vs. Islam crisis when in fact it stated the very essence of our robust faith - the need to recognize the intellectual components of faith, the reasoning God abides by, and the need to avoid a "faith of coercion" in favor of "faith of persuasion". The apologetics & the mystery of faith are the Christian\'s strong suit - Benedicts articulates this well.. - Tod W Thu, 14 May 2009 20:47:29 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2009/pope-must-defy-expectations--again.html#comment-1743 WJ, "absurd zionist"???? To what can we attribute your point of view? multiculturalism? Egalitarianism? Have you been to Palestine lately? These are complicted issues that probably can't be explained with an ad-hominem like "absurd zionist". I would like to understand your point of view better. - Achilles Wed, 13 May 2009 16:00:47 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2009/pope-must-defy-expectations--again.html#comment-1742 Today the Pope called for a Palestinian State. Israel has placed 300,000 Israelis in the West Bank who live in wealth while the West Bank Palestinians live in abject poverty. Messrs Weismann and Rosen, formerly of AIPAC, who were to be tried next month on espionage were recently told they would not be tried by the Feds, while Lawrence Franklin, a Catholic who passed the intelligence, is serving 12 years for the same espionage acts! "...but deliver us from evil, Amen" - William H. Phelan Wed, 13 May 2009 15:59:41 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2009/pope-must-defy-expectations--again.html#comment-1741 Everything you need to know about Joseph Wood's "analysis" of peace prospects between Israel and Palestine is contained in the following, ridiculously one-sided, statement: "A two-state Palestinian-Israeli peace agreement is far off, given the security concerns of the new Israeli government and the disarray of the Palestinians themselves." Not because of unjust Israeli wars, nor because of Israel's illegal construction of settlements, nor because of Israel's sinful blockade of Gaza. - WJ Wed, 13 May 2009 12:32:05 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2009/pope-must-defy-expectations--again.html#comment-1740 The title of my last email somehow got distorted and might have some of you scratching your heads. It should have read "Pope is doing God's work." - Pio Wed, 13 May 2009 12:07:43 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2009/pope-must-defy-expectations--again.html#comment-1739 We shouldn't be too bothered by the high expectations. They were set for Benedict, in part, set by JP-II (the former actor), who understood the power of language and symbolism. JP-II spoke to Jews about the Shoah in distinctly personal terms and he showed a basic level of human respect by kissing a Koran (this did not imply a change in Catholic doctrine), and hence was extremely popular among the masses and media in the region. God will also use Benedict's unique gifts to further peace. - Pio Wed, 13 May 2009 10:21:09 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2009/pope-must-defy-expectations--again.html#comment-1738 And the Holy Father just made a ringing endorsement of a Palestinian state. I'm not denying the spiritual side of the visit but let's not kid ourselves. Sadly, anything in that region of the world is political. - Megs Wed, 13 May 2009 10:20:22 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2009/pope-must-defy-expectations--again.html#comment-1737 I believe this article frames well the purpose of the Pope's visit. His agenda is not a political one, but then the secular world of reason without faith would be clueless to the spirituality of his visit. It seems he made it clear that he was on pilgrimage to the land from which salvation came. Western governments have refused to accept the great influence of Christianity in their history and now they try to categorize this visit as political and expect him to apologize for the past. No way. - William Dennis Wed, 13 May 2009 08:25:09 +0100