NEW DELHI (UCAN) -- Indian bishops have lashed out at recent media reports portraying Pope Benedict XVI as a "loser" and a leader out of touch with reality. Indian media have quoted overseas media saying that the Pope is "out of touch with the real world" during his trip to Africa, where he reportedly said that condoms were not the answer to fighting AIDS.
One source they quoted was American magazine "Foreign Policy," which had ranked the Pope second among the world's top 13 "losers." The magazine also quoted British media saying that "one Vatican insider" had called Pope Benedict's papacy a "disaster."
These statements are "uncalled for" said Father Babu Joseph, spokesperson of the bishops' conference, in an interview on March 25. "How can they compare a world spiritual leader with others? It is very saddening."
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India issued a press statement on March 24, saying the conference "considers these kinds of statements as the most irresponsible and irreverent" toward the world Catholic leader.
The bishops defended the Pope as "the most loved and respected spiritual leader of Catholics all over the world." They argued that the world had, with respect, received his views on recession, terrorism and moral issues such as AIDS and abortion.
"Foreign Policy," a premier magazine on global politics and economics published in the United States, had ranked the Pope second among failed politicians and businessmen, after Austrian Josef Fritzl, who was jailed for life after abusing his daughter for 24 years. American Bernie Madoff, who swindled huge sums of money entrusted to him, came in third.
Indian media quoted Vatican insiders saying the Pope was isolated and failed to consult his advisers adequately. "On the condom issue, for example, there are priests and bishops in Africa who accept that condoms are a key part of the fight against AIDS," said one report, quoting overseas media sources.
But the bishops' statement said Catholics across the world abide by the Pope's teachings. The Pope has often urged the world to become "more God-fearing while building a society based on humanitarian values and moral principles of life," it said.
Pope Benedict "is one of the leading intellectuals of the modern times, who is fully aware of the modern trends that forebode moral degradation for humankind in the course of time," said the statement, signed by the secretary general of the bishops' conference, Jesuit Archbishop Stanislaus Fernandes of Gandhinagar.
"It is the moral duty (of the Pope) to direct and guide the consciences of people in general, and of Catholics in particular," it added.
The statement urged people to restrain from making "senseless statements" against the Catholic leader who has been "working for peace, reconciliation, universal brotherhood, unity and prosperity for the poor and most neglected."
Source: UCAN
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One source they quoted was American magazine "Foreign Policy," which had ranked the Pope second among the world's top 13 "losers." The magazine also quoted British media saying that "one Vatican insider" had called Pope Benedict's papacy a "disaster."
These statements are "uncalled for" said Father Babu Joseph, spokesperson of the bishops' conference, in an interview on March 25. "How can they compare a world spiritual leader with others? It is very saddening."
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India issued a press statement on March 24, saying the conference "considers these kinds of statements as the most irresponsible and irreverent" toward the world Catholic leader.
The bishops defended the Pope as "the most loved and respected spiritual leader of Catholics all over the world." They argued that the world had, with respect, received his views on recession, terrorism and moral issues such as AIDS and abortion.
"Foreign Policy," a premier magazine on global politics and economics published in the United States, had ranked the Pope second among failed politicians and businessmen, after Austrian Josef Fritzl, who was jailed for life after abusing his daughter for 24 years. American Bernie Madoff, who swindled huge sums of money entrusted to him, came in third.
Indian media quoted Vatican insiders saying the Pope was isolated and failed to consult his advisers adequately. "On the condom issue, for example, there are priests and bishops in Africa who accept that condoms are a key part of the fight against AIDS," said one report, quoting overseas media sources.
But the bishops' statement said Catholics across the world abide by the Pope's teachings. The Pope has often urged the world to become "more God-fearing while building a society based on humanitarian values and moral principles of life," it said.
Pope Benedict "is one of the leading intellectuals of the modern times, who is fully aware of the modern trends that forebode moral degradation for humankind in the course of time," said the statement, signed by the secretary general of the bishops' conference, Jesuit Archbishop Stanislaus Fernandes of Gandhinagar.
"It is the moral duty (of the Pope) to direct and guide the consciences of people in general, and of Catholics in particular," it added.
The statement urged people to restrain from making "senseless statements" against the Catholic leader who has been "working for peace, reconciliation, universal brotherhood, unity and prosperity for the poor and most neglected."
Source: UCAN
.::. All my articles can be view here: MELTED HEARTS .::.
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