Catholic League: Pope's Legacy is Secure
Monday, February 11, 2013
English: Pope Benedict XVI (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
February 11, 2013
Bill Donohue offers seven good reasons why the pope’s legacy is secure:
- Religion for Pope Benedict XVI is as much a public issue as it is a private one. In 2008, he warned American bishops against “the subtle influence of secularism,” holding that “any tendency to treat religion as a private matter must be resisted.”
- The pope made it clear that religious freedom was not only a God-given right, it was “the path to peace.”
- He knew religion could be abused, leading even to violence. His much misunderstood 2006 Regensburg University lecture was really about the uncoupling of religion from reason (reason not united to faith also leads to violence).
- The pope reached out to dissidents on the right and the left, seeking to bring them to communion. Not all his efforts succeeded, but his attempts were noble.
Pope Benedict XVI’s willingness to step aside comes as a surprise this Monday morning. What is not surprising is his humility. Indeed, it is one of his most defining characteristics, one that separates him from today’s ego-centric public figures.