Pope John Paul II warned several U.S. bishops Friday that American society is in danger of turning against spirituality in favor of materialistic desires, giving way to a "soulless vision of life."
A "soulless vision of life"? Hmm...interesting assessment, Holy Father. Could it be we can't trust our priests with our children because we don't know who the next deviant priest is going to be? Could it be that when all one sees of the religious leadership is arrogance, one's view would be tainted? And you think you've got a solution for it? This ought to be good...
To fight this, the pontiff argued, the U.S. church must study contemporary culture to find a way to appeal to youths. He made his remarks to bishops from Indianapolis, Chicago and Milwaukee who were making a periodic visit to the Vatican.
How about this, pontiff: to fight this priests should not be sexual predators. And the Church administration shouldn't hide these guys and shun those who have been their victims. How about studying that?
The American church "is called to respond to the profound religious needs and aspirations of a society increasingly in danger of forgetting its spiritual roots and yielding to a purely materialistic and soulless vision of the world," John Paul said.
The American church should be called to clean the House of God before it starts spouting off about American culture. Somebody important once said, "Let he without sin cast the first stone" Oh, that was Jesus Christ wasn't it?
"Taking up this challenge, however, will require a realistic and comprehensive reading of the 'signs of the times,' in order to develop a persuasive presentation of the Catholic faith and prepare young people especially to dialogue with their contemporaries about the Christian message and its relevance to the building of a more just, humane and peaceful world."
I imagine this will be tough to do when the congregation has little faith in the leadership...
John Paul added: "An effective proclamation of the Gospel in contemporary Western society will need to confront directly the widespread spirit of agnosticism and relativism which has cast doubt on reason's ability to know the truth, which alone satisfies the human heart's restless quest for meaning."
JP, don't even talk to me about moral relativism while your bishops continue to shield priests who molest children. The hypocrisy and utter lack of humility is staggering. An effective proclamation of the Gospel starts with having the moral courage to do what is right. The Church will never be right until it acknowledges its crimes and takes appropriate action. Lecturing Americans isn't a good place to start...
