Pope will pray for the redemption of Islamic terrorists at Ground Zero


The Pope will pray for the redemption of Islamic terrorists when he visits
the site of the September 11 attacks in New York next week.

The pontiff will call for terrorists to convert to Christianity, saying:

"Turn to Your way of love those whose hearts and minds are consumed with
hatred."

"God of understanding, overwhelmed by the magnitude of this tragedy, we seek
your light and guidance".

The prayer is likely to further incense the Muslim world, which has already
attacked the Pope for publicly converting Magdi Allam, a journalist and one
of Italy's most high-profile Muslims, at Easter.


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79&Itemid=1

Pope Benedict Go Home

by Margaret Kimberley, Black Agenda Report, 9 April 2008


His beneficence he ain't. Pope Benedict XVI, a former Hitler Youth whose
persona fits better with his given name, Joseph Ratzinger, transports his
malevolent, rightwing presence to the United States next which, where he
will doubtless do mischief with his political allies in the Bush regime.
Benedict/Ratzinger soon proved himself one of the most obnoxious and
historically ignorant top Catholics in modern times. The former Inquisitor
told survivors of the world's worst holocaust Native Americans "secretly
longed" to be brought under Christian rule - which wound up killing 19 out
of every 20 of them. Muslims, said Benedict, were the source of all things
"evil and inhuman." Under such circumstances, infallibility is terrifying.

"Benedict has proven himself to be among the worst, most retrograde popes in
modern times."

Why would American media, politicians and average citizens welcome a Hitler
Youth member who personally worked to insure Bush's re-election and who
openly praised the genocide conducted against American Indians? If the man
in question becomes pope, it obviously doesn't matter what he says or does.
Otherwise sensible people suddenly act like illiterate medieval peasants and
fight to kiss his ring.

Benedict XVI will make his first visit to America as pope next week. Since
his elevation in 2005, Benedict has proven himself to be among the worst,
most retrograde popes in modern times. Worse even than his predecessor, John
Paul II. John Paul's iconic "pope mobile" and international visits gave him
the appearance of a warm and cuddly spiritual leader. Yet he was every inch
a politician, and a right wing one at that.

John Paul personally and forcefully opposed the liberation theology movement
that swept Latin America in the 1970s and 1980s. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger,
now Benedict XVI, was just like his boss. As head of the Congregation for
the Doctrine of the Faith, which used to be called the Inquisition,
Ratzinger crushed all efforts to question church authority or promote
leftist political activity. Known as "God's Rottweiler," Ratzinger forced
Fr. Leonardo Boff, the father of liberation theology, to retire to a
monastery and shut up about liberating oppressed people.

"Ratzinger crushed all efforts to question church authority or promote
leftist political activity."

Ratzinger didn't confine his politics to Latin America. In 2004 George W.
Bush asked the Vatican for help in his election campaign. "Not all of the
American bishops are with me," he whined. Bush's wish was Ratzinger's
command. Ratzinger wrote a letter to American bishops and instructed them to
deny communion to politicians who supported abortion rights. This letter was
written in 2004, when John Kerry, a pro-choice Catholic, ran against George
W. Bush. The communion controversy was just one of the ways in which the
Kerry campaign was weakened by the Bush administration's successful
mobilization of conservative white Christians.

It is certain that no pundit or politician will bring up this disgraceful
activity when Pope Benedict visits Washington and New York. If a foreign
religious leader can work to keep a favored American president in power and
never be reproached, then he is free to deliver words of hate.

Since he became pope, Benedict has heaped insults on American Indians, and
on Muslims all over the world. He said that Christianity was not imposed on
Indians because they "secretly longed" for it. Rubbing salt into the gaping
wound, Benedict added that worship of traditional Indian religions would be
"a step backward."

"Benedict has heaped insults on American Indians and on Muslims all over the
world."

Not content to insult the Indians who survived the holocaust inflicted upon
them by Europeans, Benedict proved himself to be just as bigoted towards
Muslims. He quoted a 14th century Byzantine emperor who said that the
prophet Muhammad brought only "evil and inhuman" things to the world.
Despite his blatant bigotry, Benedict is still treated with respect and
admiration. It certainly is good to be the pope.

While European nations were killing Indians, they also began the enslavement
of millions of Africans. The church put the full force of its authority
behind slavery from the earliest days of European incursions around the
world. In 1455, Pope Nicholas V gave permission to ". . . invade, search
out, capture, vanquish, and subdue all Saracens and pagans whatsoever . . .
and to reduce their persons to perpetual slavery..." The church didn't stray
from that point of view for centuries. As late as 1866 the church said, "It
is not contrary to the natural and divine law for a slave to be sold,
bought, exchanged or given."

When Benedict visits Washington, D.C. and New York City he will say mass
before huge crowds, and politicians will sharpen elbows and call in favors
in order to be seen with him. No one has asked him to apologize for the
church's past support of these genocides or for his own hate speech. Unlike
Jeremiah Wright, who spoke truthful words, Benedict will be lionized for
telling lies, and justifying centuries of atrocities because the
perpetrators look like him.

"Unlike Jeremiah Wright, who spoke truthful words, Benedict will be lionized
for telling lies."

Catholics are not the only Christian denomination who justified genocide and
enslavement. America's true national religion, manifest destiny and white
privilege, has very old and very deep roots. They start with the premise
that Europeans had the right to claim foreign lands as their own, and kill,
buy and sell human beings. Most Americans, regardless of denomination or
religious affiliation, see nothing wrong with Pope Benedict's racism. That
is why he will be welcomed with open arms. The German born ruler of the
Vatican may be very American after all.


* Margaret Kimberley's Freedom Rider column appears weekly in BAR. Ms.
Kimberley lives in New York City, and can be reached via e-Mail at
Margaret.Kimberley(at)BlackAgandaReport.Com. Ms. Kimberley maintains an
edifying and frequently updated blog at freedomrider.blogspot.com. More
of her work is also available at her Black Agenda Report archive page.