Papal Political Power Play

Thanks for your analysis of the problem. Problem is it is tainted with your anti-catholic biggotry. Seems the Pope wanted to return it but the Russian Orthodox rejected it because they came and looked at it and determined that it was only 300 years old and therefore a copy of the original. They rejected it.

http://www.freep.com/news/religion/pope31_20031031.htm

Blessings

 

Nothing like jumping to a quick conclusion and seeing the worst in another's actions, eh? Have you always been able to read the pope's mind or is this a recent ability?

 

Perhaps the Pope does not consider Putin to be "the people" of Russia.

Perhaps he wishes to find a way to make sure that it stays in the possession of all the people rather than risking it becoming the property of one man.

Considering the items the Clintons retained as personal possessions following their time of public service, I would have apprehensions about turning it over to Putin directly.

Just speculation.

 

Try this on.

The pope is a religious leader, not a political leader. (Yes occasionally spiritual values must be stressed with political leaders in order for proper policy to be enforced -i.e. partial birth abortion ban).

The pope's desire is to return it to the people of Russia.
Putin represents the political system of Russia.
The current riff is between the Catholic Church in Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC).
The gesture of "reconciliation" would therefore be one directed to the Russian Orthodox Church,-not the Russian government.
Putin was not qualified to accept the gift (being a representative of the govt. not the church. This was obvious in the fact that the article mentions Putin's inability or unwillingness to pre-empt the decision of the Russian Orthodox Church not to invite the Pope to Russia.)
The envisioned visit would have been a religious reconciliation of sorts not a political reconciliation. The Pope was only showing the icon he hoped to be presenting to the Russian people through the ROC.
Your bigotry is a seperate matter all together. But something tells me if the Pope had given it to Putin to deliver to the ROC as a gesture of reconciliation, you would have described it as a bribe to get an invitation!

 

You hang on to your bias in the face of proof that refutes what you say. They rejected it because it is not the original. The original was stolen by someone. They don't want the replica but the Pope wants to give it them Why? That it is not the original does not mean that it is of no value. The author of the articles mistates Catholic teaching. The power is not in the icon itself as if it were a charm. The council of Trent resoundingly refutes this as idolatry. The power is in focusing the minds of the faithful on the faith of the mother of God much like Paul's handkercheif was touched and cured the people in Acts 15. It focused the peoples minds on the faith of Paul and in turn they were cured. Also by his faith they were cured. To that end the replica accomplishes the end of what Icon's and relics are for. A three hundred year old replica is still something to be reveared (there you have an out. You can pick on this sentence. I look forward to it with scriptures ready). There is bitterness over the loss of the original which they blame on the Catholic Church (perhaps rightly so as a Catholic may well have stolen it). The replica is all the Pope has. He is looking to mend the wound over this lost icon. It's kind of like a kid looses his dog and you go get him a puppy.

Let it go bud. Anti-catholicism only clouds your mind in to seeing a skelton under every rock whether there is one there or not. It forces you in to verifiable lies such as Loraine Boetners "council of Valencia" and the Bible being put on the list of forbidden books long before there was such a list. Like Clinton, the next whopper must be bigger than the last.

God bless I will pray that God will open your heart.

Ps. I think I am addressing the issues quite well. But once again you will hold to your false notions because .... Well I need not say it again. You are only proving it yourself.

[ November 07, 2003, 11:45 AM: Message edited by: thessalonian ]

 

Where'd ya go swami. Did you decide to abandon your theory that you, the one person in the world that discovered "the truth" of the issue of the Pope and the Icon. Not even the Orthodox themselves realized what that evil pope JP II was doing. But you, wise as you are, picked it right out of an internet article. Or perhaps your off writing another anti-catholic book that will make your pockets heavy but is very light on facts and truth.

Blessings