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POPE-TOLERANCE Sep-28-2006 (530 words) xxxi
Pope says church's approach to other religions must be tolerant, open
By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service
ROME (CNS) -- Believing that each person is created in the image of God, the Catholic Church hopes all people will come to know the Gospel, but its primary approach to other religions and cultures must be one of tolerance and openness, Pope Benedict XVI said.
During a Sept. 28 meeting at his summer villa in Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome, Pope Benedict welcomed Hans-Henning Horstmann as Germany's new ambassador to the Vatican.
Faith, the pope told him, increases people's commitment to the common good, which is marked by defending the life and dignity of all people, including those of other faiths and cultures.
"The church does not impose itself," the pope said. "It does not force anyone to accept the Gospel message because faith in Jesus Christ, whom the church proclaims, can only happen in freedom. For this reason, encounters with others must be marked by tolerance and cultural openness."
However, Pope Benedict said, tolerance, respect and openness "must never be confused with indifference, which is the opposite of the deep Christian interest in human beings and their good."
"True tolerance presupposes respect for the other, for the human being, who was created by God and whose existence was willed by God," the pope said.
The Christian faith motivates Catholics to defend the "dignity, integrity and freedom" of each person, Pope Benedict said, and to work with all people of good will in defending others.
The good of humanity is what leads the church to defend traditional marriage and family life, he said, and to oppose abortion, including cases in which a baby may be severely handicapped, because every human life "has value for God."
Pope Benedict also asked the German government to defend the life and freedom of those requesting exile in Germany because of political or religious persecution in their homelands.
The pope's remarks about tolerance were given special attention in the wake of continuing discussion about his comments on Islam during a Sept. 12 speech at the University of Regensburg in Germany.
Pope Benedict met Sept. 25 with ambassadors from predominantly Muslim countries and with representatives of Italy's Muslim community, expressing his deep respect for Muslims, pledging to continue dialogue and encouraging joint Christian-Muslim efforts to curb violence.
But the foreign ministers of the Organization of the Islamic Conference Sept. 26 asked the pope "to retract or redress" the remarks he had made in Germany.
The foreign ministers of the organization representing 57 nations from around the world said the pope's remarks "reflect (a) lack of correct information about the holy Quran, the Prophet (Mohammed) and the Islamic faith, at the time when the Muslim world was expecting from His Holiness, the new pope, to continue the promotion of the cordial ties which prevailed with his predecessors and with the Vatican" for decades.
They also expressed concern that the pope's remarks might "engender a situation of tension between the Muslim world and the Vatican, to the detriment of the real interests of the two parties."
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Contributing to this story was Regina Linskey in Washington.
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Copyright (c) 2006 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.
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