This is the door of the common man, Pope Franics, passed through.
...All of us are quite aware of, and deeply worried by, the disturbing
social and political situation of the world today. Our world is
increasingly a place of violent conflict, hatred and brutal atrocities,
committed even in the name of God and of religion. We know that no
religion is immune from forms of individual delusion or ideological
extremism. This means that we must be especially attentive to every type
of fundamentalism, whether religious or of any other kind. A delicate
balance is required to combat violence perpetrated in the name of a
religion, an ideology or an economic system, while also safeguarding
religious freedom, intellectual freedom and individual freedoms. But
there is another temptation which we must especially guard against: the
simplistic reductionism which sees only good or evil; or, if you will,
the righteous and sinners. The contemporary world, with its open wounds
which affect so many of our brothers and sisters, demands that we
confront every form of polarization which would divide it into these two
camps. We know that in the attempt to be freed of the enemy without, we
can be tempted to feed the enemy within. To imitate the hatred and
violence of tyrants and murderers is the best way to take their place.
That is something which you, as a people, reject....
There was a great deal of symbolism during Pope Francis visit. He addressed an audience from the same lectern President Lincoln gave his Gettsburg Address.
August 7, 2015
Julia Terruso
When Pope Francis (click here) delivers his address
at Independence Hall next month, he will stand behind a nondescript
lectern of dark walnut, largely unused since it was placed in a cemetery
in Gettysburg on Nov. 19, 1863. There, President Abraham Lincoln
gripped its softly curved sides and etched into the history books, "Four
score and seven years ago. . . ."
Amid the hustle of big-picture logistics and intense plans for
Francis' visit to Philadelphia Sept. 26 and 27 is the chest-high lectern
that will link the Gettysburg Address to the pope's widely anticipated
speech on religious freedom and immigration....