"Pope condemns sorcery, urges Angolans to convert"

lanbrown · 03-21-2009, 2:43 PM

Pope condemns sorcery, urges Angolans to convert

"Pope condemns sorcery, urges Angolans to convert

By VICTOR L. SIMPSON, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 34 mins ago

LUANDA, Angola – Pope Benedict XVI appealed to the Catholics of Angola on Saturday to reach out to and convert believers in witchcraft who feel threatened by "spirits" and "evil powers" of sorcery.

On his first pilgrimage to Africa, the pope drew on the more than 500 years of Roman Catholicism in Angola, saying that Christianity was a bridge between the local peoples and the Portuguese settlers.

"In today's Angola," the pope said in a homily at Mass, "Catholics should offer the message of Christ to the many who live in the fear of spirits, of evil powers by whom they feel threatened, disoriented, even reaching the point of condemning street children and even the most elderly because — they say — they are sorcerers."

In Africa, some churchgoing Catholics also follow traditional animist religions and consult medicine men and diviners who are condemned by the church. People accused of sorcery or of being possessed by evil powers sometimes are killed by fearful mobs.

Benedict counseled Catholics to "live peacefully" with animists and other nonbelievers and urged Angolans to be the "new missionaries" to bring people who believe in sorcery to Christ.

Eighty percent of Angola's 16 million people are Christian, about 65 percent Catholic.

Benedict spoke at a Mass at the capital's blue-domed St. Paul's Church, where light streamed through stained glass windows onto veiled nuns and priests and bishops resplendent in white and lilac robes.

Before the invitation-only Mass for nuns and priests, Benedict was welcomed by a huge crowd.

Children screamed their excitement and held up cell phones to take photographs of the 81-year-old pontiff. Young girls prostrated themselves before him in a sea of pink veils.

People chanted and swayed to drumbeats and the rhythm of hymns in this tropical seaside capital. Many women wrapped their waists in cloth printed with photographs of the pope's face.

The pope lovingly caressed the faces of children and sketched the cross on their foreheads.

Security was unusually tight, with military sharpshooters atop buildings in the capital. The National Police said they have deployed 10,000 officers. Security agents blocked cell phones in the church, apparently by sending a signal.

Inside, veiled nuns and bishops resplendent in white robes with cerise belts and skull caps celebrated Mass with Benedict, who arrived in Luanda on Friday on the second leg of his tour of the continent with the fastest growing Catholic population in the world.

"This is a very emotional day for me, my first time to get a Papal blessing," said Sister Iliria Olivera, from Oaxaca in Mexico, among hundreds of foreign missionaries in the church. Olivera for nine years has been working with her Sisters of the Divine Pastor, teaching children and running a maternal health clinic outside Luanda.

After the Mass, the pope mounted a podium to bless the frenzied crowd of faithful who cheered him, crying out "Viva ao papa! Viva!"

Tens of thousands of people lined the streets to get the pope's benediction, and he waved signs of the cross from his glass-topped vehicle as he processed through the capital.

On Friday, Benedict lamented what he called strains on the traditional African family, condemning sexual violence against women and chiding countries that have approved abortion.

The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, who is traveling with the pope, told journalists at a briefing Saturday that Benedict in that speech was referring to abortion when used as a means of "population control."

Earlier in the weeklong trip, Benedict drew criticism from aid agencies and some European governments when he said that condoms were not the answer to Africa's severe AIDS epidemic, suggesting that sexual behavior was the issue.

In his remarks to diplomats, Benedict also called for a "conversion of hearts" to rid Angola and the rest of Africa of corruption.

Critics say last year's elections, which were swept by President Eduardo dos Santos' party, were marred by fraud and corruption. Dos Santos has been in power for 30 years.

In his welcome speech after arriving from Cameroon on Friday, Benedict referred to Angola's poverty as well as its rich natural resources, saying the multitude of poor Angolans must not be forgotten.

Angola is rich in diamonds and oil, but war and mismanagement have left most of its people in poverty.

The pope referred to his own childhood growing up in Nazi Germany, saying he had known war and national divisions and was keenly aware that dialogue was a way of overcoming "every form of conflict and tension and making every nation, including your own, into a house of peace and fraternity."

Angola was lacerated by a civil war that started with its 1975 independence and ended in 2002. Its history as a former Portuguese colony has given the country Christian roots.

Dos Santos said his government has good relations with the Vatican and he underlined the strong role the church plays in the country's recovery from nearly three decades of war.

In a message of welcome published in the local press Saturday, he said "Today, the signs of reconstruction of Angola are already visible and we can say that the benefits of peace can be felt in the life of each citizen."

Amnesty International on Saturday called on the pope to use his influence to halt the threat of forced evictions for residents of Luanda to make rise for high-rise apartments and office buildings. Many have been given cheap houses in faraway satellite towns that have no running water or electricity.

Amnesty said that between 2003 and 2006, thousands of people were forcibly evicted from land belonging to the Catholic Church in three Luanda districts.

Asked at the press briefing about Amnesty's allegations, Lombardi referred the question to an Angolan bishop, Monsignor Jose Manuel Imbamba. The prelate denied that anyone had been evicted or houses destroyed. "We help the poor, we don't send them away," Imbamba said.

___

AP correspondent Michelle Faul and reporter Casimiro Siona contributed to this report."

I think the Pope has read too many Harry Potter books.

Jetpilot07 · 03-21-2009, 4:14 PM

in my honest opinion....over half the worlds problems are wrapped around religion.

lanbrown · 03-21-2009, 4:43 PM

Religion is the root of most evil.

Jetpilot07 · 03-21-2009, 4:58 PM

everyone believing any religion not theirs is evil....

denzee · 03-21-2009, 5:29 PM

Sounds to me like a much better plan than they currently have. I believe the pope in genuine. I don't think he's after money because you can't get blood from a stone.

Jetpilot07 · 03-21-2009, 5:33 PM

ok...fair enough that anyone would feel that way.

however, i realy don't need to be posting on this because i can't understand why anyone would believe in something they can't touch, feel, see or hear....

live your life by your rules, not theirs!

MACI4LIFE · 03-21-2009, 6:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lanbrown

Religion is the root of most evil.

Just ask Richard Dawkins

look up his documentries with that title. Root of all evil.

lanbrown · 03-21-2009, 7:47 PM

Religion is not the root of all evil; they just invented it though.

tat2dude · 03-21-2009, 8:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jetpilot07

however, i realy don't need to be posting on this because i can't understand why anyone would believe in something they can't touch, feel, see or hear....

Religious differences....Arguing over who has the best imaginary friend

lanbrown · 03-21-2009, 8:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tat2dude

Religious differences....Arguing over who has the best imaginary friend

Snuffalopogus is the best though.

cherd · 03-21-2009, 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lanbrown

the pope said in a homily at Mass, "Catholics should offer the message of Christ to the many who live in the fear of spirits, of evil powers by whom they feel threatened

Hmmmm, you mean like Catholics??

Better watch out, Satan is gonna get ya!!

Jetpilot07 · 03-21-2009, 11:42 PM

the catholic church waged a vicious war against anyone they thought wasn't catholic.

there worse than southern baptist...

dr256 · 03-25-2009, 11:47 AM

The pope is right - condoms are indeed sorcery.

lanbrown · 03-25-2009, 6:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dr256

The pope is right - condoms are indeed sorcery.

NWS:

They want people like this to reproduce.

MACI4LIFE · 03-25-2009, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lanbrown

NWS:

They want people like this to reproduce.

holy **** i pissed myself laughing.

denzee · 03-25-2009, 11:07 PM

He better make sure he puts that on his resume and I'm sure mom and dad are pretty proud.

lanbrown · 03-25-2009, 11:42 PM

I'm pretty sure his act wouldn't go over to well at a birthday party. He is good with "balloons" though.

lanbrown · 03-26-2009, 9:38 AM

Back to the topic at hand (no pun intended.)

Condom uproar latest message problem for pope

"Condom uproar latest message problem for pope

VATICAN CITY – From the Gospel to Google, the church has been seeking ways to announce the word of Christ for 2,000 years.

Pope Benedict XVI has gone on YouTube and his speeches appear in Chinese on the Vatican Web site, but judging from the uproar over a Holocaust-denying bishop and his pronouncement that condoms deepen the AIDS crisis, he's clearly struggling with his message.

During his nearly four-year papacy, criticism has been pouring in from Muslims, Jews and members of his own flock, as the German pontiff seems to step into controversy at every turn. The attacks by European governments this past week over condom use are unprecedented.

The controversy could in the future weigh on cardinals when they choose Benedict's successor, perhaps leading them to look for a younger man more attuned to a wired world.

His predecessor, Pope John Paul II, shared the title of "Great Communicator" with former President Ronald Reagan, and managed to steer clear of controversy even though he held many of Benedict's conservative positions. John Paul mingled with reporters aboard his plane, walking the aisles, shaking hands and answering questions spontaneously.

"He was inquisitive to know what public opinion thought about him," said Marco Politi, a biographer of John Paul. From time to time he would call his spokesman, Joaquin Navarro-Valls and ask, "`What do they think about me?'" Politi said.

As he set off on his first African pilgrimage last week, Benedict was just emerging from a crisis brought on when he lifted the excommunication of four ultraconservative bishops — one of them a Holocaust denier — in an effort to end a schism.

An unusual personal account addressed to Catholic bishops around the world in a letter made public by the Vatican helped clear the air. Benedict acknowledged mistakes by the Vatican and said he was particularly saddened that Catholics who should know his record against anti-Semitism "thought they had to attack me with open hostility."

But Benedict found himself under new attack when flying to Africa after he told reporters that condoms would not resolve the AIDS problem but, on the contrary, increase it. The statement was condemned by France, Germany and the U.N. agency charged with fighting AIDS as irresponsible and dangerous.

The pope was not taken by surprise by the question. Ever since he apparently misspoke about the excommunication of Mexican lawmakers on a trip to Brazil in 2007, the Vatican asks reporters to submit questions in advance and then makes a selection, giving Benedict time to prepare a response.

The 81-year-old Benedict doesn't mingle with reporters individually but stands before them in the rear section of the plane flanked by aides, and responds drily to the questions.

Top church officials have rallied to Benedict's side. Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, head of the Italian Bishops Conference, said the criticism "has gone beyond good sense."

While opposition to condoms is a long-standing church position, the Vatican felt constrained to step in and say Benedict wanted to stress that a reliance on condoms distracted from the need for proper education in sexual conduct.

The first controversy of Benedict's papacy came in 2006 when the pope's remarks on Islam and holy war angered much of the Muslim world, leading him to backtrack and declare he was "deeply sorry." He continues to say that true religion must distance itself from violence, but no longer points a finger at any faith.

The Rev. Thomas Reese, a Vatican expert at the Woodstock Theological Center in Washington, says Benedict deserves praise for admitting mistakes, apologizing and explaining.

But he also says that as a church leader and a world leader the pope has to communicate in an understandable and persuasive way. "Benedict does not understand how to communicate in the 21st century," Reese said.

As prominent commentator Ernesto Galli Della Loggia wrote in Italy's leading Corriere della Sera, the pope has only one weapon to overcome opposition and affirm his authority: "charismatic media appeal that grabs the CNN screen and makes the front page of The New York Times."

Benedict did just that when traveling to the United States last year, a trip viewed as a success after he expressed personal shame over a clergy sex abuse scandal rocking the American church.

In meeting with individuals, Benedict is invariably gracious, but he seems uncomfortable before large crowds.

After the 27-year pontificate of the highly popular John Paul, the College of Cardinals turned to a prelate who spent years as a theology professor and Vatican insider but few in a pastoral setting.

"After the death of John Paul II there was such a shock among the cardinals about losing a giant personality that they wanted to make a quick choice in order not to show division inside the church and so they choose the best theologian, the best moral and spiritual and intellectual personality," Politi said.

"But they didn't open a real discussion about the future of the church and they didn't open a discussion also with the public opinion," he added."

You would think the bible, priests on TV, going door to door and having many churches would be enough for them. I guess not.

dr256 · 03-26-2009, 9:48 AM

Speaking in Cameroon earlier this week, the Pope said that rather than helping in the fight against HIV/AIDS, condoms "increase the problem".

The Pope should be forced to wear a condom just like the guy above (over his head) at all times to ensure no-one can hear the BS that he ejaculates.

lanbrown · 03-26-2009, 9:50 AM

Condoms are bad for business, they reduce pregnancies and thus reduce the money the church can make off of their followers. They want as many followers as they can get.

SunRider · 03-26-2009, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dr256

The pope is right - condoms are indeed sorcery.

Dont agree with Sorcery!! but they are Slippery

*ronmorgan* · 03-26-2009, 6:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lanbrown

Condoms are bad for business, they reduce pregnancies and thus reduce the money the church can make off of their followers. They want as many followers as they can get.

gid point, from ma experience of bein brought up in a small community what i hav realised over the years is this. the catholic boys nearly always wed a proddy girl, therefore their offspring are destined to a life of papery. av seen this happen countless times, so methodic.

ron

lanbrown · 03-26-2009, 9:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SunRider

Dont agree with Sorcery!! but they are Slippery

Entertaining too.

*ronmorgan* · 03-27-2009, 7:00 PM

so, ar you guys proddies or catholics ?

ron

lanbrown · 03-27-2009, 7:14 PM

Just those two options?

vertical954rr · 03-27-2009, 7:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MACI4LIFE

Just ask Richard Dawkins

look up his documentries with that title. Root of all evil.

I did...and he lost my interest when he started talking about how homosexuality is ok.. ever notice how most of the great atheistic agendas always includes legitimizing homosexual activity? for that reason alone i would side with a religious person even if i didnt believe in their god as i would rather live in a society governed by their primitive limited codes of morality then by a gay liberation Sodom & Gomorrah scientific community where anything goes, unless of course we were allowed to hunt them like rabid animals without consequence.

vertical954rr · 03-27-2009, 7:36 PM

wonder if the pope has any bids on this?

FEMALE ORGASM SPELL CAST BY WITCH haunted sex vibrator - eBay (item 220350280101 end time Apr-24-09 08:57:32 PDT)

lanbrown · 03-27-2009, 7:55 PM

She has spells for everything.

vertical954rr · 03-27-2009, 8:05 PM

looks like a good racket.. i think i may start posting warlock spells for $10 a pop!!

cherd · 03-29-2009, 8:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vertical954rr

I did...and he lost my interest when he started talking about how homosexuality is ok.. ever notice how most of the great atheistic agendas always includes legitimizing homosexual activity? for that reason alone i would side with a religious person even if i didnt believe in their god as i would rather live in a society governed by their primitive limited codes of morality then by a gay liberation Sodom & Gomorrah scientific community where anything goes, unless of course we were allowed to hunt them like rabid animals without consequence.

We are talking about two consensual adults partaking in an activity in a private setting. They are participating in an activity that has no effect other people. How could this possibly be categorized as a morality issue.

You say that the "great atheistic agendas" try to legitimize homosexuality. This is not true, they simply recognize that it is not a moral issue. You and I are attracted to women, therefore we seek sexual activity with women. If a person is attracted to their own sex then why should they not be allowed to do the same?

It's sad that you associate homophobia with patriotism (

). And, talking about hunting people down like rabid animals based on sexual preference just makes you sound like an ignorant redneck.