Paven talte til det diplomatiske korps - ønsker en "menneskelig økologi"

I sin årlige tale til det diplomatiske korps - kjent som "State of the World" - la pave Benedikt XVI stor vekt på vern av miljøet. Paven presiserte, som han ved flere anledninger har gjort, at en menneskelig korrekt rolle som forvalter og administrator av skaperverket, fører med seg anerkjennelse av naturretten, og en forståelse av menneskelivets medfødte verdighet.

Sandro Magister fra Chiesa trekker frem tre hovedlinjer fra pavens tale:

1. Den menneskelige økologi

Her fortsetter Den hellige far på tematikken fra årets budskap til Verdens Fredsdag, og en forlengelse av hans nylige encyklika 'Caritas in Veritate', og dets omtale av miljøkrisen som en forlengelse av menneskets åndelige og moralske krise:

"Twenty years ago, after the fall of the Berlin wall and the collapse of the materialistic and atheistic regimes which had for several decades dominated a part of this continent, it was easy to assess the great harm which an economic system lacking any reference to the truth about man had done not only to the dignity and freedom of individuals and peoples, but to nature itself, by polluting soil, water and air. The denial of God distorts the freedom of the human person, yet it also devastates creation. It follows that the protection of creation is not principally a response to an aesthetic need, but much more to a moral need, in as much as nature expresses a plan of love and truth which is prior to us and which comes from God".

"If we wish to build true peace, how can we separate, or even set at odds, the protection of the environment and the protection of human life, including the life of the unborn? It is in man's respect for himself that his sense of responsibility for creation is shown".

Massemedia har konsentrert seg om følgende sitat, hvor paven indirekte omtaler samkjønnede ekteskapslover. Senest ute er Portugal, som på tross av kirkelig og sivil motstand, sist fredag godkjente en lov som sidestiller samkjønnede partnerskap med ekteskap:

"Creatures differ from one another and can be protected, or endangered, in different ways, as we know from daily experience. One such attack comes from laws or proposals which, in the name of fighting discrimination, strike at the biological basis of the difference between the sexes. I am thinking, for example, of certain countries in Europe or North and South America. Saint Columban stated that: 'If you take away freedom, you take away dignity.' Yet freedom cannot be absolute, since man is not himself God, but the image of God, God's creation. For man, the path to be taken cannot be determined by caprice or willfulness, but must rather correspond to the structure willed by the Creator".

2. Den positive sekularitet

Benedikt kommenterte også den vestlige verdens vanskelige forhold til religiøs tro og dets offentlige uttrykk. I følge paven gir dette utslag i en form for 'ideologisk sekularitet', som hindrer åndelige perspektiver på dagens samfunnsmessige utfordringer i å bli hørt:

"The causes of the situation which is now evident to everyone are of the moral order, and the question must be faced within the framework of a great programme of education aimed at promoting an effective change of thinking and at creating new lifestyles. The community of believers can and wants to take part in this, but, for it to do so, its public role must be recognized. Sadly, in certain countries, mainly in the West, one increasingly encounters in political and cultural circles, as well in the media, scarce respect and at times hostility, if not scorn, directed towards religion and towards Christianity in particular. It is clear that if relativism is considered an essential element of democracy, one risks viewing secularity solely in the sense of excluding or, more precisely, denying the social importance of religion. But such an approach creates confrontation and division, disturbs peace, harms human ecology and, by rejecting in principle approaches other than its own, finishes in a dead end".

Alternativet er det paven kaller for en positiv og åpen sekularitet, som ikke glemmer Europas og Vestens kristne arv:

"There is thus an urgent need to delineate a positive and open secularity which, grounded in the just autonomy of the temporal order and the spiritual order, can foster healthy cooperation and a spirit of shared responsibility. Here I think of Europe, which, now that the Lisbon Treaty has taken effect, has entered a new phase in its process of integration, a process which the Holy See will continue to follow with close attention. Noting with satisfaction that the Treaty provides for the European Union to maintain an 'open, transparent and regular' dialogue with the Churches (Art. 17), I express my hope that in building its future, Europe will always draw upon the wellsprings of its Christian identity".

3. Religionsfrihet

Religionsfrihet er noe som står pavens hjerte nær. I det foregående år har vi sett stygge angrep på kristnes religionsfrihet, ofte voldelige, spesielt i muslimske land som Pakistan, Irak og Egypt.

I tillegg fortsetter den generelle trend med kristnes utvandring fra hele Midt-Østen. Den hellige far presiserer at kristne i disse områdene ønsker å bidra positivt til samfunnet, men at dette krever oppnåelse av fulle sivile rettigheter:

"Out of love for the dialogue and peace which protect creation, I exhort the government leaders and the citizens of Iraq to overcome their divisions and the temptation to violence and intolerance, in order to build together the future of their country. The Christian communities also wish to make their own contribution, but if this is to happen, they need to be assured respect, security and freedom. Pakistan has been also hard hit by violence in recent months and certain episodes were directly aimed at the Christian minority. I ask that everything be done to avoid the reoccurrence of such acts of aggression, and to ensure that Christians feel fully a part of the life of their country. In speaking of acts of violence against Christians, I cannot fail to mention also the deplorable attack which the Egyptian Coptic community suffered in recent days, during its celebration of Christmas".

"The grave acts of violence to which I have just alluded, combined with the scourges of poverty, hunger, natural disasters and the destruction of the environment, have helped to swell the ranks of those who migrate from their native land. Given the extent of this exodus, I wish to exhort the various civil authorities to carry on their work with justice, solidarity and foresight. Here I wish to speak in particular of the Christians of the Middle East. Beleaguered in various ways, even in the exercise of their religious freedom, they are leaving the land of their forebears, where the Church took root during the earliest centuries. To offer them encouragement and to make them feel the closeness of their brothers and sisters in faith, I have convened for next autumn a Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Middle East".

178 land har pr. i dag fulle diplomatiske forbindelser med Den hellige stol, med Russland som det ferskeste tilskuddet. Det diplomatiske korps inkluderer også representanter fra EU, palestinske PLO og Malteserridderne.

Les mer:

Pope Benedict Speech to Diplomatic Corps (Vatican Radio)

Pope says gay marriage threat to creation (Reuters)

Pope Denounces Lack of New Climate Treaty (Time)

VIS - Vatican Information Service; Andreas Dingstad (11. januar 2010)