Pavens tale ved den kongelige residensen Holyrood House

Bilde: Vatikanradioen

Pave Benedikt XVI talte i dag til en rekke offisielle representanter samlet i den kongelige residensen Holyrood House i Edinburgh. Ved hans side var dronning Elizabeth og hennes mann, hertugen av Edinburgh.

Den hellige far understreket Storbritannias dype kristne røtter:

"The name of Holyroodhouse, Your Majesty's official residence in Scotland, recalls the "Holy Cross" and points to the deep Christian roots that are still present in every layer of British life. The monarchs of England and Scotland have been Christians from very early times and include outstanding saints like Edward the Confessor and Margaret of Scotland. As you know, many of them consciously exercised their sovereign duty in the light of the Gospel, and in this way shaped the nation for good at the deepest level. As a result, the Christian message has been an integral part of the language, thought and culture of the peoples of these islands for more than a thousand years. Your forefathers' respect for truth and justice, for mercy and charity come to you from a faith that remains a mighty force for good in your kingdom, to the great benefit of Christians and non-Christians alike."

Paven berømmet samtidig Storbritannias bidrag i kampen mot nazi-tyskland under Den annen verdenskrig:

"Even in our own lifetime, we can recall how Britain and her leaders stood against a Nazi tyranny that wished to eradicate God from society and denied our common humanity to many, especially the Jews, who were thought unfit to live. I also recall the regime's attitude to Christian pastors and religious who spoke the truth in love, opposed the Nazis and paid for that opposition with their lives. As we reflect on the sobering lessons of the atheist extremism of the twentieth century, let us never forget how the exclusion of God, religion and virtue from public life leads ultimately to a truncated vision of man and of society and thus to a "reductive vision of the person and his destiny" (Caritas in Veritate, 29)."

Samtidig oppfordret han - i kjent stil - om at de kristne røtter og tradisjonelle verdier ikke må vike i møte med det moderne samfunn:

"Today, the United Kingdom strives to be a modern and multicultural society. In this challenging enterprise, may it always maintain its respect for those traditional values and cultural expressions that more aggressive forms of secularism no longer value or even tolerate. Let it not obscure the Christian foundation that underpins its freedoms; and may that patrimony, which has always served the nation well, constantly inform the example your Government and people set before the two billion members of the Commonwealth and the great family of English-speaking nations throughout the world."

Fulltekst:

Meeting with state authorities in the grounds of the Palace of Holyroodhouse (Edinburgh, 16 September 2010)

Vatikanradioen; Andreas Dingstad (16. september 2010)

av Webmaster publisert 16.09.2010, sist endret 19.01.2011 - 15:59