Pope says rich nations "plundered" Third World

[Marcus Marulus]

Pope says rich nations "plundered" Third World

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Rich countries bent on power and profit have mercilessly "plundered and sacked" Africa and other poor regions and exported to them the "cynicism of a world without God," Pope Benedict writes in his first book.
The Pope also condemns drug trafficking and sexual tourism, saying they are signs of a world brimming with "people who are empty" yet living among abundant material goods. One section of the book was printed in Wednesday's Corriere Della Sera daily before publication later this month by Italian publisher Rizzoli, which owns the newspaper. A Rizzoli spokeswoman confirmed the authenticity of the excerpts.

In the 400-page book, called "Jesus of Nazareth," the Pope offers a modern application of Jesus's parable of the Good Samaritan, who stopped to help a man who had been robbed by thieves when others, including a priest, had not.
"The current relevance of the parable is obvious," the Pope writes.
"If we apply it to the dimensions of globalised society today, we see how the populations of Africa have been plundered and sacked and this concerns us intimately," the Pope says in his book, which comes out on April 16, his 80th birthday. He drew a link between the lifestyle of people in the developed world and the dire conditions of people in Africa.


STRIPPED NAKED
"We see how our lifestyle, the history that involved us, has stripped them naked and continues to strip them naked," he writes.
The German Pope, who has condemned the effects of colonialism before, said rich countries had also hurt poor countries spiritually by belittling or trying to wipe out their own cultural and spiritual traditions. "Instead of giving them God, the God close to us in Christ, and welcoming in their traditions all that is precious and great ... we have brought them the cynicism of a world without God, where only power and profit count...," he writes.

The Pope says his comments were valid for other regions apart from Africa.
In what could be seen as a strong self-criticism of the Roman Catholic Church, whose missionary activities often went hand-in-glove with colonialism, the Pope writes: "We destroyed (their) moral criteria to the point that corruption and a lust for power devoid of scruples have become obvious."

[source]

[Ederico]

I will have to get this book. In the meantime I can only say that this is relevant and very true in relation to Malta, itself a victim of all this at the hands of that gloriously defunct British empire - "The German Pope, who has condemned the effects of colonialism before, said rich countries had also hurt poor countries spiritually by belittling or trying to wipe out their own cultural and spiritual traditions. "Instead of giving them God, the God close to us in Christ, and welcoming in their traditions all that is precious and great ... we have brought them the cynicism of a world without God, where only power and profit count...," he writes." Concluding, good to notice that the Pope added that this doesn't apply exclusively to Africa.

[Ederico]

May I also add something said by the Pope, as reported by the Italian Corriere della Sera. Here is the extract in question from the linked Italian article:

«POTETE CONTRADDIRMI» - «Questo libro non è assolutamente un atto magisteriale, ma è unicamente espressione della mia ricerca personale del volto del Signore. Perciò ognuno è libero di contraddirmi», ha reso noto Benedetto XVI. Nella prefazione Joseph Ratzinger chiarisce che l'opera non è da ritenersi vincolante dal punto di vista del magistero. «Chiedo solo ai lettori e alle lettrici quell'anticipo di simpatia senza la quale non c'è alcuna comprensione».

English translation:

"This book is absolutely not a magisterial act, but it is exclusively an expression of my personal research on the face of Christ. Therefore, anyone is free to contradict me", said Pope Benedict XVI. In the preface Joseph Ratzinger clarifies that the work is not to be retained as binding from the magisterial point of view. "I only ask my readers that acceptance with sympathy without which there is no comprehension."

The original title in Italian, the original language of the book, is "Gesù di Nazareth. Dal Battesimo alla Trasfigurazione".

[Ederico]

ADDENDA - Interesting to note the diverse emphasis given by Reuters and by the Corriere della Sera.

Reuters, British based emphasised on this Third World plunder thing, while the Corriere della Sera, itself not some right-wing traditionalist newspaper (just imagine that it supported the current government prior to the elections and that it has a moderate Muslim immigrant as Editor or something similar) emphasised on the non-binding (for Catholics) aspect of it all.