The pope's words

It's been said all week by Catholic commentators leading up to the pope's visit -- this pope is a pope of words. John Paul II was very much a pope of gesture -- camera ready and very hard to misinterpret. Benedict XVI, however, is at heart a teacher -- not quite as readily translatable in our multimedia world, but badly needed nonetheless.

I'm reading his most recent encyclical, "Spe Salvi" (On Christian Hope) as I type. I meant to read it before he arrived, but I was a little busy getting ready for his arrival. But I'm also trying to listen closely to his speeches, and find the text to read again later. All in an effort to really hear his message.

There was a passage in his remarks at the White House this morning that I really liked:

Freedom is not only a gift, but also a summons to personal responsibility. Americans know this from experience – almost every town in this country has its monuments honoring those who sacrificed their lives in defense of freedom, both at home and abroad. The preservation of freedom calls for the cultivation of virtue, self-discipline, sacrifice for the common good and a sense of responsibility towards the less fortunate. It also demands the courage to engage in civic life and to bring one’s deepest beliefs and values to reasoned public debate. In a word, freedom is ever new. It is a challenge held out to each generation, and it must constantly be won over for the cause of good (cf. Spe Salvi, 24). Few have understood this as clearly as the late Pope John Paul II. In reflecting on the spiritual victory of freedom over totalitarianism in his native Poland and in eastern Europe, he reminded us that history shows, time and again, that “in a world without truth, freedom loses its foundation”, and a democracy without values can lose its very soul (cf. Centesimus Annus, 46). Those prophetic words in some sense echo the conviction of President Washington, expressed in his Farewell Address, that religion and morality represent “indispensable supports” of political prosperity.
The Church, for her part, wishes to contribute to building a world ever more worthy of the human person, created in the image and likeness of God (cf. Gen 1:26-27).

--Source: USCCB

I've bolded the phrases I found particularly profound. I especially like the phrase -- "in a world without truth, freedom loses its foundation," and a democracy without values can lose its very soul. It's a quote and paraphrase of the writings of John Paul II, but the words were particularly apt in that they were spoken this morning in the shadow of the White House and a presidential campaign.

I was also struck by the idea of "building a world ever more worthy of the human person." Wow. What dignity we have as human beings that the world must be made worthy of us by virtue of our sharing in the image of God.