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Pope blasts Europeans for not having enough


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Pope blasts Europeans for not having enough children

by Sim Sim Wissgott

Sat Sep 8, 3:27 PM ET

MARIAZELL, Austria (AFP) - Pope Benedict XVI blasted Europeans for being selfish and not having enough children, in a sermon on Saturday at the 850-year-old pilgrimage site of Mariazell in Austria.

"Europe has become child-poor. We want everything for ourselves and place little trust in the future," the pope told a crowd of faithful from his canopied area at an open-air, afternoon mass that took place under heavy rain.

But Benedict held out hope, saying: "The earth will be deprived of a future only when the forces of the human heart and of reason illuminated by the heart are extinguished . . . Where God is, there is the future."

The pontiff had slammed abortion upon arriving in Austria Friday as the "very opposite" of human rights.

"The fundamental human right, the presupposition of every other right, is the right to life itself," he told members of the government and the diplomatic corps at the Hofburg, the seat of the Austrian presidency in Vienna.

Austrian Defence Minister Norbert Darabos said in a state televisin interview however Saturday that the Austrian government would not call for a change in the country's law which allows abortions.

Meanwhile, in evening prayers at Mariazell the traditionalist Pope defended chastity for religious orders as a way for them to become "men and women of hope."

Celibacy is not "individualism or a life of isolation" for priests, nuns and other religious orders but "unreservedly" serving God and having "deep relationships ... which they accept as a gift."

The Austrian Church has been wracked by several sex scandals involving priests and in an open letter to the pope the liberal Austrian movement Wir sind Kirche ("We are the Church") has called for the end of celibacy.

Despite the bad weather that has dogged the visit so far, thousands stood in the rain at Mariazell packed behind crowd barriers, with many wearing yellow raincoats and some waving blue scarves, the traditional colour of Jesus's mother Mary.

The pope, who had arrived in Mariazell from Vienna by car instead of by helicopter due to the weather, waved to the crowd through the windows of the Popemobile as he made his way to the centuries-old white and pink basilica in Mariazell.

People who had been sheltering under doorways rushed towards his motorcade as it passed, even as the rain increased in intensity.

Organisers said 33,040 free tickets had already been distributed for Mariazell and that the pilgrims would include 70 bishops from central and eastern European countries.

The Austrian archbishop, Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, told the crowd that two pilgrims had died from health problems, and the Pope said a prayer for them.

On Friday, the pontiff said he intended his pilgrimage "to be a journey made in the company of all the pilgrims of our time."

He said Mariazell "symbolizes an openness which... transcends physical and national frontiers."

The main pilgrimage site in the Danube region, some 110 kilometres (70 miles) southwest of Vienna, the basilica was founded by Benedictine monks.

The site, which is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and celebrates its 850th anniversary this year, welcomes around a million pilgrims every year from Austria, neighbouring Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia as well as Poland, Croatia and Bosnia-Hercegovina.

The Pope arrived in Vienna Friday morning and addressed a crowd of thousands at Am Hof square before making a silent tribute to the victims of the Holocaust at a nearby monument.

The pope's visit has been greeted with some criticism in a country where the traditionally powerful Catholic Church is waning in influence.

Statistics show the Austrian Church has lost about one million followers since 1983, and only 67 percent of Austrians are still officially Catholic, compared to almost 92 percent in 1900.

On Sunday, the Pope will celebrate a morning mass at Vienna's St. Stepheon's Cathedral and visit the Cistercian monastery in Heiligenkreuz, before flying back to Rome.

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This guy is the most un-PC pope in a while.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070908/wl_af...ia_070908192741

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If he wants to change that all he has to do is to lift the celibate status of priest, nuns and monks.... there would be a lot of kids to please His Holiness.....

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If he wants to change that all he has to do is to lift the celibate status of priest, nuns and monks.... there would be a lot of kids to please His Holiness.....

Don't be silly. They're not stupid enough to have kids, but others may be.

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Any sexy religious European women looking to fill the quota... Call Me ;)

Perhaps he should blame the economic system which simply has made it to expensive to have kids... This granted it is the same there as it is here in Canada.

Edited by AtheistGod
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I'll have as many kids as the future ex-Mrs. Bruce Prime wants to bear.

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Yeah, it's kind of ironic that the Pope is criticising OTHERS for not having enough children. I mean... how many has HE contributed ? :P

I think the unspoken sub-text of his speech is that other religions - and in particularly Muslims - tend to have LOTS of children, and are increasing their presence throughout Europe as a consequence, to the detriment of Christianity. (or at least, to the number of Christians).

Meow Purr.

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to the detriment of Christianity. (or at least, to the number of Christians).

Meow Purr.

The biggest detriment to Christianity is the Pope and similar ayatollahs.

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The biggest detriment to Christianity is the Pope and similar ayatollahs.

Awwww that's harsh. The Pope may be a reactionary (how could he be otherwise ? ), but calling him an 'ayotolla' is a bit rough. He doesn't even have a beard :P

Meow Purr.

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I totally agree...there just aren't enough children in the world. Greedy people thinking only of themselves not wanting to share the joy of the pitter patter of little feet. ( being neglected, starved, abused and despised) Yeah. Pope.....please!

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Being selfish and not having enough children??

I didn't realise under-population was the major problem in the world these days.

Thanks for highlighting the problem, your holiness. We must add a few more millions to house feed, transport, etc .

:rolleyes:

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Awwww that's harsh. The Pope may be a reactionary (how could he be otherwise ? ), but calling him an 'ayotolla' is a bit rough. He doesn't even have a beard :P

Meow Purr.

Does not require one:

[Persian āyatollāh, from Arabic 'āyatu llāh, sign of God : 'āyatu, bound form of 'āya, sign, Koranic verse; see wy in Semitic roots + allāh, Allah; see Allah.]

Source

Though calling some of them a "sign of God" is being too kind.

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Sorry Pope too busy having protected homo sex ^_^

Not to mention there are plenty enough Asian immigrants that can fill the spot :tu:

I thought we already had a problem with starving children around the world. I think he should open some of the Vatican's purse strings to help the needy, they are already on this Earth and should be looked after.

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Pope Benedict XVI blasted Europeans for being selfish and not having enough children...
And just how many kids does Mr. Pope have? No, I'm not refering to the priests and the child/sex scandle. How about a little leadership by example, Pontif. How come that hat is so big, are you compensating for something?

I have to admit, I've always been a little weary of a man who c/would swear off sex for the rest of his life.

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How about a little leadership by example, Pontif.

Come on, the guy is in between 80 and clinically death. But he could allow his younger nuns and monks to have some,

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I giggled my ### off when on the same sermon he told the crowd, That sunday should be a day for reflection and celebration of Gods wonder and the gift he gave us, NOT LEISURE ACTIVTIES.

LOL;LOL; i mean you got 2 days off a week, slaving your self and he dosent want you doing anything you might enjoy on one of your days off. arf arf, really what century is he really in. id like to see him after a week of hard labour.

any way i think he looks evil, always looks like he is sneering at you.

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I have to admit, I've always been a little weary of a man who c/would swear off sex for the rest of his life.

Specially when this men and womens think to have the final truth about reproduction....

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