On Pope Benedict’s words in Assisi: “I thought it was very interesting that, in typical style, he did a very sophisticated analysis of different kinds of denial, different kinds of violence, and I think what he was driving at was ”¦ the denial of God sooner of later involves a denial of humanity, and if you want to have a real humanism, it must be somehow open at the top. Without that, you get the anti-humanist religion of the terrorist and the anti-religious humanism of the secularist and they’re neither of those good for us as a world.”
On his own intervention in Assisi: “I quoted yesterday one of my favourite poets – and it’s possibly the first time a Welsh Quaker school teacher has been quoted in this sort of context – but this particular writer, Waldo Williams, for him the notion of recognition is at the very heart of what he’s doing in his poetry, what he was doing as a Christian, as a peace activist, recognition that something strikes you in the other as so like you, that you can not any longer treat them as a stranger and that’s the moment of breakthrough, morally and spiritually”
On his unscheduled visit during the lunch break in Assisi: “The Holy Father was resting, but the Ecumenical Patriarch and I were whisked away to visit the new house which the Bose community has established in Assisi ”“ for those of us who know Bose it had an immediate family feeling, the beauty and simplicity of the chapel , the warmth of the welcome about a dozen of the brothers had come down for the day, so I’m very glad I didn’t miss out on that ”“ even if I did miss out on the siesta!”
Read (or listen to) it all.
(Vatican Radio) Archbishop of Canterbury: from Assisi to Zimbabwe
On Pope Benedict’s words in Assisi: “I thought it was very interesting that, in typical style, he did a very sophisticated analysis of different kinds of denial, different kinds of violence, and I think what he was driving at was ”¦ the denial of God sooner of later involves a denial of humanity, and if you want to have a real humanism, it must be somehow open at the top. Without that, you get the anti-humanist religion of the terrorist and the anti-religious humanism of the secularist and they’re neither of those good for us as a world.”
On his own intervention in Assisi: “I quoted yesterday one of my favourite poets – and it’s possibly the first time a Welsh Quaker school teacher has been quoted in this sort of context – but this particular writer, Waldo Williams, for him the notion of recognition is at the very heart of what he’s doing in his poetry, what he was doing as a Christian, as a peace activist, recognition that something strikes you in the other as so like you, that you can not any longer treat them as a stranger and that’s the moment of breakthrough, morally and spiritually”
On his unscheduled visit during the lunch break in Assisi: “The Holy Father was resting, but the Ecumenical Patriarch and I were whisked away to visit the new house which the Bose community has established in Assisi ”“ for those of us who know Bose it had an immediate family feeling, the beauty and simplicity of the chapel , the warmth of the welcome about a dozen of the brothers had come down for the day, so I’m very glad I didn’t miss out on that ”“ even if I did miss out on the siesta!”
Read (or listen to) it all.