Word: papally
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...Traditionally, key papal discourses would wind their way through several layers of checks and input from various offices in the Roman Curia - and particularly in the latter years of the previous papacy, bureaucrats actually wrote the speeches themselves. But the effective No. 2 man in the Curia bureaucracy, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, had been a lame duck over the last two months after Benedict announced his replacement as Secretary of State would begin this fall (Sep. 15, in fact, the day after the Pope's return from Germany). Insiders say the 78-year-old Italian hadn't had an effective working...
Perhaps his erudite mind does not quite yet grasp how to transform his beloved scholarly explorations into effective papal politics. But two months before a scheduled trip to Turkey, his first to a predominantly Muslim country, Pope Benedict XVI raised a ruckus with a provocative lecture on the relationship between faith, reason and violence on a visit to Regensburg University, where he once taught theology. As a good professor might, he quoted a 14th [an error occurred while processing this directive] century Byzantine Emperor. But this Emperor was making a furious criticism of Islam: "Show me just what Muhammad brought...
...final plans were being made for the papal trip to Turkey, where he is scheduled to meet with the country's top political and religious authorities. Benedict's initial motivation for the visit is to celebrate with Orthodox Christians the Feast of St. Andrew, on Nov. 30. in Istanbul, which some Christians still call Constantinople. Most expect that he would also speak about the tensions between the Islamic world and the West on the visit. Assuming the trip goes through, one wonders if there will be more careful attention to how his message may be interpreted by Muslims. Still, Padovese...
...penultimate phrase of his lecture, Benedict said: "It is to this great logos, to this breadth of reason, that we invite our partners in the dialogue of cultures." Ah yes, the "d" word. "Dialogue" has become a familiar papal term ever since John Paul launched the first of many interfaith gatherings in the medieval Italian city of Assisi two decades ago. Just last month, in fact, was the 20th anniversary of that first encounter. Benedict, as he did last year, skipped the anniversary event in St. Francis' hometown-and Vatican insiders say he has always been skeptical of the encounters...
...Monday was his brother Father Georg Ratzinger, 82, who has long lived in the town of Regensburg, where he directed the church choir. Georg has been spending more and more time with his younger brother (who still has a full-time job), passing much of the summer at the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo. So this fall, many expect that a small living area where Georg has stayed in the Apostolic Palace will become the papal brother's permanent address. That's one Curia assignment that had only one viable candidate...