Here, without edits or comments (other than my emphasis), are two posts from today's Catholic World News.
Pope lashes out at ‘corrupt’ global system, intolerance of foreigners
Pope Francis said that “no people is criminal and no religion is terrorist,” in a message to a California conference of popular movements.
“Christian terrorism does not exist, Jewish terrorism does not exist, and Muslim terrorism does not exist,” the Pope said. He explained his point: “There are fundamentalist and violent individuals in all peoples and religions—and with intolerant generalizations they become stronger because they feed on hate and xenophobia.”
In his address the Pope strongly endorsed the efforts by grassroots organizations to bring fundamental change to the world’s political and economic systems. He said that the global system today is “brutal” in its single-minded question for financial gain, and leaves many people by the wayside. The injustices of this system cannot continue, he said; “the system’s gangrene cannot be whitewashed forever because sooner or later the stench becomes too strong.”
The Pontiff charged that powerful interests preserve their status by encouraging fear of foreigners. Commenting on the parable of the Good Samaritan, he suggested that entrenched powers today are anxious to classify people as “neighbor” and “non-neighbor,” absolving themselves of their moral obligations toward those who are in need. He also said that corruption is widespread, and “the gutting of democracies is real.”
Pope Francis made these comments to a conference organizes by the Vatican’s dicastery for Integral Human Development and by the US bishops’ Catholic Campaign for Human Development, in association with an activist group, the National Network of People Improving Communities through Organizing (PICO).
Egyptian Copt gunned down; Islamic militants suspected
A Coptic schoolteacher was shot and killed in Egypt’s Sinai region on February 16, and officials indicated that a local affiliate of the Islamic State was suspected of orchestrating the murder. See update below.
Gamal Tawfiq was shot by two men who had followed him on a motorcycle as he walked home after classes in a school in the coastal town of el Arish. It was the second murder of a Coptic Christian this week, in a region where Christians have been under attack.
The men behind Catholic World News and CatholicCulture.org, Dr. Jeff Mirus and Phil Lawler, are big fans of the Holy Father. Apparently they misunderstand the doctrine of papal infallibility, for they seem to think Francis can do no wrong or teach no wrong, no matter how much his increasingly loony pronouncements (see first story) contradict reality (see second story). May God save His Holy Church!
UPDATE ADDED 24/2/14: Another Coptic Christian has been killed by Islamic militants in Egypt's Sinai peninsula. That's the 3rd such killing in two days and the sixth in a month. See "Sinai, Coptic Christian killed with a bullet to the neck, third victim in two days", AsiaNews 24/2/17.
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