Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Preparations for Assisi III

In "Who will be present in Assisi III?" (Rorate Caeli, October 18, 2011), we see the list of representatives of Western and Eastern Churches and other religions (Buddhists, Muslims, various African religions) and sects, including one member of the Austrian Communist Party.

The official name of the event is: "Day of Reflection, Dialogue, and Prayer for Peace and Justice in the World - 'Pilgrims of Truth, Pilgrims of Peace' - Assisi, October 27, 2011."

I think I know what the Holy Father might intend by "Pilgrims of Truth." I wonder, however, what the public will generally understand it to mean in our climate of world-historical relativism and the faux-humility about religious truth that it engenders.

Related
"What we suffer from today is humility in the wrong place. Modesty has moved from the organ of ambition. Modesty has settled upon the organ of conviction; where it was never meant to be. A man was meant to be doubtful about himself, but undoubting about the truth; this has been exactly reversed. Nowadays the part of a man that a man does assert is exactly the part he ought not to assert--himself. The part he doubts is exactly the part he ought not to doubt - the Divine Reason. . . . The new skeptic is so humble that he doubts if he can even learn. . . . There is a real humility typical of our time; but it so happens that it's practically a more poisonous humility than the wildest prostrations of the ascetic. . . . The old humility made a man doubtful about his efforts, which might make him work harder. But the new humility makes a man doubtful about his aims, which makes him stop working altogether. . . . We are on the road to producing a race of man too mentally modest to believe in the multiplication table."

G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy(Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Co., 1957), pp. 31-32

5 comments:

  1. You do not need publish this.

    I think that actually, if you check it again, the numbers for churches and ecclesial communities, and Jewish org., are those of their delegations, while those of other communities are of individuals.

    Best regards, as usual,

    NC

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous2:08 PM

    This is so disconcerting. During the time of Assisi I was a protestant (LCMS). I can assure you that the Protestants of my acquaintance were scandalized. I still live in a protestant atmosphere none of my friends or family are Catholic. How sad I am that Pope Benedict XVI has chosen to walk in JPII’s footsteps. I don’t know what I’m going to say when this is brought up in onversation.

    One other thing I’m betting that the SSPX will not be coming home anytime soon.
    Donna

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the fraternal correction, NC. Duly noted.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous12:31 PM

    Something related: http://news.smashits.com/721974/Vatican-sends-Deepavali-greetings-to-Hindu-Friends.htm

    I am so sad. I wish that the Holy Father would explain to those of little brain (like moi), why or why or why he does things like this.

    Donna

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous9:12 PM

    I wrote "why or why or why he does things like this."

    Of course I meant-Why oh why....

    ReplyDelete