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Pope Benedict XVI Quotes - Page 16

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There may be a basis in the case of some individuals, as perhaps when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be a first step in the direction of a moralisation, a first assumption of responsibility...

There may be a basis in the case of some individuals, as perhaps when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be a first step in the direction of a moralisation, a first assumption of responsibility...

Pope Benedict XVI
Responsibility, Condom Use, Males
"Pope Benedict edges away from total ban on use of condoms" by John Hooper, www.theguardian.com. November 21, 2010.

The State which would provide everything, absorbing everything into itself, would ultimately become a mere bureaucracy incapable of guaranteeing the very thing which the suffering person—every person—needs: namely, loving personal concern. We do not need a State which regulates and controls everything, but a State which, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, generously acknowledges and supports initiatives arising from the different social forces and combines spontaneity with closeness to those in need. The Church is one of those living forces.

Pope Benedict XVI
Support, Suffering, Church
Encyclical Letter "Deus Caritas Est" of the Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI, w2.vatican.va. December 25, 2005.

The diligent reading of Sacred Scripture accompanied by prayer brings about that intimate dialogue in which the person reading hears God who is speaking, and in praying, responds to him with trusting openness of heart. If it is effectively promoted, this practice will bring to the Church-I am convinced of it-a new spiritual springtime.

Pope Benedict XVI
Spiritual, Prayer, Reading

The world needs more than just itself. Amid the dreariness, people do not need a distraction that will in the end become dreary itself; they are asking for mystery, even if they do not realize this themselves. They need the sign of the wholly Other, the living Word of God, entering into this our age in unadulterated trustworthiness and dynamism.

Pope Benedict XVI
Faith, Inspiration, People

In the world in which we live, it is almost a necessity to be able to regain one's strength of body and spirit, especially for those who live in the city, where the conditions of life, often feverish, leave little room for silence, reflection and relaxed contact with nature.

Pope Benedict XVI
Faith, Inspiration, Reflection

Est autem fides sperandarum substantia rerum, argumentum non apparentium. – Faith is the hypostasis of things hoped for; the proof of things not seen.

Pope Benedict XVI
Proof

What is capable of restoring enthusiasm and confidence, what can encourage the human spirit to rediscover its path, to raise its eyes to the horizon, to dream of a life worthy of its vocation - if not beauty?

Pope Benedict XVI
Faith, Dream, Inspiration

Monsters, among other brutes, are the ones without guilt feelings. Perhaps Hitler did not have any, or Himmler, or Stalin. Maybe Mafia bosses do not have any guilt feelings either, or maybe their remains are just well hidden in the cellar. Even aborted guilt feelings...All men need guilt feelings.

Pope Benedict XVI
Men, Boss, Feelings
Pope Benedict XVI (2006). “On conscience: two essays”, Natl Catholic Bioethics Center

Can we remain indifferent before the problems associated with such realities as climate change?

Pope Benedict XVI
Change, Reality, Climate
Pope Benedict XVI (2014). “The Garden of God”, p.41, CUA Press

One of the most serious [challenges] is increased military spending and the cost of maintaining and developing nuclear arsenals. Enormous resources are being consumed for these purposes, when they could be spent on the development of peoples, especially those who are poorest. For this reason I firmly hope that, during the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference to be held this May in New York, concrete decisions will be made towards progressive disarmament, with a view to freeing our planet from nuclear arms

Pope Benedict XVI
Religious, New York, Military

Dear young people, we have seen that it is the Holy Spirit who brings about the wonderful communion of believers in Jesus Christ. True to his nature as giver and gift alike, he is even now working through you. Let unifying love be your measure; abiding love your challenge; self-giving love your mission!

Pope Benedict XVI
Life, Jesus, Love You
"Vigil With the Young People". Address in Sydney, Australia, w2.vatican.va. July 19, 2008.

Beauty, then, is not mere decoration, but rather an essential element of the liturgical action, since it is an attribute of God himself and his revelation. These considerations should make us realize the care which is needed, if the liturgical action is to reflect its innate splendour.

Pope Benedict XVI
Essentials, Elements, Care

The Church must never be satisfied with the ranks of those whom she has reached at a certain point or say that others are fine as they are: Muslims, Hindus and so forth. The Church can never retreat comfortably to within the limits of her own environment. She is charged with universal solicitude; she must be concerned with and for one and all... We must... as the Lord says - go out ever anew 'to the highways and hedges' (Luke 14:23), to deliver God's invitation to his banquet also to those who have so far heard nothing or have not been stirred within.

Pope Benedict XVI
Church, Limits, Retreat

Each generation, as it seeks to advance the common good, must ask anew: 'What are the requirements that governments may reasonably impose upon citizens, and how far do they extend? By appeal to what authority can moral dilemmas be resolved?'

Pope Benedict XVI
Government, Generations, Citizens
"Meeting with the Representatives of British Society, Including the Diplomatic Corps, Politicians, Academics and Business Leaders". Pope Benedict XVI speech, w2.vatican.va. September 17, 2010.

The more administrative machinery we construct, be it the most modern, the less place there is for the Spirit, the less place there is for the Lord, and the less freedom there is. It is my opinion that we ought to begin an unsparing examination of conscience on this point at all levels in the Church.

Pope Benedict XVI
Faith, Inspiration, Church
Pope Benedict XVI (1996). “Called to Communion: Understanding the Church Today”, p.90, Ignatius Press

The Church needs your faith, your idealism and your generosity, so that she can always be young in the Spirit.

Pope Benedict XVI
Generosity, Church, Needs
"Homily of his Holiness Benedict XVI". Holy Mass by Pope Benedict XVI for the 23rd World Youth Day at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia, w2.vatican.va. July 20, 2008.

In Jesus Christ, God took on a human face and became our friend and brother.

Pope Benedict XVI
Jesus, Brother, Faces

Grace, lavished upon us by God and communicated through the Mystery of the Incarnate Word, is an absolutely free gift with which nature is healed, strengthened and assisted in pursuing the innate desire for happiness in the heart of every man and of every woman.

Pope Benedict XVI
Faith, Inspiration, Heart
Pope Benedict XVI (2012). “Holy Men and Women from the Middle Ages and Beyond”, p.75, Ignatius Press

The promotion of human rights remains the most effective strategy for eliminating inequalities between countries and social groups, and for increasing security.

Pope Benedict XVI
Country, Rights, Groups
Statement to the United Nations General Assembly, delivered 18 April 2008, New York, NY

The sharing of goods and resources, from which authentic development proceeds, is not guaranteed by merely technical progress and relationships of utility, but by the potential of love that overcomes evil with good.

Pope Benedict XVI
Evil, Environmental, Progress
Catholic Church. Pope (2005-2013 : Benedict XVI), Pope Benedict XVI (2009). “Charity in Truth”, p.18, Ignatius Press

Everyone should educate themselves in more wise and responsible consumption; promote personal responsibility, along with the social dimension of rural activities, which are based on perennial values, such as hospitality, solidarity, and the sharing of the toil of labor.

Pope Benedict XVI
Wise, Responsibility, Toil

Poverty is a plague against which humanity must fight without cease.

Pope Benedict XVI
Fighting, Humanity, Poverty

A theologian who does not love art, poetry, music and nature can be dangerous. Blindness and deafness toward the beautiful are not incidental; they necessarily are reflected in his theology.

Pope Benedict XVI
Beautiful, Art, Doe
"The Ratzinger Report: An Exclusive Interview on the State of the Church". Book by Vittorio Messori, ‎Benedict XVI, 1985.

The Church is not a political power, nor a political party, but rather a moral reality, a moral force.

Pope Benedict XVI
Party, Political, Church
Pope Benedict XVI's Interview with The Journalists During The Flight to Mexico, w2.vatican.va. March 23, 2012.

Respecting the environment does not mean considering material or animal nature more important than man. Rather, it means not selfishly considering nature to be at the complete disposal of our own interests, for future generations also have the right to reap its benefits and to exhibit towards nature the same responsible freedom that we claim for ourselves. Nor must we overlook the poor, who are excluded in many cases from the goods of creation destined for all.

Pope Benedict XVI
Mean, Men, Animal
Message Of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI For The Celebration Of The World Day Of Peace, w2.vatican.va. January 1, 2008.

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