POPE-RACISM (UPDATED) Aug-18-2008 (410 words) With photos. xxxi
Pope urges church to help overcome racism in modern society By
John Thavis Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope
Benedict XVI warned that racism is alive in modern society, and
he urged the church to help overcome all forms of racial
intolerance. He said racism today is often tied to economic and
social problems. Although such problems may be real, they can
never justify racial discrimination, he said Aug. 17. While the
pontiff did not mention specific countries, his words had an
immediate echo in Italy, where a series of government actions
against illegal immigrants have prompted strong debate inside
and outside the church. The pope, addressing pilgrims at his
summer residence in Castel Gandolfo outside Rome, began his
remarks by quoting the prophet Isaiah about the "foreigners" who
will be included in the Lord's universal house of prayer.
Likewise, the pope said, the church today is made up of people
of every race and culture, and pa