Pope warns of 'new colonialism'

[Posteritatis]

Source: BBC News

Pope Benedict has warned that a form of colonialism continues to blight Africa.

Opening a three-week synod of African bishops, he said political colonialism was over.

But he said the developed world continued to export materialism - which he called "toxic spiritual rubbish" - to the continent.

Almost 200 bishops from 53 African states have gathered to discuss how the Catholic Church can help resolve the continent's social injustices and wars.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8289188.stm

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As OP I at least get to claim "in before massive anti-Catholic wank," but love or leave the church the guy does have a point as regards some of the things the rest of the planet is still doing to that continent. A lot of the treatment of Africa isn't as different from the previous century as it bloody well ought to be by now; it's just subtler than Leopold was.

I also think his description of Africa as "the spiritual lung" of the world was pretty interesting; I'm going to have that turn of phrase rolling around in my head for awhile. What're your reactions to that metaphor in particular?

[sabrina 1]

1. Can't disagree with him ~

I doubt the Colonialists would have left had they realized Africa still had some resources they hadn't stolen yet. So they are back, after leaving the continent ravaged and divided after they were, they thought, finished with it. Same thing with Afghanistan.

[Stumbler]

2. Wow, I actually agree with the (former Hitler-youth) Pope

As an atheist, I can't say much about "the spiritual lung" comment. But it's good to hear the church is focusing on something other than abortion or gay-homo love.

It's truly sad to hear about the continued raping of Africa's natural resources, in exchange for dumping our rubbish off their coasts and onto their shores. Not to mention the west's turning a blind eye to political strife that has lead to genocide. The nations of Africa could use more than food hand-outs and malaria medication, though at least we're considerate enough to offer that.

[intheflow]

15. As an agnostic, the "spiritual lung" comment

struck me as a metaphor of the continent's place in human development. Religion first breathed life where humanity did: Africa.

[onehandle]

17. Wow, He was required to join the Hitler Youth just like any other German boy of that age.

But just keep plucking that chicken.

"Following his 14th birthday in 1941, Ratzinger was conscripted in the Hitler Youth, as membership was required for all 14-year old German boys after December 1939, but was an unenthusiastic member and refused to attend meetings. His father was a bitter enemy of Nazism, believing it conflicted with the Catholic faith, according to biographer John L. Allen, Jr. In 1941, one of Ratzinger's cousins, a 14-year-old boy with Down syndrome, was taken away by the Nazi regime to a care center and killed there in secrecy during the Aktion T4 euthanasia campaign of Nazi eugenics. In 1943 while still in seminary, he was drafted at age 16 into the German anti-aircraft corps. Ratzinger then trained in the German infantry, but a subsequent illness precluded him from the usual rigours of military duty. As the Allied front drew closer to his post in 1945, he deserted back to his family's home in Traunstein after his unit had ceased to exist, just as American troops established their headquarters in the Ratzinger household. As a German soldier, he was put in a POW camp, but was released a few months later at the end of the war in the summer of 1945. He reentered the seminary, along with his brother Georg, in November of that year."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI

[msongs]

3. oh I thought he meant catholic colonization & proselytizing. never mind nt

[LuvNewcastle]

4. At one point he talks about others

teaching intolerance -- this from the guy who used to head the Inquisition -- and then at the end of the article it states that a small number of women were invited to attend.

[madeline_con]

5. Hasn't the Catholic church "done" enough for Africa?

Spreading AIDs by condemning condom use, so even more children can die of hunger. Way to go, Vatican! :woohoo:

[Fearless]

6. Someone's moving in on their turf I see...

:banghead:

[troubledamerican]

7. Wager: The next Pope will be black & from Africa.

[defendandprotect]

10. Wager: African or Chinese . . . but CIA, either way --

[izquierdista]

8. "toxic spiritual rubbish"

I thought he had that market cornered.

[defendandprotect]

9. In Africa, Christianity preceded and paved the way for colonialism . . .

and that certainly isn't anything new -- it's a long and continuing pattern --

Papal Bulls pushed the enslavement of the African in America --
Papal Bulls gave license to enslave or kill the Native American --

Early Evangelization of Africa

It is important to recall that evangelization entered the continent of Africa much earlier that the colonial interests.

According to the Acts of the Apostles 8:26-40, the Apostle Philip baptized the first Ethiopian Christian. By the Fourth Century, both Ethiopia and Nubia (modern Sudan) were Christian. Coptic missionaries (from Egypt) had founded churches with distinctive local cultural forms. The Ethiopian rite of the Mass is one of the most beautiful ancient rites of the Catholic Church and one that has inspired many African Bishops in search for a more authentic African expression of the faith in liturgical worship.

Already in 1454, Pope Nicholas V (6 March, 1447 - 24 March, 1455), granted the Portuguese the privilege of expanding their influence into the African continent as far as Guinea. With the Papal Bull Inter Cetera, all Catholic sovereigns were granted extensive powers to evangelize the so-called new lands. It was within this framework that the continent of Africa was placed under the patronage of Portugal. By the end of the 15th century, the Church in Nubia had been completely destroyed by the advance of Islam. During the same century, Portuguese missionaries of the Latin Rite evangelized the Kingdom of the Kongo (modern day Angola). It is important to note that the missionaries, with permission from Rome, allowed the Kongo Catholics to adapt the Christian faith to their own culture, and for some time developed a flourishing Church among the Kongo people. However, according to some historians of this period of Church history (cf. John Thornton, "The Development of an African Catholic Church in the Kingdom of Kongo - 1491-1750"), by the end of the 19th century, the form of Christianity that had developed in Kongo had so radically changed that the new missionaries were not able to recognize it as Christianity. The real reasons documented so far for the apparent disappearance of Christianity in the Kingdom of Kongo are surrounded by accusations and counter-accusations between the royal authorities and the missionaries, many of whom were actually persecuted and others forced to leave. In the process of such conflicts, ecclesiastical boundaries changed , sometimes at the request of the King, who also had a say in the appointment of the Bishop of Saõ Salvador, the King' capital. The gradual withdrawal of Portuguese missionaries, the diminishing number of local clergy and catechists, the coming of Italian Capuchins and the fact of Portuguese interference with the capuchins missionaries, may have led to gradual decline of the quality of Christianity. With the creation of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith (Propaganda Fide) in 1622, the evangelization of Africa began to accelerate. But it was soon marred by four centuries of slave trade. By the time the repeated condemnation by various Popes were headed leading to the abolition of slavery in 1833, Africa had lost 10,000,000 people taken into slavery in the new world.

Catholic Population on the Rise
It is estimated that by the year 2000, out of a total population of 393 million Christians in Africa (48% of the total African population and 19.5% of the total world Christianity), nearly 118 million (30%) of total African Christianity) will be Catholic.

MORE . .
http://www.slate.com/toolbar.aspx?action=print&id=2231088


Meanwhile, the Vatican has written off America, Canada and Western Europe and sees their future
fortunes rising in Africa and China.
Supposedly this Pope is moving the church in the direction of Evangelicanism --

[Unvanguard]

11. What does he mean by "toxic spiritual rubbish"? Economic development?

It's not like social injustice is something that has to be imported, to anywhere--it's pretty endemic in human societies... so what is he talking about? I'm not sure his objections are the same as mine... my general inclination is to disagree with the Pope until proven otherwise.

[Posteritatis]

13. I could see displacing local cultures/traditions for Generic Westernness as a problem

Economic development is a good thing, but economic development that manages not to wipe out any number of vibrant local traditions, cultures, and so on is even better, and I'm not sure how good a lot of agencies and businesses and governments doing deevlopment work in Africa are at being in the latter camp. A lot of people are doing wonderful, incredible, benign things to help out in the worse parts of the continent, both locals and people from abroad, but there hasn't traditionally been that much of a shortage of the "speak (english|french|german|whathaveyou) and abandon your culture entirely and then we'll treat your malaria" type actors as well.

I'll cheerfully agree with anyone who rails against the latter type most of the time. I'm not Catholic, but I generally find myself able to get behind their dislike of the "stuff for the sake of stuff" mindset that leads to, y'know, Enrons.

[BillDU]

12. Meanwhile

Meanwhile everything in Italy is Ok....Right?

[Loudmxr]

14. I think he is speaking in the church's own self interest. Regardless its a good point.

I think the church is threatened by the evangelical movement imported from America. They, as we all know, are greedy bastards bent on world domination. So there is that self interest threat.

However the point of too much materialism. The emphasis on subjugating the masses in an earthly authoritarian way is not good for Africa or the world.

Mind you this may come back to bite him as the church is a political power in some countries but what is a little hypocrisy to the church?

[Posteritatis]

16. They have some nasty home-growns, too - the LRA, for instance (nt)

[xchrom]

18. sometimes the messenger is more important than the message -- i can't stand that bastard. nt