Pope Benedict calls for world peace, human rights and religious tolerance in his New Year address.
In his New Year address, Pope Benedict called for a few things you might expect, world peace and freedom but one of his hopes was for allowing people to freely practice their own religions. Why did this stand out for me? Because I have a few friends that are so anti-Catholic that we can't discuss religion at the dinner table. Granted, their experiences with organized religion were so heinous, I'm not sure I could overcome them and remain faithful. So why did the Pope's remarks hit home? Because they fly in the face of many who say the Pope always pushes his own agenda. That he is intolerant and always trying to inflict his will on people. To publicaly call for freedom of religion betrays his true motivation, to call the world to love of their fellow man. That's my interpretation of it anyway. If only his hopes could come true.
