US News
Pope Benedict praises religious freedom in US
Apr 21, 2008, 0:59 GMT
Pope Benedict XVI walks the edge of the stage after conducting a mass at Yankees Stadium. in New York, USA, 20 April 2008. The Pope met with survivors and relatives of victims of the World Trade Center attacks as well as first responders at the site of the 11 September 2001 attacks earlier on his last day of his visit to New York. EPA/JULIE JACOBSON / POOL
New York - Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday praised religious freedom in the United States, acknowledging in particular politicians who assimilate religion in their work, in a rare tribute and show of affection for the land of opportunity.
In Yankee Stadium, packed with 57,000 people, Benedict celebrated Mass Sunday to conclude his six-day visit, which began Tuesday in Washington, where he met with US President George W Bush at the White House. During the week, he celebrated his 81st birthday and the third anniversary of his election to the papacy by the College of Cardinals.
The pope was to leave New York's John F Kennedy International Airport at 8 pm Sunday (0000 Monday GMT) for Rome aboard Shepherd One.
Benedict devoted his homily to the US Catholic Church, established more than 200 years ago by immigrants from Europe.
Despite the painful reminder of deep wounds inflicted by scandals over child sexual abuse by priests, which he went out at length to denounce, also calling for forgiveness from the victims, Benedict urged the US church to work for future generations.
'I greet all of you with great affection,' Benedict told the crowd, which cheered continuously, waving handkerchieves in white and yellow, the colours of the Vatican flag.
'In this land of religious liberty, Catholics found freedom not only to practice their faith but also to participate fully in civic life, bringing their deepest moral convictions to the public square and cooperating with their neighbours in shaping a vibrant, democratic society.'
A special throne with the papal seal was erected for Benedict above second base of the packed baseball stadium, while nearly 600 priests and deacons occupied rows of seats along the sides of the diamond-shaped field.
A 58-member orchestra led by New York Metropolitan Opera tenors sang during the Mass, with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and dozens of cardinals and other US church officials in attendance.
Benedict said that the Catholic Church in the United States grew from a small number of faithful working 'in fidelity to the twin commandment of love of God and love of neighbor. In this land of freedom and opportunity, the church has united a widely diverse flock in the profession of the faith and, through her many educational, charitable and social works, has also contributed significantly to the growth of American society as a whole.'
The US church was established by immigrants from Europe, first in Baltimore and then in New York, Boston, Philadelphia and other cities as the population grew and eventually moved west.
Benedict spoke of the tensions among cultures and religions of immigrants who came to the US. But he said the US has provided the space for all.
'In these 200 years, the face of the Catholic community in your country has changed greatly,' he said. 'We think of the successive waves of immigrants whose traditions have so enriched the Church in America. We think of the strong faith which built up the network of churches, educational, healthcare and social institutions which have long been the hallmark of the Church in this land.'
Benedict read the last part of his homily in Spanish in a gesture to the large and growing US community of Latino Catholics.
He visited Ground Zero early Sunday and knelt alone to offer silent prayer for the 3,000 people killed in the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001.
Extraordinary security measures were mounted to protect the pope at one of most sensitive sites in the city, where the World Trade Center towers were toppled by suicide hijackers.
A group of 24 people representing families of the victims were present at the ceremony at Ground Zero, where the Benedict lit a single candle to commemorate the dead.
The German-born pope, a former academic seen as more professorial and less charismatic than his predecessor, John Paul II, nonetheless has struck a strong emotional chord in the United States, where he also made only the third visit ever by a pope to a Jewish temple.
During his brief stop Friday night at the Park East Synagogue in Manhattan, on the eve of the sacred Jewish celebration of Passover, Benedict, who was compelled at age 14 to participate in the Hitler Youth in 1941, met with Rabbi Arthur Schneier, who outlived the Holocaust in the Budapest ghetto.
Benedict recalled the war days in remarks Saturday night to 20,000 seminary student at St Joseph's Seminary in New York, where he urged young people to keep the faith while enjoying their freedom.
'My own years as a teenager were marred by a sinister regime that thought it had all the answers,' Benedict said. 'Its influence grew - infiltrating schools and civic bodies, as well as politics and even religion - before it was fully recognized for the monster it was.'
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Older Talkback
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If the pope was a world leader then he would recognize the values of other religions such as being a muslim, etc. and talk them up. But, it is clear that he is a catholic leader and no more than that. That is a small leader indeed. Small thinking too.
It is all propaganda of misinformation and disinformation, that says of freedom of religion. It used to be if it was there!
THERE IS NO FREEDOM FOR NON EUROPEAN CHRISTIANITY!
THERE IS NOR FREEDOM FOR MUSLIMS!
There is no freedom for non denimonationals.
Yes there is freedom for European Christianity for whites and blacks.
But who pays for the Christmas lights? The tax payors, who happen to be Jews, Muslims, Hindous, Sikhs and others along with Christians. Does the government do anything for other religions? NO!
SO WHERE IS THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE? IT IS ALL HYPOCRICY!!!
WHEN THE US MEDIA SAID NO MORE INJUSTICE !
WHEN THE US CONGRESS DENIED THE MASSES OF AMERICANS THEIR POSSIBLE FREEDOMS!Currently there are reported to be 100,000 falsely imprisoned Americans living along with the estimated 2,000,000 US prison population nationwide.America now has the very unique distinction of not only being rated the #1 in the World for having the largest prison population,but America also has the distinct rating of having the largest wrongfully imprisoned prison population in the World as well.
Our US Congress affords themselves all the perks and salary most Americans could only dream about,but ask anyone of these Leaders Of The Free World to protect our Middle Class or Working Poor Americans from continuing to be falsely imprisoned endless decades due to the lack of federal appeal legal counsel being afforded them, and you just might be thought of as being crazy?The masses of the American people could never come close to ever being able to burden these federal appeal legal costs for themselves or for a family member,and should not need a lobbying group for this basic right of legal protection to be afforded them! Our Poster Child of this exact neglect by our US Congress is this young man named Manny Gonzales.Anyone interested in reading first hand how our US Congress is willing to allow our judicial system to continue keeping this now 21 year old young man imprisoned for 27 mandatory years for frightening someone with a hand gun(not even injuring the so called victim,) without affording him federal appeal legal counsel to properly be able to defend himself in our Federal courts of Appeal? Manny Gonzales The kid that everyone forgot in the CA prison system can be entered into any WWW search engine for the judicial ride of ones life! Tens of thousands of other Americans being imprisoned in the US are facing this same lack of legal counsel everyday, and with this lack of legal counsel being denied their right to new retrials,which in turn forces many of them to remain endless decades in the prison systems of the wealthiest country in the world! Just like the German people prior WW2,the American people and our National Media have not felt any concern or interest to speak out about our country having so many of our fellow Middle Class and Working Poor citizens being falsely imprisoned and not even being afforded the proper Federal Appeal legal counsel to assist in their attempt at exonerating themselves!
We thank all of you Worldwide who have also had a concern and are interested with this injustice being changed in the American judicial system for assisting all of us(who are also just interested volunteers ourselves)with your time and computer skills in posting this article on the WWW anywhere you think it might make positive change!
***THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE EVER BEEN INFORMED ABOUT THIS INJUSTICE ***
There's no such thing as religious freedom in America! Try working with a bunch of christians, when you're not. The hatred is so unbelievable you have to keep your mouth shut about your beliefs. And boy, you'd better not be middle eastern in your beliefs. Nobody can be different without being bombarded with bullsh*t and hate. The pope needs to open his eyes, he's being as stupid and hypocritical as the rest of the bible thumpers.
OUR US CONGRESS IS HOLDING 100,000 INNOCENT AMERICAN PRISON INMATES HOSTAGE !!!
NO $$ NO JUSTICE
NO LOBBY, NO US SENATE ASSISTANCE !
NO $$ NO LOBBY == 100,000 INNOCENT AMERICANS FALSELY IMPRISONED IN US.
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT POORER AMERICAN PRISON INMATES NEED INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR LEGAL FEES IN HELPING THEM ATTEMPT TO EXONERATE THEMSELVES FROM OUR US PENAL COLONIES!
Most Americans are well aware that there are plenty of innocent poorer US citizens in our prison systems nationwide,but very few of us have ever heard about our US Congressional representatives who are mostly lawyers themselves, denying our Middle Class and Working Poor Americans proper legal counsel for their federal appeals. When any poorer American is charged with a Federal crime all legal costs and appeals are paid for,but when one is charged in the various 50 states and run out of higher court state appeal opportunities and need to appeal to the Federal courts,it appears that these poorer and mostly uneducated prison inmates are left to their own best lawyering skills to attempt to write a federal appeal that could sway a US Federal judge to grant them a new retrial.
Our US Congressional Representatives sleep soundly every night knowing there are reported to be an estimated 100,000 innocent Americans (some residing for decades even on death row) in our US Prisons who have been denied proper legal counsel to help them attempt to exonerate themselves with their Federal Appeals?
CONGRESS GED LAWYERS NEVER LEAVE US PRISONS !
It appears that the US Supreme Court way back in 1984 knew the injustice of our federal appeal retrial review process really only being available for affluent Americans to get benefit from.
The masses of poor and mostly uneducated prison inmates who are being forced to write their own federal appeal legal cases, are being denied new trials by the federal courts in mass all across this country everyday.
Some believe this injustice stems way back in our history to the Civil War era when the US Southern States were railroading blacks into prolonged prison sentences and knowing all along that the Federal Courts would never grant these poor black prison inmates new trials because they never could properly write their own federal appeal legal cases.
The real horror here is that this form of injustice is even in 2008 assisting in the prolonged false incarceration of over 100,000 innocent mostly uneducated American prison inmates nation-wide.
We all know the federal appeal retrial process was designed for all Americans as a fail safe device that every American should be entitled to utilize, but it is quite obvious that our government has allowed this appeal process to slip into a completely new facade in which it has become an exclusive opportunity for only rich Americans to be able to properly benefit from.
A MUST READ OF AMERICAN INJUSTICE:
Google or Yahoo;
MANNY GONZALES THE KID THAT EVERYONE FORGOT IN THE CA PRISON SYSTEM.
lawyersforpooramericans@yahoo.com (424-247-2013)
WHEN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FOUND OUT THE TRUTH !
GREAT SOCIETIES THAT DO NOT PROTECT THEIR INNOCENT, BECOME THE GUILTY !
THIS FAMOUS AMERICAN WILL ROGERS QUOTE FITS OUR US CONGRESSIONAL MENTALITY PERFECTLY CONCERNING FEDERAL APPEALS IN AMERICA ONLY BEING AVAILABLE TO BE PROPERLY UTILIZED BY AFFLUENT AMERICANS EXCLUDING OUR US MIDDLE CLASS AND WORKING POOR FROM EVER HAVING ANY OPPORTUNITY OF EXONERATING THEMSELVES.
'EVERYTHING IS FUNNY AS LONG AS IT IS HAPPENING TO SOMEBODY ELSE!'
WHEN THE US INNOCENT ARE ABANDONED BY THE GUILTY !
AS MANNY GONZALES AND THE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF OTHER POORER AMERICAN CITIZENS WHO HAVE BEEN SHUT OUT OF OUR FEDERAL APPEAL JUDICIAL PROCESS WAIT SILENTLY IN PRISONS NATIONWIDE FOR THE US CONGRESS TO ENACT FUTURE LEGISLATION TO DELEGATE THE PROPER FINANCES NEEDED TO CORRECT THIS INJUSTICE FROM CONTINUING, WE ASK EVERY CARING AND LOVING HUMAN BEING INTERESTED IN HELPING THIS VOLUNTEER WWW BLOG GROUP ( LAWYERS FOR POOR AMERICANS) IN POSTING AND REPOSTING PAST AND FUTURE WRITINGS TO VARIOUS WEB SITES AROUND THE WORLD THAT YOU THINK MIGHT MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN AFFECTING THIS NEEDED CHANGE IN OUR US JUDICIAL SYSTEM.
Sophocles had a very interesting view about justice.
'How Dreadful It Is when the Right Judge Judges Wrong ! '
A MUST READ ABOUT AMERICAN INJUSTICE :
MANNY GONZALES THE KID THAT EVERYONE FORGOT IN THE CA PRISON SYSTEM.*** ONE PRIME EXAMPLE OF JUSTICE GONE ASTRAY IN AMERICA !
*** FOR OUR COUNTRY TO BE SO BLESSED WITH FINANCIAL WEALTH NOT TO WANT TO INVEST PROPER MONIES INTO OUR JUDICIAL SYSTEM ,SAYS ALOT ABOUT WHO WE REALLY ARE AS AMERICANS.
SINCE THERE ARE MASSES OF DEATH ROW INMATES NATIONWIDE WITHOUT APPEAL LAWYERS TO OUR FEDERAL COURTS,IT'S TIME THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY BECOMES INFORMED AND HOPEFULY INVOLVED TO INVESTIGATE AND HELP FORCE THE PROPER CHANGE BRINGING AMERICA OUT OF THE DARK AGES OF ONLY CATERING REAL JUSTICE TO OUR WEALTHY CITIZENS !
lawyersforpooramericans@yahoo.com (424-247-2013)
INNOCENT AMERICANS ARE DENIED REAL HC RIGHTS WITH FEDERAL APPEALS!!!
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE FINDING OUT HOW EA IT I$ FOR MIDDLE CLA$$ AND WORKING POOR AMERICAN$ TO FALL VICTIM TO OUR U$ MONETARY JUDICIAL .
****WHEN THE US INNOCENT WERE ABANDONED BY THE GUILTY ****
The prison experts have reported that there are 100,000 innocent Americans currently being falsely imprisoned along with the 2,300,000 total US prison population nationwide.
Since our US Congress has never afforded poor prison inmates federal appeal legal counsel for their federal retrials,they have effectively closed the doors on these tens of thousands of innocent citizens ever being capable of possibly exonerating themselves to regain their freedom through being granted new retrials.
This same exact unjust situation was happening in our Southern States when poor and mostly uneducated Black Americans were being falsely imprisoned for endless decades without the needed educational skills to properly submit their own written federal trial appeals.
This unjust judicial process of making our poor and innocent prison inmates formulate and write their own federal appeal legal cases for possible retrials on their state criminal cases,is still in effect today even though everyone in our US judicial system knows that without proper legal representation, these tens of thousands of innocent prison inmates will be denied their rightful opportunities of ever being granted new trials from our federal appeal judges!!
Sadly, the true US *legal* Federal Appeal situation that occurs when any of our uneducated American prison inmates are forced to attempt to submit their own written Federal Appeals (from our prisons nationwide) without the assistance of proper legal counsel, is that they all are in reality being denied their legitimate rights for Habeas Corpus and will win any future Supreme Court Case concerning this injustice!
For our judicial system and our US Congressional Leaders Of The Free World to continue to pretend that this is a real and fair opportunity for our American Middle Class and Working Poor Citizens, only delays the very needed future change of Federal Financing of all these Federal appeals becoming a normal formula of Our American judicial system.
It was not so very long ago that Public Defenders became a Reality in this country.Prior that legal reality taking place, their were also some who thought giving anyone charged with a crime a free lawyer was a waste of taxpayers $$.
This facade of our Federal Appeal proce$$ is not worthy of the Greatest Country In The World!
***GREAT SOCIETIES THAT DO NOT PROTECT EVEN THEIR INNOCENT,
BECOME THE GUILTY!
A MUST READ ABOUT AMERICAN INJUSTICE::
1) YAHOO AND 2) GOOGLE
MANNY GONZALES THE KID THAT EVERYONE FORGOT
IN THE CA PRISON SYSTEM FOR A JUDICIAL RIDE OF ONES LIFE !
lawyersforpooramericans@yahoo.com
News from New York State Bar Association
For more information contact: Nick Parrella (518) 487-5532
State Bar Leaders Urge Presidential Candidates to Act on Civil Justice Issues
Letter, Signed by More Than 30 Bar Presidents from Across the Nation, Sent to Presidential Candidates
ALBANY, NY (10/20/2008; 1243)(readMedia)-- State bar presidents from across the country have joined together, calling on presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama to address a number of critical legal issues and policy topics confronting the nation during their respective bids for the White House. Signed by the leaders of 33 state bar associations, a letter focusing on substantive legal issues and challenges that lawyers, citizens and state bar presidents confront on a daily basis was sent to each candidate's campaign staff. The letter emanated from a summit recently convened by New York State Bar Association President Bernice K. Leber (Arent Fox LLP) in New York City.
Dated October 8th, the letter asks the candidates to respond to a number of questions concerning a range of important areas, including expanding civil legal services and access to justice for the poor, maintaining a fair and impartial judiciary, working to depoliticize the Justice Department, and infusing civics education into our public schools to enhance our children's knowledge of the central role played by the justice system in American society. To view a copy of the letter sent to the presidential candidates, please visit www.nysba.org/presidentsletter.
'As we face an historic presidential election, the leaders of this nation's legal community have an extraordinary opportunity to drive the national debate surrounding the issues of key importance to our justice system,' said Leber. 'This collaborative effort gives voice to the legal community and demonstrates that we are united in our desire to play an important, proactive role in the shaping of future legal policies. I want to personally thank everyone who participated in this historic summit for their outstanding work and for answering the call to help make a difference.'
Following the election in November, the bar presidents will ask the newly-elected President to meet with them in Washington, D.C. next April in order to discuss the President's program on legal and justice system issues.
The summit with state bar presidents was modeled on the one convened in 1963 by President John F. Kennedy. Upon taking office, President Kennedy met with the 50 State Bar leaders in order to discuss the great issues of the day confronting the legal system and our society. This meeting among distinguished bar leaders and the President led his administration to focus heavily on civil rights and the formation of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, an advocacy organization that is still very influential to this day.
In addition to Bernice K. Leber, President of the New York State Bar Association, the list of signatories represents leaders of state bar associations from throughout the nation, including: Mark White, Alabama Bar Association; Mitchell Seaver, Alaska Bar Association; Holly J. Fujie, The State Bar of California; Livia DeFilippis Barndollar, Connecticut Bar Association; Allen Terrell, Delaware State Bar Association; Ralph Albrecht, The Bar Association of the District of Columbia; John White, The Florida Bar; Jack Carey, Illinois State Bar Association; Dan Moore, The Iowa State Bar Association; Thomas Wright, Kansas Bar Association; Brett Baber, Maine State Bar Association; Katherine Howard, Maryland State Bar Association, Inc.; Edward W. McIntyre, Massachusetts Bar Association; Edward H. Pappas, State Bar of Michigan; Michael Ford, Minnesota State Bar Association; Charlie Harris, The Missouri Bar; Chris Tweeten, State Bar of Montana; Bruce Beesley, State Bar of Nevada; Peggy Knee, New Jersey Bar Association; Craig Orraj, State Bar of New Mexico; Charles Becton, North Carolina Bar Association; Maya B. Kara, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Bar Association; Gary Leppla, Ohio State Bar Association; John Conger, Oklahoma Bar Association; Richard Yugler, Oregon State Bar; C. Dale McClain, Pennsylvania Bar Association; Richard Pacia, Rhode Island Bar Association; Nathan Alder, Utah State Bar; Mark Hodge, Virgin Islands Bar Association; Stanley Bastian, Washington State Bar Association; Dwane Tinsley, West Virginia State Bar; and Diane Diel, State Bar of Wisconsin.
The 74,000-member New York State Bar Association is the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. Founded in 1876, the Association's programs and activities have continuously served the public and improved the justice system for more than 130 years.
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POOP is a hypocrite at best, if not a cheaterApr 21st, 2008 - 10:34:49
POOP has been a white superiority group before joining clergy and continues to be so.
The christianity has its misgivings like any other religion. watch this:
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7357496.stm
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