The Pope and Politics

An interesting piece, by Sandro Magister:

After three years in the pontificate, and defying the expectations of most, the refined theologian has left his mark on international politics as well. In the West, with Islam, with China. . . .

Unlike his predecessor, Benedict XVI is believed to be an apolitical pope. But it's not true. Joseph Ratzinger simply engages in politics in original ways. These are sometimes imprudent, according to the canons of diplomatic realism, including those of the Vatican. And yet, after his three years in the pontificate, they have been shown to be much more productive than many foresaw, as proven in part by the unexpected "success" of the pope's recent trip to highly secularized France. . . .

. . . [T]he real motivation for Pope Ratzinger's fondness for the United States is that it is a country born and founded "on the self-evident truth that the Creator has endowed each human being with certain inalienable rights," foremost among which is liberty. To United States ambassador Mary Ann Glendon, who came to present her credentials to him, Benedict XVI said that he admires "the American people's historical appreciation of the role of religion in shaping public discourse," a role that elsewhere – read, Europe – "is contested in the name of a straitened understanding of political life." With the consequences that derive from this on the issues closest to the Church's heart, like "legal protection for God's gift of life from conception to natural death," marriage, the family. . . .

There's a lot more.