Bishop Giampaolo Crepaldi
Archbishop of Trieste - President of the International Observatory Cardinal Van Thuan
International Observatory Cardinal Van Thuan
Published January 14, 2010
Isaiah proclaims the true and only God ("I am the first and I am the last, and besides me there are no other gods") are not idols made by men are specially designed to reassure the fears ("Who makes a god or an idol blends without seeking benefits?"). The Courtyard of the Gentiles was the space of the temple where they had access to all people, not just the Israelites, to pray to God to them is still unknown but they could not enter inside the temple and then fully celebrate the mystery. Jesus had driven beyond the money-changers and sellers of doves, overturned the tables as told by the Gospel. What is religious status of these "Gentiles"? They are the ones, says the Pope, who are unhappy with their gods, rituals and myths because they realize that they can not derive any real salvation in the production of human hands. Even if they do not know, are waiting for God only, true and great, God is truth and love and want to pray. Are all those people who feel like the lack of religion of their time they have not been released but has led to new myths apparently free but not really liberating. Benedict XVI has grown accustomed to expect very significant reflections from his annual address to the Roman Curia on the occasion of Christmas greetings. This year the pope did not disappoint the expectations and taking a cue from his three trips to Africa, the Holy Land and the Czech Republic, spoke of the "Courtyard of the Gentiles." What was this "plot"? According to the prophet Isaiah, the temple was to be a place of prayer for all people ("My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples").
They do not know the true God, but if you could find a hook you grip. Today, the Gentiles are those for whom "religion is something alien" and yet not want to simply remain without God, while they are tired and probably nauseated by the gods that the lack of religion has placed (or forced) in front of them. At that time, the Gentiles were the "people" other than Israel, later became the people who had not yet known, Christianity, and today? They are the ones, says the Pope, who are unhappy with their gods, rituals and myths because they realize that they can not derive any real salvation in the production of human hands. Even if they do not know, are waiting for God only, true and great, God is truth and love and want to pray. Are all those people who feel like the irreligion of our times has led to new myths apparently free but not really liberating. They do not know the true God, But if they found a link there holds. Today, the Gentiles are those for whom "religion is something alien" and yet not want to simply remain without God, while they are tired and disgusted by the gods that perhaps the lack of religion has placed (or forced) in front of them. The Pope asks that even today you create the "Court of the Gentiles" to allow them to approach God "at least as Unknown." The proposal clearly outlines new and vast horizons of action and dialogue with non-believers. To better understand the instructions of the pope let me make three points. First, the fact that modern man is nell'irreligiosità again delivered - as the Gentiles at the time of Israel - the myths and idols, new myths and new idols, very secular but equally irrational and consist of insurance against our fears. Here is a very heavy trial today on lack of religion, as the decrees of his failure: born to liberate man from religious myth fell in pale versions but no less powerful myth. The whole dignity of the lack of religion today seems to be seen in karst voltage to the Unknown God. Going through the speeches of Ratzinger is easy to list these new myths: environmentalism, vitalism, scientism, materialism, psychologism, development, third worldism, pauperism, the ideology of gender, the ideology of diversity, affordability, inclusivity, narcissism and all forms of reductionism. Secondly, there is not an invitation to dialogue in a field neutral or impartial with respect to the proposal of the Christian God. The Courtyard of the Gentiles, in fact, was not out of the temple, but inside. It was not a place already but profane sacred. It 's a place not yet confessional, liturgical not yet, not even church, but it is a religious place. Ratzinger does not propose discussions with non-believers-only philosophical, academic, round tables in the cathedral and so on, says the new Gentile would like to pray and worship him as "Unknown." Then requests a proposal for faith and religion. Finally, the proposal of the Courtyard of the Gentiles be seen Ratzingerian the idea that the God of Jesus Christ is no response to the profound human expectations and as such, he believes, should be offered. The proposal of faith and religion is therefore also a proposal for a reason. But the path is never the reason to faith, but from faith to reason. This is the main novelty of the proposal of the "Courtyard of the Gentiles." I believe in this big picture can be a very important role played by the Church's social doctrine, which lies at the junction between reason and faith, that is the point at which the washes over the internal courtyard of the Gentiles the temple. The Church's social teaching is itself a kind of "Courtyard of the Gentiles" because it speaks to all men, even to those whose God is unknown. It speaks of God speaking of man and the human community.
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