Pope Benedict XVI Outlines his Pontifical Agenda

April 21, 2005

Source: The Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2005/04/21/from_new_pontiff_a_vow_of_openness/

On April 21, 2005 The Boston Globe reported, "Pope Benedict XVI, outlining an agenda for his pontificate less than 24 hours after it began, pledged his openness yesterday to communicate with young people and with adherents of other faiths and praised the late John Paul II for leaving behind a Catholic Church 'that is more courageous, freer, younger.' Speaking in Latin during a Mass at the Sistine Chapel...the new pope vowed to continue the work of his predecessor. But he also appeared to respond to some of his critics by declaring himself open to advice from bishops and intent on improving relations with non-Catholic Christians...Benedict's openness to dialogue, his emphasis on ecumenism, his admission of feelings of inadequacy, and his warm overture to young people all run counter to his public image. In the past, he has been seen as a brilliant but stern and even chastising figure, for example, when he wrote in 2000 that 'the followers of other religions...are in a gravely deficient situation' and in 1986 that homosexuality is an 'intrinsic moral evil.'"