Pastor Rick Warren Speaks to the Roman Catholic Curia on the State of the Church

No not really it was Pope Benedict in a pretty amazing 11 page State of the Church address. (I guess the Vatican version of the State of the Union). A full English Translation has been done on this page.(Scroll down). The Vatican should have the English version at their site up soon too. On the before mentioned link you can see a ton of newspaper reaction has been put up too.

It is wide reaching on many topics he talks about the environment a good deal (like you know who does) and gasp he talks about Traditional Christian Marriage and morality!!

John Allen has a good summation here and available link to the Allen Column in full at
Pope Benedict: 'Save the humans'

No doubt what will be talked about a lot is how the Pope links the environment to lets say a controversial issue here in the USA among other places

Since faith in the Creator is an essential part of the Christian Creed, the Church cannot and should not limit itself to transmitting to its faithful only the message of salvation. She has a responsibility for Creation, and it should validate this responsibility in public.

In so doing, it should defend not just the earth, water and air as gifts of Creation that belong to everyone. She should also protect man from destroying himself. It is necessary to have something like an ecology of man, understood in the right sense.

It is not outdated metaphysics when the Church speaks of the nature of the human being as man and woman, and asks that this natural order be respected. This has to do with faith in the Creator and listening to the language of creation, which, if disregarded, would be man's self-destruction and therefore a destruction of God's work itself.

That which has come to be expressed and understood with the term 'gender' effectively results in man's self-emancipation from Creation (nature) and from the Creator. Man wants to do everything by himself and to decide always and exclusively about anything that concerns him personally. But this is to live against truth, to live against the Spirit Creator.

The tropical rain forests deserve our protection, yes, but man does not deserve it less as a Creature of the Spirit himself, in whom is inscribed a message that does not mean a contradiction of human freedom but its condition. The great theologians of Scholasticism described matrimony - which is the lifelong bond between a man and a woman - as a sacrament of Creation, that the Creator himself instituted, and that Christ, without changing the message of Creation, welcomed in the story of his alliance with men. Part of the announcement that the Church should bring to men is a testimonial for the Spirit Creator present in all of nature, but specially in the nature of man, who was created in the image of God. One must reread the encyclical Humanae vitae with this perspective: the intention of Pope Paul VI was to defend love against consumer sex, the future against the exclusive claim of the moment, and human nature against manipulation.

Well well well. It should be recalled that the Pope had a wonderful trip to the USA where he was given the highest honors and respect at the White House and other places.

Now we know the controversy on the supposed controversial "hate filled" Rick Warren. UH what is he is saying that is different from the Pope. If Rick Warren had uttered ths words yesterday the usual suspects would be screaming from the roof. IN FACT RICK WARREN IS A TAD MORE LIBERAL THAN POPE BENDICT AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON THIS ISSUE. See Is Rick Warren for civil unions?

The things is people can attack Rick Warren but don't think they can be as vicious to the Pope. YET!!! That day is coming unless we all stand together.

It was comment on what a historic occasion the Pope Visit to the WHite House was with full State Honors. It was mentioned that one of the foundation stones for the Washington Monument was donated by the Vatican. Sadly rabid anti Catholics destroyed it. HOW TIMES HAVE CHANGED. It will be curious to see if we shall come full circle in the years aheads to the more bad ole days.

Related at Crunchy Con- Why are gays picking this Rick Warren fight?