Talking about peace every chance he gets

Truth, and peace, that is. Pope Benedict XVI has used nearly every public address of his pontificated to weave the message of pursuing truth and achieving peace into whatever he was addressing.

There’s a good op-ed piece that focuses on that side of Benedict in the National Catholic Register online’s current edition. Angelo Matera, one of my Godspy friends, suggests correctly that Benedict’s stance should not come as a surprise to anybody who has listened to this Pope from the beginning.

In his first general audience April 27, 2005, in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Benedict XVI began his explanation of why he chose the name Benedict:

“Firstly, I remember Pope Benedict XV, that courageous prophet of peace, who guided the Church through turbulent times of war. In his footsteps I place my ministry in the service of reconciliation and harmony between peoples.”

And in his message for the celebration of the World Day of Peace Jan. 1, 2006, the Holy Father cited Benedict XV “who condemned the First World War as a ‘useless slaughter’ and worked for a universal acknowledgment of the lofty demands of peace.”

This is not rhetorical and should not be dismissed backhandedly, as it has in some of the media. Everything Benedict utters is loaded with wisdom. Look how that homily he gave to the cardinals before going into conclave to elect a new pope - that shot heard ’round the world – reverberated through the press and, apparently, the college of cardinals. Keep an eye, and an ear, on Benedict.