Or Theocon, perhaps, as he whom I studiously ignore puts it?
Oh, relax, I don't seriously think so, but I draw your attention to his address today to the Vatican Diplomatic Corps (that is, those credentialed to the Holy See). I've noted before that this pope has made himself the apostle of truth --he's intellectually fearless, and when you read him, you quickly note that he not only has read absolutely everything, but he builds on ideas taken from any thinker he likes --without even bothering to distinguish which authors are, for example, Catholic or Protestant or anything else. So it's not surprising to find him talking about the relationship between truth and freedom.
The press, if it notices at all, will probably note his strong words against terrorism (note no call for understanding them).
No situation can justify such criminal activity, which covers the perpetrators with infamy, and it is all the more deplorable when it hides behind religion, thereby bringing the pure truth of God down to the level of the terrorists’ own blindness and moral perversion.
And President Bush should like this appeal to leaders of nations:
To all those responsible for the life of Nations I wish to state: if you do not fear truth, you need not fear freedom! The Holy See, in calling for true freedom for the Catholic Church everywhere, also calls for that freedom for everyone.
But the bulk of the statement regards the quest for truth --with truth being something men can search for in common, and the ultimate source of peace. Concretely, the Pope argues three things: that the quest for truth is the foundation of justice; commitment to truth is the best defense of human freedom; and commitment to truth opens the possibility for forgiveness & reconciliation, and therefore ultimately to peace. Read it or weep!
