ACDP welcomes new Pope

Kenneth Meshoe, MP

The ACDP welcomes Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany as the newly elected Pope Benedict XVI.

Pope Benedict XVI has very large shoes to fill but we trust that he will be guided by the footsteps of the late John Paul II who lead millions of faithful on their spiritual journey.

We would like to encourage Pope Benedict XVI to build on the progressively bold efforts of the late Pope John Paul II who extended a hand of friendship to the state and people of Israel by opening dialogue on common issues such as freedom of religion, the relationship between Church and State as well as the relations between Christians and Jews.

By acknowledging the suffering of the Jews affected by the Holocaust, the late Pope, as a representative of Christians, showed his love not only for a wounded people but for all humanity.

Moreover, we trust that the newly elected Pontiff will help root out any sexual abuse against children that has plagued the Catholic Church in recent years.
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To be silent on this issue is to go against the true teachings of the Bible that all Christians live by.