It’s rare for a modern pope to directly call out another country with regard to it’s actions, so when Pope Benedict XVI does so in such vague fashion, it’s a gentle reminder to both the Communists and the Islamic regime that the Vatican is watching:
In effect, the thesis that “truth can only be attained in freedom” is typically Ratzingerian. It leads to the conclusion that “no government can feel free to neglect its duty to ensure suitable conditions of freedom for its own citizens without thereby damaging its credibility to speak out on international problems.” In these words from the pope, Parsi recognized “a more authoritative defense than ever of the ethical superiority of liberal and democratic systems.”
Both Iran and China – as well as other states – crumble under the pope’s withering critique, which hinges on the truth-freedom nexus.
But the pope is not alone. In full agreement with his statements, “Avvenire” – a newspaper closely linked to cardinal Camillo Ruini – prominently published, on January 5, a front-page editorial and an important exclusive interview. The editorial was on Iran, and the interview was on China, two crucial countries where both truth and freedom are seriously restricted, not without some responsibility on the part of the West.
In effect, Pope Benedict gave a verbal thumbs-up, and spoke towards a universal truth: Truth can only be attained in freedom.