Pope Benedict remembered
January 6th, 2023A conservative commentator calls Pope Benedict one of the last Europeans. A left-wing liberal philosopher accuses the government of using religion as a political tool.
Magyar Nemzet’s Levente Sitkei remembers Pope Benedict as ‘one of the last genuine Europeans’. The pro-government columnist distinguishes Europeanness from the European Union, suggesting that the former implies respect for cultural traditions and a particular way of life. Sitkei adds that Europe needs Christianity. At the very onset of his papacy, Sitkei contends, by naming himself after one of Europe’s patron saints, Benedict wanted to remind Europe that it must defend its identity, religion and traditional values.
PM Viktor Orbán and President Katalin Novák both attended the funeral of the pope emeritus. In a comment on Hírklikk, György Gábor accuses the government of using Christianity as a political PR-tool. The left-wing liberal philosopher believes that with theatrical displays and performances, the government wants follows the tradition of ‘political Catholicism’ which, according to Gábor, used Christianity to exclude Jews and keep feudal social hierarchies in place.
Tags: Christianity, Europe, Pope Benedict