‘Excluding religion from public life is hypocritical’

POPE Benedict XVI opened a three-week meeting of over 250 Roman Catholic bishops at the Vatican, telling the synod it was “hypocritical” to exclude religion from public life.

The 78-year-old pontiff’s first synod since his April 19 election will tackle the problems facing the Roman Catholic Church at the beginning of his pontificate and will focus largely on theological issues linked to the Eucharist, the Christian service of Holy Communion.

But more importantly for the wider world, it will also touch on thorny social problems like abortion and divorce, as well as attendance at Sunday mass and ecumenism.

“A tolerance which allows God as a private opinion but which excludes Him from public life, from the reality of the world and our lives, is not tolerance but hypocrisy,” the pope said in the homily he gave at the synod’s opening mass in St Peter’s Basilica.

“When man makes himself the only master of the world and master of himself, justice cannot exist,” the pontiff added. “Then, arbitrariness, power and interests rule.”

The German pontiff warned that people who ignored God would be judged by Him and posed a threat to “the Church in Europe, Europe itself and the West.”

The synod, which brings together 252 bishops from 118 countries, opened at 9am without the participation of four Chinese bishops whom Benedict XVI had asked to take part.

The bishops - three from China’s state-controlled church, which is not recognised by the Vatican, and one from the underground Catholic church - were not authorised by Beijing to attend the meeting.

The 11th synod meeting, which will run until October 23, opened with prayers for the former pope, John Paul II, who died six months ago, on April 2.

Bishops will debate how to address falling church attendance in Europe, America and Oceania, where the number of faithful attending Sunday mass has dropped well below that of Africa and Asia.

They will also remind Catholics of their duties regarding receiving Holy Communion at mass, and that people who support “immoral choices in life, such as abortion,” cannot participate in the Eucharist.

On the last day of the synod, Benedict XVI is expected to announce the names of five new saints, continuing the process of regularly conferring sainthoods which was started by John Paul II.