E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Stefano Rellandini / Reuters
Pope Benedict XVI arrives to conduct mass to open the year of faith at the Vatican October 11, 2012.
Stefano Rellandini / Reuters
Pope Benedict XVI waves as he arrives to conduct mass.
Bishops walk in a solemn procession through St Peter's Square as they arrive for a mass led by the pontiff.
Bishops from around the world gather for the mass.
Stefano Rellandini / Reuters
A Swiss guard stands before the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI.
Pope Benedict opened a global "Year of Faith" as he conducted mass in St. Peter's Square on Thursday, Agence France Presse reports. The Vatican is celebrating the 50th anniversary of a council that changed the face of Catholicism, as it tries to rekindle the religious fervor of the time amid rising secularism.
A Pew Research Center study released Tuesday found that one in five Americans is religiously unaffiliated, including one in three adults under 30.
Read a transcript of the Pope's homily at The National Catholic Register.
•Sign up for the NBCNews.com Photos Newsletter
Leave a Comment:
I WAS a member of the Catholic faith. I divorced the church.that happened long before so many of the sexual allegations have been made against so many representatives of the church. My reasons were based on the reality of what has been taught, from the Bible, in the Church, but in my family's case, not praticed. A man, a simple man,but a respresentative of the church - a priest, defied the teachings of the very book and word of God that we are taught to believe.
I am a spiritual being. I believe in a higher power, our Creator. That is my own personal interpretation of what I need for my spiritual self and that is the simplification of my beliefs. That said...
How is it that the Pope can inaugurate the 'Year of Faith' when the Catholic Church is not an institution people have faith in any longer? People have chosen in great numbers, to leave the Church and organized religion. Some have moved themselves to other churches and other denominations because of the scandalous way the Pope and the Catholic Church have handled themselves, and their child molesting perverted priests. The representatives of the church are supposed to spread the word of God, the teachings of the Catholic faith, yet they use that position to prey upon people, children who are innocent, and as a result hold these representatives of God in the highest esteem. They do not build up faith, they kill it. They kill it in the children and ALL of the people their acts affect! Their parents, Grandparents, sisters, brothers, etc. They kill faith by not prosecuting them to the fullest extent of the law and by protecting these predators.
SO MANY People do not have faith in the Catholic Church any longer. So, how is it the Pope can even think, yet inaugurate a year of this?? I believe people have faith in God, just not in the Catholic Church or the Pope!
Feel sorry for you.
Well said.
Eveyone notice the first comment made to Jewel Stone, who made a very honest and kindly worded observation based in facts, was a mean flip response? This is the crap people are sick of. The holier than thou, self righteous, preachy crap. This is why the secular movement is rising. Humanity is outgrowing the mean spiritedness of control in organized religion and finding their own path. The hardest and most rewarding thing I've ever done was to leave Christianity behind. I didn't like who I was or how I felt when I had myself jumping through all those man made hoops. I am Agnostic and say if your beliefs make you a kinder and gentler person, go for it, otherwise there's something wrong with your beliefs.
I think starting with a year of no allegations of child abuse might be a better way to go...
You people make me sick. If you don't believe then just keep your religious bigotry to yourself. Obviously the Church has to address these serious issues, but your hatred towards it and any one of faith is sickening.
We don't hate the religion, just the swathes of hypocrits who follow maybe 1/10th of the teachings but preach the whole thing and judge anyone who falls short. In essence, most of the catholic church.
I am all for faith. What I am not for is the demand we follow blindly like sheep to the slaughter.
Dogon Babylonian fish god hat wearing pedophile wants to ramp up support for another crusade, eh?
What will Jesus Do ??
Jesus will give all the MONEY the Pope and the Vatican has, to the very poor people and stop asking for more money to support al the abusive pedophiles priest. Jesus will NEVER live in that Rich Vatican place. The Pope should be more like Madre Teresa. The Pope should open the Vatican Library so we have the real truht and Jesus will forgive and free the Butler, that for me he is a hero.
I DO NOT Belive any more in the Catholic Church. They just want to control the mass and get their money.
This will please Zeus mightily, hallowed be his name!
Church coffers getting a little low from paying off all the hush money and law suits so they need to bring in some fresh sheeple.
Biggest scam ever and it continues to make money hand over fist.
It's amazing to me to see how many people can comment on something they know little about. To see how intolerant people can be of things they are ignorant of. Your intolerance and hate will be your demise.
We know not all religious people are hypocrits, but it's still sickening to see the hypocrits preach daily. Now, this isn't all of the church obviously, but quite a bit is.
Oh the secular crew....yes you show love....you show kindness.....you are the way we should follow. Faith is believing even though you will be tested and persecuted. I do not understand going through life with nothing to believe in....what happens when you die....nothing? Such a sad belief. I know you all think I am crazy but at least if I am wrong ....big deal...I am in the same boat as you. If you are wrong.....man....eternity is an awful long time. Don't give me the line but OH your God is supposed to be so forgiving and he will forgive me.....no no no....the one and only unforgivable sin is to deny him. I hope that it is only your youth talking and someday you will try and explore his teachings. He teaches love....what is so wrong with that?
The seculars believe no one truly knows the answer to what happens after death while you arrogantly believe yours is the only possible answer. And no, the only unforgivable sin is blaspheming the holy spirit, which is to say deny humanity has any good at all lent to it from a higher order/power. You aren't crazy, but you are not as well learned as you'd like to believe.
Actually, this secularist doesn't give a @!$%# either way. All I want is for the religious morons to keep their religion to themselves. All of them. Try and pass another law based on religious morality, and the religion's back in the crosshairs.
Not believing in god/s is not the same as not believing in anything.
That's correct!
It's not a belief. It's reality. Sad that you need to believe in some magical afterlife to deal with that.
A Pascal's Wager is a sad argument to make!
Merely your belief. Prove there's a god!
Butyou just said he doesn't. Which is it?
My faith is in Jesus Christ who suffered and died on the cross for my sins. I accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior of my life. I will not be moved. He is the same today as yesterday and tomorrow. The world is as it is not because of what he has done, but how humans have made it. But God is long suffering and not willing that any should parish. This includes all that have written comments about this subject. However, God will not contend with us forever. God's wrath will be poured out on all mankind and then all will know. And whether in heaven, on earth, or in hell, every knee shall bow and ever tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. So be it, Amen.
I can agree with that, I just can't agree with the current catholic church representing that notion.
That's nice. prove it!
Threats from your cosmic boogeyman is hardly persuasive or convincing!
If more Catholics would pay attention they would realize that the church and particularly this pope has been duping its flock for years. The SEX scandals, hiding pedophiles among our children, the vatican banking scandal, ties with the mafia (money laundering) and the nazi's WWll, and on and on. Stop contributing to the massive money basket on sundays. Better yet leave the church and feel much better about yourself. ex catholic survivor still recovering.
Becuase declaring a "Year of Faith" is as effective as prayer, not at all. Poor Benny, he should pray harder so he can get the pedophiles out of the church. Seems that's failed too and he's done all he can to cover it up.