Pope again cites Church as 'creative minority'

September 28, 2009

The Catholic Church should function as a "creative minority" in today's secular society, Pope Benedict XVI told reporters on board the plane that carried him to the Czech Republic on September 26. Repeating a theme that he had used just prior to his election to the pontificate, the Holy Father argued that it is "creative minorities that determine the future."

"The Catholic Church," the Pontiff continued, "must understand itself as a creative minority with a legacy of values which are not a thing of the past, but which are a very living and relevant force that must be realized, rendered present in the public debate." He said that the Church should challenge the secular world to dig deeper in search of truth, while the secular world challenges the faithful to be apostolic.

Commenting on the Czech society he was traveling to visit, the Pope remarked that the quest for truth played a pivotal role in the fall of Communism. Citing the words of the Czech leader Vaclav Havel, he said: "dictatorship is based upon lies, and if the lies are overcome-- if no one lies anymore, if the truth comes to light-- then there will also be liberty."

In response to other questions, the Pope said that he has not yet fully recovered from a fractured wrist, but he has been able to write, and anticipates completing the second volume of his book on Jesus early next year.

 

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Further information:

• Interview with Benedict XVI aboard the papal plane (National Catholic Reporter)