Vatican Opens Dialogue With Atheists

By Francis X. Rocca
Religion News Service

VATICAN CITY (RNS) A new Vatican initiative to promote dialogue between believers and atheists debuted with a two-day event on Thursday and Friday (March 24-25) in Paris.

"Religion, Light and Common Reason" was the theme of seminars sponsored by the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Culture at various locations in the French capital, including Paris-Sorbonne University and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

"The church does not see itself as an island cut off from the world ... Dialogue is thus a question of principle for her," Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi told the French newspaper La Croix. "We are aware that the great challenge is not atheism but indifference, which is much more dangerous."

The events were scheduled to conclude with a party for youth in the courtyard of the Cathedral of Notre Dame on Friday evening (March 25), featuring an appearance via video by Pope Benedict XVI, followed by prayer and meditation inside the cathedral.

The initiative, called "Courtyard of the Gentiles," takes its name from a section of the ancient Temple of Jerusalem accessible to non-Jews, which Benedict has used as a metaphor for dialogue between Catholics and non-believers.

Comments

[Martin McKenna]

04:53 PM on 04/05/2011

"The events were scheduled to conclude with a party for youth"
One would think the Church of Pedophilia would want to distance its self from kids, not throw them a party.

[AveragePatriot]

02:53 PM on 04/01/2011

It seems to me that since religion is insignificant to me, then it wouldn't be worth my time to debate the issue...

[OHwhatcouldabeenin2000]

05:13 PM on 03/31/2011

That "party for youth" must've been HOPPIN'

[iskra]

05:00 PM on 03/31/2011

After centuries of persecuting them the church wants to have a 'dialogue'. 

But do we wish to have a dialogue with them? 

Maybe, my lead off would be "When are you going to put your pedophiles in jail?". I'm sure we could have a lively discussion.

[blackjack46]

04:20 PM on 03/31/2011

I have never ever encountered a more vile norrowminded hateful bigoted collection of misanthrops in my life. You should take some solice from your counterparts over at the Fox News blogs who are equally as hateful narrowminded bigoted as you folks are. Check it out.

It has certainly taught me a lesson to avoid you folks. You have nothing constructive to offer.

[pdferguson]

05:55 PM on 03/31/2011

Hey, this must be adjective bingo night! All I need to win is "repulsive"!

Anyhoo, thanks for your constructive offering, it really adds to the conversation...

[blackjack46]

11:40 AM on 03/31/2011

Yeh! I guess your all right the Catholic Church probably has nothing to discuss with atheists.

I once became an atheist, but I gave it up.
They have no holidays." - Henny Youngman

[iskra]

05:00 PM on 03/31/2011

The church could learn something about morality over protecting an organization.

[OHwhatcouldabeenin2000]

05:14 PM on 03/31/2011

every day is a holiday compared to the self loathing religious folks go through trying to impress their perfect space man

[ThinkCreeps]

09:47 AM on 03/31/2011

Ratzinger. Still fighting the same losing battle he started with the flak battery in 1945.

[Kirk Job-Sluder]

05:58 PM on 03/30/2011

It is quite interesting to me that people here are claiming to support the Courtyard of the Gentiles through narrow-minded prejudice and repetition of tired and inaccurate stereotypes rather than by engaging in dialog and looking for common understanding. Such an opportunity lost.

[Rodig]

05:36 PM on 03/30/2011

Definition of atheist for the last time:

"Hey, Dude, do you believe in God(s)?"

"Who me? Nope."

Boom! Atheist

That's it, anything else is a by-product of rational thinking.

[Andres64]

05:00 PM on 03/31/2011

Athsist!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0A4_bwCaX0

[blackjack46]

03:46 PM on 03/30/2011

You folks are too much garsh darn fun, but regrettably I'll have to leave you now. Enjoy wallowing in your hatred and misguided opinions. I'm sure they give you a great deal of solice to know that you are more knowledgeable than the most respected person in the world, while at the same time the suffering and impotence you feel at being incapable of tearing that edifice which you so ardently despise.

[killjen9]

03:48 PM on 03/30/2011

LOL, yeah, thanks for all the laughs!

[BlueIndependent]

04:30 PM on 03/30/2011

Oh, please don't run away, poor persecuted BJ. Who else will we have to spout nonsense that we can refute and continue displaying the Catholic Church's malfeasance to the rest of the world, right on these very pages?

[blackjack46]

04:45 PM on 03/30/2011

I wasn't leaving in a tiff, just had to go, but you evidently need me. It's so nice to be wanted. But, Blue, you have yet to refute anything I have said. You only offer your unsubstantiated opinions.

[schnauzergirl]

02:20 PM on 03/30/2011

"The events were scheduled to conclude with a party for youth in the courtyard of the Cathedral of Notre Dame on Friday evening (March 25), featuring an appearance via video by Pope Benedict XVI, followed by prayer and meditation inside the cathedral"

How welcomeing for the atheists. Not.

[blackjack46]

02:40 PM on 03/30/2011

I wouldn't go if I were you.

[schnauzergirl]

02:58 PM on 03/30/2011

Never even crossed mind.

I have been to the Vatican, lovely architecture and the museum is fantastic, but thats about all it has to offer.

[Cole 33]

01:27 PM on 03/30/2011

Which Atheists are they going to have a "dialogue" with? Since we don't have any leadership or any organizational structure are they just gonna stop people on the streets like Jay Leno and see if they're Atheists and just start talking?

[CodyGirl]

01:55 PM on 03/30/2011

This is a very good point & illustrates the conundrum faced by atheists. If you are a movement with an agenda & leaders who emerge as your spokespersons, then you must declare yourselves in some coherent fashion. Otherwise, any atheist who writes some books or debates theists can claim to be your guru. Then we theists can examine that person's thinking & writings & also their personal life & moral integrity to judge how well their atheism serves them & serves humanity. The RCC is doing the world a great service with this outreach program.

[alsm9]

02:56 PM on 03/30/2011

"If you are a movement with an agenda & leaders who emerge as your spokespers­ons, then you must declare yourselves in some coherent fashion. Otherwise, any atheist who writes some books or debates theists can claim to be your guru."

You illustrate perfectly why a lot of religious people can't wrap their head around what being an atheist means.

[Bob Wood]

03:41 PM on 03/30/2011

We are not a movement...and to my knowledge have no agenda. I'll match my moral integrity with my RC friends and family. There isn't any " ism " in atheist. Not believing in Gods, Goddesses, Trolls under bridges, or Leprechuans serves me as well as believing those things would. I'll match my contribution to humanity as an atheist with my RCC neighbors and family. The Humane Society, The Red Cross, and Doctors Without Borders have never returned my checks as unacceptable due to my being an atheist. Never a mention there. How is this outreach program a great service ? To whom ? The Vatican doesn't need me...and I don't need them...(sigh)

[Dan Jighter]

04:46 PM on 03/30/2011

Well, perhaps you are getting at something insightful that I'm missing. But atheists do have leaders and various organizations. We simply don't have a single doctrine, blindly follow leaders, have a formal unified organization. We are a collection of people with many diverse viewpoints. That said, I could certainly imagine a dialogue between some Catholic leaders and people like Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Richard Carrier, etc which other atheists watch and participate in during question sessions. We know the Catholics won't do that. Thus the issue isn't so much whether the Catholics can have a dialogue as much as that the Church refuses to have a real dialogue with any entire segment of atheist leaders and the atheist population.

[CodyGirl]

05:54 PM on 03/30/2011

If you are not a movement & not even an "ism" or ideology, then you are only individuals who don't believe in God. Then the RCC is perfectly justified in not inviting anyone who claims to be your leader or who might be construed to be your leader to "represent" atheists in their seminars. I find it very interesting that the Church has identified several philosophers or atheist apologists or writers who they deem to be "noble" (unlike C. Hitchens & Dawkins) & who they want to dialogue with about their views, call it atheism or whatever. This means that they see some atheists as having something valuable to talk about with them. I see them making a distinction here between "pop" atheism & atheism as a perspective within theology. If this is to be truly a dialogue, there are several questions I would like for we believers to be able to ask these atheists: 1) What is the paradigm or moral vision that they as atheists use for making decisions about right/wrong, good/evil & for resolving moral ambiguities without a belief in a loving, unifying God? 2) How do atheists reason that humans have no soul? How do they explain the existence of "I"? 3) Given the reality of the pervasiveness of belief in God & religious practices, what would the world be like (or better) without religion?

[CodyGirl]

06:05 PM on 03/30/2011

Among the names of invitees to the RCC seminars are Jurgen Habermas, Guiliano Ferrera, Marcello Peca & Oriana Fallaci. I don't know if these people are atheist scholars or merely scholars who are atheists or if they are even atheists. I looked up Jurgen Habermas on the internet & it says that he is a "critical theorist" along the lines of Kant & Marx. It said in one article that Habermas, a German, & Pope Benedict debate & discuss frequently.

[Cole 33]

01:24 PM on 03/30/2011

And the Vatican PR machine starts a rollin'

[rheuer111]

01:21 PM on 03/30/2011

why would anyone want to have a dialogue with this despicable organization that protects child rapists, suppresses women, and incites violence against gay people? what is there to talk about?

better to ignore them, except when it is necessary to step in and protect their victims.

[blackjack46]

01:28 PM on 03/30/2011

Despicable?????
For endorsing morality and condemning immorality.
What an interesting attempt to make the sacred profane and the profane sacred.

[killjen9]

02:08 PM on 03/30/2011

Morality is subjective so it is your OPINION that gay people are immoral and profane. I am assuming you are referring to gay people and not child rapists and the suppression of women.

Being lesbian and atheist I can say that I am neither profane or immoral and your opinion of me is neither sacred or based in any sort of factual evidence.

[alsm9]

02:57 PM on 03/30/2011

There is nothing moral about molesting children and protecting the criminals who do this.

[Aquest]

07:54 AM on 03/31/2011

Please don't forget their role in overpopulation and the spreading of STD's worldwide.

[A-Superstitionist]

12:21 PM on 03/30/2011

Here is a dialog between the pope and his geezers to have: with prosecutors in front of a judge at the international court in den Hague for crimes against humanity starting with their role in the death of 2 million Africans from HIV EACH and EVERY year for decades with no end in sight due to their immoral anti-condom indoctrinations, followed by the rape of hundreds of thousands of children by tens of thousands of priests covered up thousands of bishops, hundreds of cardinals and tens of popes including our current "red Prada" pope Benny Hex.

Now, that is a dialog worth having and an a-Superstitionists jury would be goodness for the world in this case.

[blackjack46]

12:55 PM on 03/30/2011

It is illicit sex that is immoral, not the prohibition against using condoms.
It is not a crime to preach against illicit sex.
Your numbers are overwhelmingly skewd regarding the sex abuse scandal, but then then again why should the tyruth have any relevance when your bashing the Catholic Church.

And how do you explain the rampant epidemic of AIDS in India where condoms are handed out gratis and birth control is trumpeted from every other billboard.

Get in touch with reality. Condoms will not stop the spread of AIDS which is evident in areas where condoms are condoned and the Pope's influence is zilch.

[killjen9]

02:10 PM on 03/30/2011

Actually, condoms would help greatly to slow the spread of AIDS. It's not enough to hand them out the people need to USE them!

[A-Superstitionist]

02:44 PM on 03/30/2011

If the vatican ever needs a new PR person, you seem instantly qualified as an unapologetic apologist :)