Degrading Slavery

I am excited about the election of Pope Benedict XVI for many reasons, but one of them is because he is an intellectual, philosopher and theologican. I believe all religious and non-religious people should welcome the debate to come on social, moral and economic issues.

The late Pope John Paul II referred to reason as a privileged path to faith. It is true. Further, learned and educated people have a particular responsibility to be engaged in the forthcoming debate.

This debate, of course, will be among religious and non-religious. But, everyone has something to learn from the other. Catholics can learn a great deal from the experience of others. And, as G.K. Chesterton said, learning from the Catholic tradition can free a person from the degrading slavery of being a child of his own age.