October 11, 2010. The fourth synod of Benedict XVI’s papacy has begun... First the 255 attendees asked the Holy Sprit for the courage and honesty necessary to face the challenges of Christians in the Middle East.


The Pope then took the opportunity to warn those present about the manifestation of new forms of slavery – an anonymous capital that enslaves workers, traffics drugs and commits acts of terrorism in the name of God.

Benedict XVI
“The power of the terrorist ideology that carries out violence in the name of God, but this is not God. These are false divinities that must be unmasked, because they are not God.”

Benedict XVI said we must wary of these types of slavery because they draw us away from the true faith and they are not in the best interest of mankind.

Benedict XVI
"Also the way of life that spreads into public opinion today does this: marriage is no longer valued, and chastity is no longer a virtue. These ideologies that dominate and forcefully imposed are 'gods'. " FLASH "These gods must fall, as it is said in the letter to the Ephesians: The dominations and powers fall and become subjects of the one Lord, Jesus Christ."

Benedict XVI used the environment as  an example. The Pope said that a large part of  the world's climate issues have been caused by the lack of an ethical and moral foundation.

Benedict XVI
“We see today with climate problems, how the foundations of the earth are being threatened, but they are threatened due to our behavior. The exterior foundation is falling apart, because the interior foundation is also falling apart,  as well as the moral and religious fundamentals.”

This was the Pope's first intervention in the working sessions of the Special Assembly of Bishops. The Synod will run until October 24th in the Vatican.

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