Spinning the Pope's Easter Message

Read the complete text of the Pope's Easter message.

It's not very long.

If you rely on the lib media's accounts, you'd think his Easter message focused mainly on the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

You might get that impression from looking at the captions accompanying photos from lib media outlets, too.

The caption from a Reuters photo, for example, cherry picks a specific agenda out of the Pope's address.

Pope Benedict XVI delivers the Easter 'Urbi et Orbi' (to the city and the world) benediction in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican April 8, 2007. Pope Benedict, in his Easter message, made an impassioned call for world peace on Sunday that lamented the 'continual slaughter' in Iraq and the growing unrest in Afghanistan. (Osservatore Romano/Reuters)

Look at the headline for this Associated Press article.



Yes, the Pope cites the "slaughter" in Iraq, but he mentions the country once. The same goes for Afghanistan. Why stress those two places?

The headlines and the captions could have just as easily focused on the Pope mourning conditions in Darfur, or the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or Somalia, or Zimbabwe, or East Timor, or Sri Lanka, or Lebanon.

Although the AP does acknowledge that the Pope cited several regions around the world plagued by violence and bloodshed, there's no question that Iraq and Afghanistan are given greater emphasis.

VATICAN CITY -- On Christianity's most joyous day, Pope Benedict XVI lamented the "continual slaughter" in Iraq and unrest in Afghanistan as he denounced violence in the name of religion.

In his message for Easter, Benedict said suffering worldwide puts faith to the test.

"How many wounds, how much suffering there is in the world," the pontiff told tens of thousands of pilgrims, tourists and Romans gathered Sunday at St. Peter's Square where he had just finished celebrating Mass.

Benedict, delivering his traditional "Urbi et Orbi" Easter address from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, denounced terrorism and kidnappings, and "the thousand faces of violence which some people attempt to justify in the name of religion," as well as human rights violations.

"Afghanistan is marked by growing unrest and instability," Benedict said. "In the Middle East, besides some signs of hope in the dialogue between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, unfortunately, nothing positive comes from Iraq, torn apart by continual slaughter as the civil population flees."

..."Suffering, evil, injustice, death, especially when it strikes the innocent such as children who are victims of war and terrorism, of sickness and hunger, does not all of this put our faith to the test?"

In contrast to his sorrowful address were the bright red, pink, yellow and orange splashes of color from flowers which adorned the steps of the basilica and surrounded the outdoor altar where he celebrated Mass under hazy sunshine.

The Pope delivered a "sorrowful address"?

Really?

Although he pointed out the horrible suffering in the world, the Pope's message was about hope, not sorrow.

He said that Christ is alive and among us. He gives us hope for a better future.

That doesn't sound sorrowful to me.

The Pope's Easter message is one of peace and joy, as promised in Christ's Resurrection.

United to him and ready to offer our lives for our brothers (cf. 1 John 3:16), let us become apostles of peace, messengers of a joy that do not fear pain, the joy of the Resurrection. May Mary, Mother of the Risen Christ, obtain for us this Easter gift. Happy Easter to you all.