Pope denounces 'insatiable consumption', urges all faiths to unite against violence, lauds Australia’s apology to Aborigines

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Pope Benedict XVI recalled the natural beauty he observed during his 20-hour flight to Sydney, saying he felt "a profound sense of awe," and denounced "insatiable consumption" as a threat to the world's environment.

The pope made his first major appearance on his Australia tour Thursday before an estimated crowd of 150,000 people at World Youth Day. The event is believed to be the world's largest Christian gathering and dubbed "the Catholic Woodstock."

He delivered his homily in several languages to people representing 70 countries, lamenting "erosion, deforestation, the squandering of the world's mineral and ocean resources in order to fuel an insatiable consumption." In his address, Benedict warned that mankind's "insatiable consumption" has scarred the Earth and squandered its resources, telling followers that taking care of the planet is vital to humanity — striking a theme that has earned him a reputation as the "green pope."

He was greeted at World Youth Day by a traditional aboriginal welcoming ceremony. In his address, the pope thanked aboriginal elders and noted the decades of hardship native people faced throughout Australia's history. "I am deeply moved to stand on your land, knowing the suffering and injustices it has borne but aware too of the healing and hope that are now at work, rightly bringing pride to all Australian citizens," the pope said. "To the young indigenous -- aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders -- and the Tokelauans, I express my thanks for your stirring welcome." At a meeting with top government officials, including Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, the pope praised his official apology in February on behalf of the nation to its aboriginal people.

Pope Benedict XVI urged religious leaders of all kinds to unite against those who use faith to divide communities — an apparent reference to terrorism in the name of religion. He met with representatives of Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Buddhist faiths for about 40 minutes during the Roman Catholic Church's youth festival, which has drawn hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to Sydney. "In a world threatened by sinister and indiscriminate forms of violence, the unified voice of religious people urges nations and communities to resolve conflicts through peaceful means and with full regard for human dignity," Benedict told a gathering of clerics from different faiths in Sydney.

Without mentioning terrorism directly, the pontiff said creating harmony between religion and public life was "all the more important at a time when some people have come to consider religion as a cause of division rather than a force for unity." The remarks come as the Vatican tries to repair ties with the Islamic world that were strained by a speech he gave in 2006 that appeared to associate Islam with violence, outraging many Muslims.

Thursday's events were the pope's first public appearances since arriving in Australia on Sunday and spending several days resting. The pontiff, appearing rested and in good form, gave his first major speech before an estimated crowd of 200,000 pilgrims gathered for World Youth Day. Tens of thousands more lined Sydney harbor's foreshore as he toured the city, first by boat and then in the popemobile.

*Update Sept 15, 2012*

Visiting Lebanon, pope denounces arms transfers to Syria; Appeals For Peace In Middle East
At the start of a three-day visit in Lebanon, Pope Benedict XVI calls the movement of weapons from any country to Syria to be a 'grave sin' -
The pontiff, calling himself "a pilgrim of peace," denounced as a "grave sin" the transfer of weapons from any country to Syria, where rebels armed in part with smuggled weapons are waging a violent campaign to oust President Bashar Assad.
"The import of weapons has to finally stop," Benedict, who is on a three-day trip to Lebanon, reportedly told journalists Friday. "Without the import of arms the war cannot continue. Instead of importing weapons, which is a grave sin, we have to import ideas of peace and creativity."

Pope Makes Plea for Religious Freedom
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Pope Benedict XVI appealed on Saturday for religious freedom in the Middle East, calling it fundamental for stability in a region bloodied by sectarian strife.
Benedict spoke on the second day of his visit to Lebanon, a country with the largest percentage of Christians in the Middle East. He arrived amid a wave of violent demonstrations across the Muslim world over an anti-Islam film.
“Let us not forget that religious freedom is a fundamental right from which many other rights stem,” he said, speaking in French to government officials, foreign diplomats and religious leaders at the presidential palace in Mount Lebanon in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

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Photos courtesy of AP, Reuters/Will Burgess, Robert Pearce, Greg Wood/Pool, and WYD 2008

Original Source: CNN and AP

Image Gallery: Reuters: Pope says young inheriting scarred, squandered earth