DAILY CATHOLIC THURSDAY July 29, 1999 vol. 10, no. 141
NEWS & VIEWS |
POPE SAYS SINNERS PLACE SELVES IN HELLVATICAN (CWNews.com) - Pope John Paul II said at his weekly general audience on Wednesday that hell is not so much a physical place as a rejection of the presence of God and that the condemned choose to enter that condition.A week after speaking on the reality of heaven, the Holy Father emphasized that hell is also real. "Hell is not a punishment imposed externally by God, but the condition resulting from attitudes and actions which people adopt in this life," he said. "More than a physical place, hell is the state of those who freely and definitively separate themselves from God, the source of all life and joy." "So eternal damnation is not God's work but is actually our own doing," he added. He described hell as "the pain, frustration and emptiness of life without God." He also warned that demons do exist, saying "Christian faith teaches us that there are creatures who have already given a definitive 'no' to God. These are the spirits which rebelled against God and whom we call demons."
The Holy Father cautioned Christians against dwelling on
hell. "The reality of hell should not ... be a cause of
anxiety or despair for believers. Rather it is a necessary
and healthy reminder that human freedom has to be conformed
to the example of Jesus, who always said 'yes' to God, who
conquered Satan and who gave us His Spirit so that we too
could call God 'Father'."
|
Articles provided through Catholic World News and Church News at Noticias Eclesiales and International Dossiers, Daily Dispatches and Features at ZENIT International News Agency. CWN, NE and ZENIT are not affiliated with the Daily CATHOLIC but provide this service via e-mail to the Daily CATHOLIC Monday through Friday. |
NEWS & VIEWS DAILY CATHOLIC |