Análise

This was one of the most important speeches of Pope Benedict's papacy and he used it to warn the very health of democracy in Britain was being jeopardised by the marginalisation of religion.

His essential message was that democracy relies on the use of reason but that human reasoning was being distorted by ideology and changing social fashions.

The Pope insisted reason needed to be judged against the unchanging teaching offered by religion - based as it was on "natural law", the fundamental nature of people.

This was a dramatic attempt by Pope Benedict to force civic leaders to question the essential working of a democracy they have taken for granted would operate for the good of all.

His aim was to halt what he sees as the trend for governments to legislate to try to govern people's beliefs as well as their behaviour.

Robert Pigott
BBC News religious affairs correspondent

(Fonte: site BBC News @ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11347073)