It's very sad that in Italy, the center of catholicism, the faith became so different, so cold, and - finally - so de-christianized.
And it's more sad in these days. I don't know if you in television heard about what's happening in Italy. The Pope was invited by the Rector of "La Sapienza" to inaugurate the Academic Year in the next Thursday, 17th, appearing in the first university of Rome (In the city there're four public universities, plus a lot more private ones, but "La Sapienza" is the ancient university of Rome, and specially one of the oldest and most prestigious in Italy, and in Europe).
Well, it happened that some professors (not few, 61), both from human faculties and from scientific ones, have complained about the visit, and they wrote a petition, explicitly asking that the Pope "don't come to the university" as inappropriate person, because "today faith is contrary to science"!
At the same time, dozens of students has started to organize manifestation against the visit of the Pope and public banners against the Pope himself and the Church, in the public university of Rome. Ratzinger here is considered "oscurantist", old visionist of a religious restauration, and, after all, against the "knowledge".
All these polemics following to the event, in these two days, has broken the disposition of the Holy Father to visit the place, and so today, in the late afternoon, Vatican spokesman said that "the visit has been canceled". This is the first time that this happens, in an unprecedented move since the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger took over the Roman Catholic Church in April, 2005, and it's a sign of the times.
I think that any other university in Europe would be glad to receive such a honourable visit. But in Rome, the center of christianity, can happen all it..It's Italy, baby!
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