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by John L Allen Jr on Dec. 03, 2010
In the political argot of our time, Pope Benedict XVI is unquestionably a "conservative." A core aim of his papacy is to revive a strong sense of traditional Catholic identity over against radical secularism, a classically conservative agenda.
Precisely because of those credentials, however, the old American axiom that "only Nixon could go to China" fits Benedict XVI like a glove. Because of who Benedict is and what he represents, every once in a while he can do things a more "liberal" pontiff either wouldn't dare or couldn't pull off without splitting the church apart.
That point has been brought home anew due to Benedict's new book-length interview with German journalist Peter Seewald, titled in English Light of the World, which featured some surprising comments on condoms.
Consider the following defining traits of cultural conservatives these days:
- A hawkish line on Islam
- Eco-skepticism
- Unyielding pro-life advocacy
Here's the irony, one which is often underappreciated: While Benedict XVI is obviously sympathetic with all three concerns, in some ways he's also taken the legs out from under the extremists in each camp.
Islam
On any list of improbable recent papal moments, the site of Benedict standing alongside a mufti in Istanbul's Blue Mosque in 2006, facing the mihrab in a moment of silent prayer, would have to figure near the top.
As a theologian, Benedict expressed doubts about the very possibility of inter-religious prayer. The fact that he stepped outside his own skin, so to speak, on such a high-profile occasion, offered a clear signal of his commitment to reconciliation with the Muslim world.
When Benedict was elected, many observers prophesied he would be the pope of Samuel Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations," rallying the Christian West against an Islamic threat. His Regensburg lecture in September 2006 seemed to cut in that direction, igniting protest across the Islamic world by appearing to link Muhammad with violence. (In his new book, Benedict admits he failed to realize that people would take his academic address as a political statement.)
Yet since Regensburg, Benedict instead has emerged as a great friend of Islam, albeit without pulling any punches on terrorism and religious freedom. He's met with Muslims on scores of occasions, opened up new dialogues, and pulled off highly successful trips to Muslim nations. Today, it's abundantly clear that détente with Islam is the top inter-faith priority of this papacy.
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At the core of Benedict's vision is what he described during a May 2009 journey to Jordan as an "Alliance of Civilizations" – a phrase obviously crafted as an alternative to the "Clash of Civilizations." The idea is that Christians and Muslims should stand shoulder-to-shoulder in defense of shared values such as the right to life, care of the poor, opposition to war and corruption, and a robust role for religion in public life. (The pope calls that "inter-cultural," as opposed to "inter-religious," dialogue.)
In Light of the World, Benedict is asked if he has abandoned the medieval notion that popes are supposed to save the West from Islamization.
"Today we are living in a completely different world, in which the battle lines are drawn differently," Benedict says. "In this world, radical secularism stands on one side, and the question of God, in its various forms, stands on the other."
In that struggle, Benedict sees Christians and Muslims as natural allies.
Bottom line: The only crusade Benedict is interested in leading is against a "dictatorship of relativism," not against Islam. If only Nixon could go to China, maybe only Benedict XVI can go to Mecca.
The Environment
The conservative wing of today's Catholic church includes some powerful eco-skeptics. Cardinal George Pell of Sydney, Australia, for example, has warned of "neo-paganism" and questioned the scientific data underlying global warming. Italian Catholic writers Antonio Gaspari and Riccardo Cascioli see today's greens as a warmed-over version of yesterday's reds – radical Marxist materialists in a new guise.
Benedict XVI, however, is clearly not among them. His strong environmental advocacy has actually led him to be dubbed the "Green Pope."
Over the past five years, Benedict has openly warned of an "ecological crisis," accepted the reality of climate change, and called for lifestyle changes in the West to promote sustainable development. He's put his money where his mouth is, with solar panels installed atop the Vatican's audience hall as well as his private home in Regensburg. Recently, a Vatican official also said that Benedict would prefer to use an electric popemobile.
Benedict devoted his annual message for the World Day of Peace this year to the care of creation, arguing that resolving environmental threats such as the over-use of natural resources and climate change is essential to promoting peace.
To be sure, Benedict's shade of green is not that of "Earth First!" or the Sierra Club. He sees environmentalism as a step towards a broad revival of natural law, meaning that a moral code is written in creation. He too worries about pantheistic and neo-pagan currents in environmental thought, and he rejects the idea that ecology demands population control.
That said, Benedict XVI has moved concern for the environment from the avant-garde of Catholic life to the center. In Light of the World, Benedict argues that the church may be the "only hope" for the earth, because it can penetrate beyond systems and policies into the individual conscience, where choices have to be made to change the way people live.
In a sound-bite, Benedict has made it impossible to justify eco-skepticism by wrapping oneself in the papal flag.
Condoms and AIDS
For the record, Benedict's recent comments on condoms do not amount to a reversal of church teaching on human sexuality. The official Catholic view remains that to be fully moral, sex must occur within the context of heterosexual marriage and must be open to new life.
The way Benedict approaches the question in Light of the World actually seems to have less to do with moral theology than spiritual maturation, suggesting that concern for someone else's life and health, even if expressed by the dubious choice to put on a condom, could represent the first stirrings of a sense of responsibility.
Yet if only indirectly, that analysis does appear to revive a strain in Catholic moral reflection codified by St. Alphonsus Liguori in the 18th century, which built on long-standing practice among confessors, known as "counseling the lesser evil." In a nutshell, it holds that if someone is engaging in behavior the church regards as sinful, and they can't be persuaded to stop, it's permissible to advise them to at least minimize the harm.
The strongest pro-life forces in the Catholic church have resisted any movement to say that officially, in part on the theological basis that it could undercut the notion of certain acts as "intrinsically evil," but also for pastoral reasons. They worry that any concession on condoms, however carefully nuanced, will come across as a weakening of the church's resolve, a first step along a slippery slope toward blanket approval for birth control.
Benedict XVI has not adopted that view – on the conviction, perhaps, that the occasional irrationality of the wider world is no reason to truncate the rationality of Catholic thought.
In so doing, the pope has also given a bit of reassurance to Catholic pastors, health care workers and anti-AIDS activists, who sometimes quietly tolerate condom use in morally flawed situations, and who have always been forced to look over their shoulder.
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Read NCR's editorial: Pope's condom remarks: a step into the real world
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A thought experiment
As a thought experiment, you might ponder whether any of the more "progressive" figures mentioned as possible popes in the last conclave – for example, Cardinals Carlo Maria Martini of Milan, Godfried Danneels of Belgium or Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Honduras – would have been able to move the goalposts on these three fronts as Benedict XVI has done, at least without provoking far more serious backlash than we've seen.
It's an impossible question to answer, really, but the mere fact that it's worth thinking about says something.
* * *
As a footnote, there's a sense in which claiming that "only Benedict could go to China" is not just metaphorical. Benedict's China policy, expressed in a 2007 letter to Chinese Catholics, is to encourage "normalization," meaning overcoming the de facto schism between an underground church and a church recognized by the government. That too has frustrated some Catholic hawks, who support a more confrontational stance vis-à-vis China's Communist authorities.
* * *
Debate over Benedict XVI's role in the sexual abuse crisis flared up anew this week, with both the pope's critics and his supporters following the paper trail.
In Germany, Der Spiegel reported on newly unearthed documents in the case of Fr. Peter Hullermann, a priest facing allegations of abuse who came into the Munich archdiocese while then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was in charge, ended up in a parish, and went to abuse others. The Vatican, meanwhile, has produced a "smoking gun" of its own – a freshly discovered piece of correspondence showing that as early as 1988, Ratzinger pushed Rome to adopt "swifter and more simplified procedures" to punish abuser priests.
My story on the Vatican's latest effort to defend the pope's record can be found here: Vatican offers 'smoking gun' to defend pope's record on sex abuse
If nothing else, the coincidence of these two stories breaking at the same moment – as it happened, on the same day – suggests that dissection of Benedict's record on the crisis is likely to go on for some time to come.
I noticed yesterday that the
I noticed yesterday that the U.S. Military leaders vetoed the idea of taking a vote among the troops with regard to the don't ask, don't tell policy, they at the same time went out of their way to listen to all of the voices before they made their advice know to the Senate. If only the bishops would have the same moxie and listen to the voices of the people of God they might hear the Spirit of God speak through the wider community. They seem to be so tied up with the sense that they and only they speak for the Spirit and they have to protect their "God given" authority of power from the slightest hint of democracy. The Royal Church of the Empire is still present in the Vatican and in the minds of the episcopacy. They might be amazed at the wisdom present in the experiences and the faith of the People of God
A wonderful analogy here,
A wonderful analogy here, Chalrles Bolser! You are absolutely correct in this commentary! My belief in the presence of the Holy Spirit in God's Holy People is as strong as yours! We can only hope and pray that episcopal hearts will be softened by our prayers and sacrifices. The hierarchy has to learn how to get over their worship of self-importance.The early followers of Jesus were all equal members and were listened to when they were together. There was no political tape then! HOW FAR HAVE WE STRAYED AS A COMMUNITY OF FAITH FROM THE IDEALS OF JESUS in terms of a real faith community??
Yes how many times did Jesus
Yes how many times did Jesus say, "What do you fellow think about this" to the apostles, and how many times did he institute polling data to help him decide what was true and what's not true.
This idea that we know better than God has worked very well in the Protestant world as they continue to splinter on a daily basis. Perhaps a better strategy would be to listen to what God has already said than to decide if like ford, "we have a better idea".
kscrawler, I think you
kscrawler, I think you misinterpreted the two people's comments above yours. They weren't talking about polls. They talked about what traditional RC doctrine calls "sensus fidelium." They also referred to the places in the New Testament where it was deemed of the highest importance that baptism be not only "of water" but also of the Holy Spirit.
I am not sure how much of
I am not sure how much of this analogy speaks to the nature of religious belief, and how much of the insistence of the bishops in upholding doctrine is because of their authority. In the secular sphere, the US congress does not subject every bit of the constitution to everybody's whims and caprices, not because they love their authority so much, but because it can only lead to unfortunae consequences. Isn't it funny that people fight to protect the constitution from unecessary meddling, but believe that the Church should subject the doctrines to every whim of social sciences! Seriously, how many doctrines and liturgical practices were actually decreed by Rome, instead of following the "sensus fidelium?" By the way, the Episcopal Church, Lutheran Church, Presbyterian Church, etc with all their "democracy" is yet to produce so much fruits of righteousness. When will people give up this fantasy that immediately the Church submits itself to the world, it will be eldorado? We have seen that experiment explode in the face of the faith communities that tried it. This is becoming like an addiction: keep traveling the road that leads to nowhere over and over again!
If bishops listened and acted
If bishops listened and acted on what they heard from the wider community, including Catholics in Asia and Africa, this is some of what we would get in the Church:
- less concern about the role of women;
- less concern about the sexual abuse of minors;
- strong support for the anti-abortion stance;
- support for the Church's current stance on birth control;
- an openness to polygamy.
I, for one, am glad that after having listened to the wider community, the bishops sometimes choose differently.
"Precisely because of those
"Precisely because of those credentials, however, the old American axiom that "only Nixon could go to China" fits Benedict XVI like a glove. Because of who Benedict is and what he represents, every once in a while he can do things a more "liberal" pontiff either wouldn't dare or couldn't pull off without splitting the church apart."
Sorry, I do not buy that argument. By that logic, Pope John XXIII could never have received Nikita Krushchev's daughter because she represented the Soviet Union. Not only did he receive her, but it is one of the more cherished moments of his papacy.
Okay, point taken. But then,
Okay, point taken. But then, Good Pope John was no ordinary customer, either -- not even by papal standards. If Benedict's reputation as a culture warrior enables him to reach across apparently unbridgeable aisles, John's amazing personal qualities -- his charm, his presence -- gave him a similar kind of immunity. But even that immunity wasn't complete. Not everyone cherishes his legacy the way you do, or the way I do. Only cracpots will say so openly, but I can think of quite a few people who wish he'd spent the years 1958-63 in bed.
I am glad I did not bought
I am glad I did not bought your books.
Your ideology (not catholic) is evident.
"idleology'? You, yourself
"idleology'? You, yourself must be an ideologue by failing to recognize what Allen is observing...
It seems doubtful, from what
It seems doubtful, from what you write I am glad, that you would understand the books anyway. Good choice.
That's ok they would have
That's ok they would have been to difficult for you to read. He uses big words. Reread the Baltimore Catechism instead.
May the Pope live a thousand
May the Pope live a thousand years. If the era of the silly season of the Church of the 60's and 70's isn't over yet. Benedict XVl will personaly strangle it himself!!!
Angelo on Dec. 03, 2010. You
Angelo on Dec. 03, 2010.
You stated:
"May the Pope live a thousand years. If the era of the silly season of the Church of the 60's and 70's isn't over yet. Benedict XVl will personaly strangle it himself!!!"
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The Church belongs to Christ---not to any pope! The Holy Spirit is guiding the Church the way it is to go. And Benedict will die before he does any more damage to it.
Pope Benedict, like Richard
Pope Benedict, like Richard Nixon, is a man of surprises if he is nothing else. He continues to prove he's a quick study. Fully capable of learning new tricks, and he does so quickly.
A trip to Mecca or China wouldn't surprise me one bit. Together with his wish for a "green" powered pope mobile illustrates he is our first pontiff thoroughly comfortable with a modern, high-tech powered world. Don't forget, he's the first pope to own a car he drove himself and to own a computer prior to his election. He may love traditional vestments and liturgical practices, but can any pope who wears a white baseball cap on his nature walks also abolish the Novus Ordo liturgy? As the arch traddies are praying he will do?
I wouldn't bet the family farm on it.
Maybe, we are slowly beginning to see some very healthy signs of change and a direction toward reform resulting from the many crises swirling about Benedict XVI's golden throne. Who says life doesn't begin at 83?
Der Spiegel refers to
Der Spiegel refers to "massive allegations of abuse" against Hullerman. I think this is factually incorrect. Hullerman was cited as having abused 3 children- too many but that does not merit the use of "massive allegations of abuse". Very clever misues of hyberbole though because pointing out such hyperbole would merely invite accusations of "hyper-legalism" to defend something that is indefensible.
Next factual error- Hullerman had said he had never met Cardinal Ratziner; this report says he personally delivered the letter to the addressee as the current parishioners recall. What is wrong with that statement from Der Spiegel? I will let those who are still fair-minded figure it out.
Would you please cite your
Would you please cite your sources for what you say? It would add a great deal to the rational discussion of Benedict's degree of involvement - or what he in fact knew. Thank you.
Again, John has hit a grand
Again, John has hit a grand slam. He has humanized our Holy Father. I find in his article the very attitude that works towards undoing the harm of the divisions that separate our Church and builds walls so high that they seem insurmountable. Thank you, John Allen, for working for the unity Jesus would strive for and helping us realize the Pope Benedict XVI, although much more conservative than I am is not controled by such an attitude when he feels it is in the best interest of the Church to heed WWJD. God Bless you!
John, I noticed that you took
John,
I noticed that you took the time to read Light of the World before writing about it, and that you actually think it addresses more than the Great Condom Debate.
You're confusing us with facts, John.
Robert
Condoms and Aids. I no longer
Condoms and Aids. I no longer know where people think they are coming from on this issue. The Church's teaching on the wrongness on contraception only relates to marriage. She has made no statement on irregular instances of sexual encounter.
In Martin Rhonheimer's words "Nor can there be church teaching about this; it would be simply nonsensical to establish moral norms for intrinsically immoral types of behaviour." And Brenard Guevin, who is in dispute with Rhonheimer on a related matter, says "But he (Rhonheimer) concludes that the Church cannot possibly teach that people engaged in immoral lifestyles should not use condoms. I fully concur with Rhonheimer’s position."
Why is there all this fuss about a Magisterial teaching which does not exist?
Charles, some of the people
Charles, some of the people of God seem disinclined to listen to the voice of the Peter. You might be amazed at the wisdom you have been missing.
In a side note it is interesting that so many "progressives" have become interested in consultation. Consultation is a good thing and is incorporated in canon law. However, they were not interested in consultation in decades past when the people begged for an indult to celebrate the Mass of Pius V. They gave the cold shoulder to traditional Catholics.
Btw, I find Mr. Allen's books to be very good.
God Bless Pope Benedict XVI
God Bless Pope Benedict XVI and the Catholic Church
Pope Benedict XVI is a man of
Pope Benedict XVI is a man of Benedictine balance. He is
- a compassionate conservative
- a living role model of the full teaching of Scriptures and the Catechism
- a prodigy who preaches and lives the paradox of the Gospels
Personally, I find him to be one of our greatest Popes. Selfishly I pray he lives many more years for our continued edification.
The Pope is an expert when it
The Pope is an expert when it comes to theology,philosophy, faith and morals. The Pope's opinion regarding climate change is just that the Pope's opinion. Being a good husband of creation is a must, but we are entitled to make our own prudential decisions on how to do that and seek credible science. For example, we should be seriously paying attention to the hormones finding their way into the water supplies and whether those eco-light bulbs with mercury are really worth it given the trouble with disposal and the need to turn 3 of them on to get an adequate effect. If the reader directs themselves to the Petition http://www.petitionproject.org/ they will find "31,487 American scientists have signed this petition, including 9,029 with PhDs", stating that there is no convincing scientific evidence that human generated greenhouse gases will cause the catastophe's that the Kyoto treaty talks about. Siding with that kind of group should get one a get out of jail card for free when it comes to being called an eco-cynic.
It would be wonderful if Catholics admired the Pope's restating of Church teaching regarding celebacy and the impossibility of women in the priesthood and his reiteration of the Church's position on family life with the same vigor as his position on global warming. It would also be wonderful if the Pope expanded his scientific advisors to include some of the credible advisors from the credible scientists that signed the petition noted above so that we can stop wasting money on organizations like the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change.
An excellent analysis. I
An excellent analysis. I think any reasonable person should concern themselves more with Bill Gates approach to the lowering of CO2 emmissions, in particular his admission that vaccines are being used to reduce the world's population. Seeing (and hearing) is believing! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WQtRI7A064
Mr Allen, you mentioned three
Mr Allen, you mentioned three only. The most possible disturbing reports from Pope Benedict's new book is the position that a resignation of the Pope is a possible event. That seems as implausible a new position that I have rev heard, this would shake the "conservative" Roman Catholics which are many, perhaps out of the Church we love.
Vatican II received no reciprocity of our Christian Brethren and in California's Central Valley the phenomena of "Big Box" Christianity and the charlatans which we were warned, are populating due to the politicization of that brand of Christianity, bought and endorsed by City Governments seeking their favor.
The Courts on the other hand have provided solace to the lesbian and atheist children within a public facility but deny the same legitimacy to Catholic children in the public schools. The 1860's the Papacy voiced the concept of Papal infallibility and the xenophobes in the United State rebelled with the notorious Blaine Amendments, a great law for the pluralism we sought in the 1960's.
Why sir do we lump our Catholic identity into the Christian amalgam, when do Catholics stand up for their faith and their own convictions? There is a Protestant American Evangelical Movement [PACEM] and we, Catholics, are being edged out in too many arenas where we lead not too long ago.
Actually, a pope resigning is
Actually, a pope resigning is not a new position. If I am not mistaken, Pope Celestine, who was a monk before being elected a pope, resigned his papacy.
Re: "only Benedict could go
Re: "only Benedict could go to China"
In case you haven't been keeping up, Mr. Allen, China is actually RAMPING UP controlling strategies against Nobel-Prize winning Human Rights activists and other mainland dissidents, seizing upon the fact that they KNOW the Asia-Pacific region and their allies now need them to keep North Korea on a short leash:
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2010/announcement.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11811867
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/7813132/Sichuan-ear...
http://www.scmp.com/portal/site/SCMP/template.JSP_INCLUDE_PAGE/page.scmp...
http://www.scmp.com/portal/site/SCMP/menuitem.1d923702d0f3d4b2b5326b10cb...
And how about the CHURCH in
And how about the CHURCH in CHINA, Mr. Allen?
http://www.ucanews.com/2010/11/24/vatican-condemns-illicit-ordination-in...
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/11/19/chinas-catholic-church-says-orda...
http://www.economist.com/blogs/asiaview/2010/11/catholic_church_china
http://www.ucanews.com/2010/11/24/seminarians-on-strike-in-northern-china/
http://www.ucanews.com/2010/12/03/hebei-seminary-strike-talks-in-deadlock/
Beijing's escalating crack down on the Catholic Church is hardly what one could call a WELCOMING gesture to Benedict XVI. But they know that he would hardly send in the SWISS GUARD to quell their continuing persecutions.
Our Lady of Sheshan, pray for us.
http://www.cardinalkungfoundation.org/PrayerRoom/SheShan.htm
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/prayers/documents/hf_ben-...
Holy Martyrs of Yang Kia Ping, pray for us.
http://veritasestlibertas.blogspot.com/2010/10/33-martyrs-of-yang-kia-pi...
Ain't NO WAY he's going
Ain't NO WAY he's going anywhere near CHINA!
http://www.ucanews.com/2010/12/06/beijing-piles-pressure-on-catholics-in...
More light needed here!
See what I
See what I mean?
http://www.ucanews.com/2010/12/08/church-personnel-kept-under-close-watch/
And American bishops think they have problems...
Ummmmm....psssssttttt, hey
Ummmmm....psssssttttt, hey Craig - do you realize you have been given rather strong reactions to an analogy that Mr. Allen used in his article? It was never suggested that Benedict was going to China, or to Mecca. Re-read the article.
May be the problem in this
May be the problem in this whole thing about the pope disappointing people on both sides is with the terminologies being use: liberal and conservative. What of Catholic? Maybe the pope is just being Catholic- faithful to the Scriptures and to the Traditions. Seeing himself as an interpreter of that Tradition and the Scriptures and not there to add to it or to dilute it. Maybe, many people just want to be Catholic, not liberal or conservative.
Yes. I'm seeing the same
Yes. I'm seeing the same thing here in Canada. The divisions that followed the Council seem to be fading and many Catholics I know are coming to resemble a combination of the former positions. For example, one priest in our area quotes from St. Josemaria but admits that the Church is often poorly governed and that transparency is needed in its finances, etc. He also wants the local clergy and laity to have more of a say with regards to the selection of bishops. Such "hybreds" are hard to catagorize and increasingly common.
All in all, Mr. Allen's
All in all, Mr. Allen's article fulfills its obvious intention: promote the reputation of Benedict XVI. Now I want to see if he really, really will take a trip to Mecca, or China for that matter (which actually would probably be easier to accomplish).
What bothers me though are a couple of other points. 1)I wonder if Mr. Allen might have been too quick to extrapolate from the pope's remarks that "detente with Islam is THE top inter-faith priority of this papacy." That's a gigantic mouthful to swallow. 2)If we subtract context (contrasting the historical Crusades with today's problems), it disturbs me no end to be expected that "radical secularism" stands on "one side and the question of God, in its various forms, stands on the other" of battle-lines. That's what happens when dualism is the only thought-process. It seems to me that the "question of God, in its various forms" is big enough to encompass "radical secularism" in its various forms. Think about it. By the way, just what is "radical secularism" anyway?
Finally I had real trouble getting my mind to embrace around the "Thought Experiment" principally because of an assumption that it's worthwhile question to think about. Here's the challenge we were given: "It's an impossible question to answer really, but the FACT that it's worth thinking about says something." I can't help but wondering what that something is....
An addendum to my final
An addendum to my final problem above - actually the fundamental questions here are these: how worthy is thinking about the impossible question really? Why is this a fact?
I liked the idea of the
I liked the idea of the thought experiment where we imagine a Church with a more progressive or liberal Pope....
Is Mr. Allen trying to tell us that a more progressive or liberal Pope would receive some criticism from the Church [all the rest of the clergy and laity] for his positions on ecology, Islam, China, etc.? That he would not be taken seriously when he speaks? By whom?
He is probably right that ultra conservative bishops, priests and laity would equate his actions with some sort of liberal plot. My sense is that all the disenfranchised Catholics who have been waiting in the wings for a voice that speaks for them would be thrilled.
Benedict ought to look at his numbers. In the United States Catholics make up the largest religious denomination. The second largest is fallen away Catholics. My guess is that many of those who still practice their faith are like me... they find the move toward conservatism very unsettling, and they find the move to reverse the teachings of Vatican II depressing and a betrayal of Christ's teachings.
If a more progressive and liberal Pope sat in Peter's chair now, the only ones he would be offending by a trip to China or his teachings on ecology are the conservative group who, by the way, are still a minority of Catholics despite their prominence in the hierarchy of the Church.
KSChaosCrawler Jesus did poll
KSChaosCrawler Jesus did poll the people. Jesus in Matthew asks the people to MAKE requests of God, to ask God for help and changes, Jesus DID answer requests and arguments and made changes. Phoenician mom got him to heal nonIsraelists for example.
Pope Benedict will not go to
Pope Benedict will not go to Mecca, as no non-Muslims are allowed there by Islamic law. See, e.g., http://islam.about.com/od/hajj/f/mecca.htm. Perhaps people were speaking metaphorically, but it's an important point. While Islam distinguishes Judaism and Christianity from paganism, Islam has not made the moves toward religious tolerance that the Catholic Church made in Nostra Aetate, and likely cannot.
Belief in the same God means very little in itself when the same God is believed to command different things through different prophets, or in the case of the same prophets, different texts. The "Abraham," "Moses" and "Jesus" of Islam are not the Abraham, Moses and Jesus of the Old and New Testaments.
Pope Benedict may be the first Pope with an understanding of rabbinic Judaism, as distinct from biblical Israelite religion or the one-sided portrayal of first-century Second-Temple Judaism found in the Gospels. I hope that despite his age this scholar-Pope has been able to acquire a comparable knowledge of Islam. Believing Muslims may be, in certain contexts, natural allies of Christians. However, Islam is unavoidably the natural rival, even if not unavoidably the enemy, of Christianity.
Kevin, I agree with you that
Kevin, I agree with you that it seems impossible for Benedict XVI to go to Mecca for the reason you mention. That was the point of saying it's actually easier for him to make the China visit. Thank you for providing the basis for the statement.
The Condom Conundrum--What
The Condom Conundrum--What Pope Benedict has in common with Wikileaks. And maybe only Benedict can can be the pope to admit that there are such things as condoms and that he has tumbled onto the realization that the vast, vast majority of first world Catholic couples are using or have used various forms of artificial birth control or IVF, going the other direction, without the slightest pangs of conscience. Since these first world Catholics are the only ones paying the freight for the Catholic Church, and they profoundly disagree with a "teaching" which does not appear to have much Biblical support, and since PEW says 60% of those raised as Catholics are hitting the road, allow me to submit that the boys in red should be a little concerned. It is so amazing that in the same few weeks the Pope and Julian Assange have so amusingly ensnarled themselves for the worse in espanding difficulties with the humble condom.
I watched Dan Rather's report
I watched Dan Rather's report on the Catholic Church and the battles over the liturgy and Vatican II in which you appeared as the Vatican authority. I found your comments right on. The divide between the "left" and the "right" in the Church is very real, just reading the vicious comments fired from both sides here on this website reveal that. It is also clear that both sides perceive they are voicing God's Truth. Well, then, whose side is God on? Or is the Holy Spirit speaking with forked tongue? Obviously not. The real Church isn't to be found on the left or the right. The real Church is found on the left and the right. The "left" and the "right" actually represent only a tiny fraction of the full spectrum that is the Catholic Church. They represent a black and white view of a gray world. The battle over the Liturgy was the focus of the show. But there really shouldn't be a battle. The Mass is about the sacrifice of Christ, but it is also a sacred meal for the gathered community. The Mass is the Mass no matter which way the priest faces or what language is spoken. We need to accept that apparent contradiction. If we think back on almost any heresy we find people lined up on both extremes of any issue shouting as loudly as they can at each other, but in actuality both hold only a portion of the truth. For example, take the Arianism vs Docetism. The first says Jesus is only a created human being. The latter group maintained that Jesus was only God merely taking on the appearance of a human being. The doctrine of hypostatic union that the Church professes, however, says that Jesus, in the mystery of the incarnation, is both God and Man. This isn't relativism; it's what we believe as Catholics. Benedict XVI is absolutely correct when he says that Vatican II is built upon the Council of Trent not in opposition to it. There wasn't a different Church before or after Vatican II; it is the same Church. Through time we, the Church, begin to understand better what has been revealed to us and thus the Church develops and grows. Our faith is filled with paradoxes where seeming opposites are in fact unified. And that's reflected in the Church and what the Church is going through in our lifetimes. So SSPXers and SOSSers, chill out. There's room for you both in the Catholic Church. (SOSS is the Spirit of St. Stephen community shown on the Dan Rather Report as representing the left, along with the Society of St Pius X or SSPX being on the right.)
John, Thank you for your
John, Thank you for your article. I came away with another perspective on the topic why Pope Benedict can be one to effectively build a bridge with China for the Christians there. Two things though: the Chinese have a child limitation policy thus sanctioning abortion; therefore, the Pope and the Chinese government differ there. Nixon, I believe was supportive of abortion here in the US so not a good analogy when it comes to the "little ones" among us--and when these little ones are Catholic, Our Future Church.
I also disagree with labeling the Pope a conservative, or applying any politicizing moniker to him and what he stands for. Such political labelling reduces all Christians to nothing more than fodder for extremists on the opposing side.
From my perspective, as Christians, we are to be Christo-centric. If we are living our faith as Jesus has called us, then we stand and speak for his teachings and thus also speak out against anything anti-Christian i.e., "In season and out of season". Political movements come and go as do their regimes. Sometimes they rename themselves so they can re-raise their ugly heads, e.g., the eco-spirituality of the former new age movement; or "women's health choice" as the sanitized phrase to allow a woman to choose an abortion which is the murder of her own child and against God's Commandment of "Thou shall not kill" and Jesus' commandment of loving one another--yes, the babe in the womb, too.
Kindly continue to indulge me if you will...in the Old Testament, right after God created man and woman, in Genesis 1:28 we read: "God blessed them, saying to them: 'Be fertile and muliply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish in the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that move on the earth.'"
He did not say "Choose an ideology, pick a label for yourself, battle amongst yourselves and wrestle each other until you fall into the abyss of your own making."
Instead when mankind abused his perfect God-given intellect, body, and soul, He gave Moses the Ten Commandments. The people were so enslaved to their own sinfullness that it was hard for them to listen. Another set of tablets was drawn up and down from the mountain, Moses came again. Eventually, the people were led out of Egypt, and were brought to the promised land. Then, they forgot their gratitude for God's goodness and starting sinning again.
God, seeing how His people were drowning in sin again, decided to jump into the water to rescue them by sending Jesus into the world. Sweet and sinless Jesus, His only begotton Son, to show us the way to live now and in eternity, and to give us truth and light.
Did Jesus ever say "be a liberal or be a conservative"? No. He said, "Be holy as your Father in Heaven is holy."
Enough said. God bless you with His truth and light in all you write. Your gift was given to you by Him, for Him and His glory. Godspeed.
A new reader.
Your comments are very true.
Your comments are very true. We who are blesssed and chosen to follow Jesus Christ will have many oppositions. Be not afraid, the Lord has sent us the Holy Spirit to guide us and walk with us. Even the world does not recognize our Lord's teaching and the Love of God. We are the salt and light of the world and the obedience one to show them the way, the truth an the light to our Father. I do not agree with soften our position in view with any policial parties or country especially China.
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