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Obama winner on pope, president envy scale
The two world leaders will meet at the Vatican July 10
Jun. 29, 2009
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A lot has happened in papal politics since Henry IV, the Holy Roman Emperor, stood barefoot and hatless at the gates of Canossa castle begging pardon from Pope Gregory VII. That was 932 years ago while popes were slugging it out with temporal rulers like Henry over who had the right to appoint bishops.
As current practice shows, the popes won that protracted battle but eventually lost the war over the control of worldly affairs. Though the popes can exert moral influence, they lost the ability to direct international affairs a long time ago (“how many divisions does the pope have,” Stalin famously quipped).
Benedict XVI, therefore, lacks anything like the clout of Gregory VII. Unable to dish out many favors, however, he might seek a big one from Barak Obama when the President comes calling in July. Obama could be seen as good medicine for a struggling papacy: a popular, gregarious young politician who has won widespread admiration and popularity, some of the very things Benedict needs to prop up a sagging reign.
Under Benedict, controversies and personal style have contributed to a troubled papacy and a loss of prestige. Some of the problem stems from such bungles as his mishandling of a Holocaust-denying bishop and his inflammatory words regarding Muslims. Another source is his history as head of the Holy Office, during which he cracked down on dissidents as John Paul II’s hardliner. Another major factor, his inability to inspire crowds and to connect with people, both huge assets of John Paul, is tied to his inward personality and hence less alterable. The net effect of these causes is a diminished papacy.
The dynamics of summit-type meetings such as the upcoming one between Benedict and Obama, set for July 10, could be easier to forecast if there existed an “envy scale” that measured who craved things that others had. The behavior of Britain’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown could hinge, for example, on his envy of French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s swagger. Vladimir Putin may have always had the upper hand on George W. Bush because Putin was even more successful than he was in breaking the law to serve his own purposes. The jealousy factor can take many forms, but it must certainly make a big difference in outcomes.
Taking envy as a variable, it appears that Obama has much more of what Benedict wants than vice versa. Things like magnetism, likeability, diplomacy, bridge-building. Benedict may have already signaled his yearning for these benefits by cutting Obama slack regarding the President’s stand on abortion. As the storm mounted over Notre Dame’s decision to give the pro-choice Obama an honorary degree, the Vatican entered its qualified support of Obama’s position. If you were the pope, and you wanted to borrow from the president’s political capital, wouldn’t you do likewise? It isn’t exactly sidling up to Obama but it does place the president and pope together in the public eye, on some sort of common ground, a positioning that could be useful later.
Other presidents have tended to radiate the envy when meeting popes. They envied the pope’s mythical power over American Catholics and acted like schoolboys during a home visit from the school principal. They were on their best behavior, hoping that their hospitality and show of good will toward the leader of the Catholic world would pay dividends at the polls. John Paul II was a master of exercising this trump card and for whatever reason U.S. Catholics tilted Republican during his time.
Obama appears to occupy a much more independent place. He has forged his own constituency, gained a majority of the Catholic vote, and therefore doesn’t particularly need papal approbation though he would surely welcome it. Though he doesn’t seem to envy anything the pope has, with the possible exception of that nice summer house, there is one aspect of the papacy that might make Obama think twice, especially on the hard days when Republicans have ripped into him and scores of interest groups have pounded on his door demanding action. Obama might harbor some desire to switch jobs with the pope because, well, the pope isn’t expected to do anything new whereas he’s on the “agenda of change” hot seat every day.
It’s not that the pope has nothing to do. Far from it. His calendar is jammed. But to do his job mostly means doing the same things every day that his predecessors have done for hundreds of years. Tiring, to be sure, but it’s not the same as trying to shoe horn a new energy policy or a health care bill through Congress. Or attempting to explain the rationale for a better policy toward captives at Guantanimo. The pope can preach about peace and justice from the confines of the Vatican, as he should, but doesn’t have to encounter the devilish details of legislation to promote such ends.
As a scintillating speaker, Obama may at times wish he were in the pope’s slippers where follow-though wasn’t necessary. And what president wouldn’t sometimes dream of ruling unilaterally, without the treat of veto or filibuster?
Obama may also take the occasion to ask the pope for tips in how to lead without wielding actual power, though the pope’s record indicates he’d be poorly equipped to answer such a question.
They may talk about Obama’s penchant for seeking common solutions to complex problems – his post-partisanship strategy – but Benedict isn’t likely to be of much help there either. Despite the Vatican’s assurance that Obama isn’t “pro abortion” – presumably opening the way to Obama’s “middle ground” approach -- Benedict, like John Paul II, shows no taste for compromise. His stance is basically that of the Vatican I church with its “one true church” absolutism and its insistence on top-down loyalty to fixed church teachings. That kind of rigidity doesn’t apply necessarily, however, to the application of Catholic social principles to particular problems such as the Middle East conflict, so there is a starting point for discussion on matters like abortion.
Out of that discussion, if the analysis of envy holds true, Benedict will want to conclude his conference with Obama on a decidedly positive note, exuding promise that the two can work together according the mutual interests of an activist president and a vigilant pope. And if the pope comes away with a spring in his step and a vow to “turn things around,” credit that to his having traded envy in for some shared stature, at least for the moment.
Ken Briggs reported on religion for Newsday and The New York Times, has contributed articles to many publications, written four books and is an instructor at Lafayette College, Easton, Pa.
Sorry. Not all of us think
Sorry. Not all of us think that Obama has it over Benedict in personality and drawing power. And I doubt very much if Benedict is envious of Obama -- far from it. This writer is so star-struck with Obama and so critical of the Pope that it has seriously affected his ability to analyze.
Do better than this, please.
Actually, I would say both
Actually, I would say both men have something to gain. When seen standing next to Obama, Pope Benedict XVI will prove he does not take orders from the Republican Party, as so many Republican Catholics here would wish. Obama will show American Catholics that he must not be the cause of all the evil in the universe, as so many Republican Catholics here claim.
Steve
Mr. Briggs, like so many
Mr. Briggs, like so many reporters, misses the entire point of the papacy by examining it solely through a political lens. John Paul the Great exercised his moral authority politically, in other words, by forming alliances and enforcing those alliances with world leaders. But, in his time, there was a common enemy shared by the US, Britain, West Germany, indeed, the West. That enemy was the Warsaw Pact nations, and, in particular, the Soviet Union. Thus, with his expertise and his ability to rally people to him, John Paul the Great was able to form a triumvirate with President Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher, that brought down Communist Eastern Europe. After that, though, the Pope's influence on the international stage waned. He was unable, for example, to prevent the first or second Iraq wars, was unable to rally support for an end to the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia, etc. Regardless, though, Pope John Paul the Great was seen, and rightly so, as a leading moral authority and the most important spiritual leader.
Pope Benedict does not have such aspirations. Benedict's entire program seems to be less about him as a person and more about the Person of Christ. This can be seen from a simple liturgical practice that he has reestablished, that of placing a large standing crucifix in the center of the Papal Altar at St. Peter's. It is almost as if he is saying "Don't look at me, look at Him. I'm not the focus, He is. I'm not the person you should be here to see, He is". Pope Benedict exercises his spiritual and moral authority differently than did John Paul the Great. That is simply the reality. The College of Cardinals realized that when they elected him.
Moreover, those bungles that have led to a "sagging papacy" (whatever that means) that Mr. Briggs cites are the very things that endear the Pope to many in the Catholic world. He is compassionate and deeply concerned about Church unity, as can be seen in his attempt to heal a rift that has existed since 1988 with the Society of St. Pope Pius X. He is unafraid to tell the truth, as can be seen in his quoting of a much earlier, written long before the Pope's time, but just as true today, comment about Islam. He was prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (which has not been called the "Holy Office" in 40 years), and charged with conserving and protecting the authentic teachings of the Church. As such, when he was forced to do it by their own intransigence and pride, he took action to deal with theologians who were teaching falsity as if it were truth and confusing the faithful. Mr. Briggs fails to understand that the first role of a pope is to lead the Church. He is supreme pastor of the Catholic Church, not chief imam or rabbi. Certainly he should not seek to needlessly offend, but he should also be willing to tell the truth: Islam has been a very violent religion; there is a need, a responsibility, to evangelize the world, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, pagans, whatever. Other religions are very clear about their desire to convert everyone (Islam for example, Jehovah's Witnesses). The Catholic Church should be every bit as clear. The only difference is that ours is not a desire, but a command that Christ gave to each of us.
Finally, the Pope needs nothing from Obama. Meeting Obama will no more prop up a "sagging papacy" then meeting President Bush would drag it down, at least among those who matter. According to a poll commissioned by the Knights of Columbus in May of 2009, 78% of practicing Catholics in America had a favorable or very favorable opinion of Pope Benedict XVI. Non-practicing Catholics were only slightly less likely to have a favorable opinion and among Americans in general, 59% view the Holy Father favorably or very favorably. Meanwhile, according to a Rasmussen poll conducted on June 29, 2009, President Obama's approval rating stands at 55%. Seems as if, among Americans, at least, the Pope is doing better than the President.
Mr. Briggs would do well to consider that not everyone views things through the same lens as he. Some people actually do care about truth and understand that there is something bigger than them out there. Pope Benedict does, he actually believes in truth, has been serving the Truth all his life. He recognizes that there is Someone far more important than him that we should be focused on. It's not President Obama, despite the desperate attempts of some people to make him out to be the Chosen One. No, its Christ Jesus, the same Person who John the Baptist described as one who is "greater than me, because He was before me and I am not fit to unfasten his sandal straps". Pope Benedict recognizes this truth, and that makes him a true leader and it gives him an authority that President Obama can only dream of having.
Well said indeed! Keep up the
Well said indeed! Keep up the criticism, friend Clint, maybe Mr Briggs will listen, or rather the penny will drop into his head.
I wonder what is the subject
I wonder what is the subject matter of Mr.Briggs's "instruction" at Lafayette College?
Surely not theology?
I doubt if he has good enough Italian to be a competent Vaticanologist.......
Spelling ? (GuantanAmo surely.........)
His article is both lightweight and materialist.
First, Canossa happened in
First, Canossa happened in 1077. That was less than 1,075 years ago. You undermine yourself when you begin by making a factual error that thirty seconds at wikipedia could've prevented.
Second, why would Benedict want Obama's popularity? The Pope's job isn't to be popular. It's to lead Christ's Church.
Third, this is the most digustingly America-centric thing I've ever read. The argument, to wit, is, 'Obama is popular in America. Therefore, the Pope should want to be like him.' There are 1.2 billion Catholics in the world, 60 million of which live in America, and a little more than 30 million of which voted for Obama, and very few of those 30 million bother doing things like attending mass. On the one hand, perhaps these are the sort of people the Pope should be trying to reach, on the other, these certainly aren't the people the Pope should be catering too. Why should the Pope of 1.2 billion Catholics bend to the whims of 30 million Americans?
Truly, an incipid premise for
Truly, an incipid premise for an article.
Comparing President Obama or
Comparing President Obama or any US President to any Pope is like comparing President Obama to Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. The two (President Obama and Pope Benedict) have virtually nothing in common.
While the US President is elected democratically, the Pope is elected from a group of Cardinals, who have all been "appointed" for "loyalty", irrespective of how well they had led their flocks - for example Cardinal Law of Boston.
The Pope has often been a "spectator shepherd " rather than an active participant offering "leadership" to his flock on all issues, other than Abortion.
Few Popes (other than Pope John XXIII and POPE JOHN PAUL II) have shown "leadership" during the past century.
The large number of Catholics who have "opted out" of the Catholic Church both in Europe and the USA is a proof of an "ineffective" papacy that is totally out of tune with all historical developments during the last century.
The Pope still heads an "ALL WHITE EUROPEAN OLD (VERY OLD!) BOYS CLUB", that has cleverly and systematically shut out all "NON-WHITES" - Africans, Latin Americans and Asians, besides all women (who make up more than half the Church population) from any "positions of power" within the Roman Catholic Church.
All that the Church has achieved by burning "millions" of dollars of "other people's money" is so-called "scholarship" by the best and the brightest minds within the Church.
The Church headed by Pope Benedict has neither been the "SALT" of the Earth nor the "LIGHT" among darkness; it has only been a "good manager" of "REAL ESTATE" in the Western World, occassionally "doling" out "PALTRY CHARITY", while ignoring "SOCIAL JUSTICE" in some of the poorest countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia. Most of that Charity has been out of guilt, for having been a "silent spectator" during the days of colonialism and slavery.
Concerned Catholics ought to pray that the Church that is now "managed" (not led!) by an "all-male (mostly white)" hierarchy that is now headed by Pope Benedict go back to its roots and "lead by example", the example of Christ who commanded:
John 13:12-15-
"So when he had washed their feet (and) put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, "Do you realize what I have done for you?
You call me 'teacher' and 'master,' and rightly so, for indeed I am.
If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet."
"I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do."
John 13:34-35-
"I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another."
"This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
It is time that Pope Benedict realize that hanging to an "ALL MALE, ALL WHITE EUROPEAN OLD (VERY OLD!) BOYS CLUB" to "MANAGE" and "NOT LEAD" the Church is not the way that Christ had commanded.
God bless,
Moses
Thank you Moses you said it
Thank you Moses you said it better than I could.There is total deninal of the historic evil perpetuated on the native peoples of the North and South America by this Roman church.
Research the historic reasons that the Pueblo people of New Mexico and Arizona got rid of 23 Franciscans and burnt the churches during the Great Spanish/Pueblo Indian war of 1680.
One priest in my home village of Taos struck and killed a woman for refusing to weave him a pair of socks and not surprizingly one young man was sexually molested. The ordination of Native men to the priesthood was delayed for centuries.
No one believes in the Divine Right of Kings to rule anymore and so it should be with the belief in Divine Right of the Popes and bishops rule. I guess some American Catholics just can not shake off being Middle age serfs to this institution. The more you know about history the more freer one becomes from these dried up old men. For my part they don't scare me any more. They have proven time and again they are unworthy of admiration or respect.
"The Pope still heads an "ALL
"The Pope still heads an "ALL WHITE EUROPEAN OLD (VERY OLD!) BOYS CLUB", that has cleverly and systematically shut out all "NON-WHITES" - Africans"
wow! so that totally means that people like:
Cardinal Arinze - Nigeria
Cardinal Anthony Olubumni Okogie - Nigeria, Lagos
Cardinal Polycarp Pengo - Tanzania
just to name 3 or many, don't really exist?
that's some mighty fine research you did there moses. dont be surprised when you don't get a pulitzer. you know, 30 seconds worth of google searching would have kept you from looking rather, shall we say, uninformed.
It depends on how you want to
It depends on how you want to look at this Pete. Given the vast majority of Catholics are of color and non European ethnicity, the paucity of non white Western Cardinals is criminal--or purposeful.
Pete, great job! I find it
Pete, great job! I find it so funny when folks get caught in their own hypocrisy. Well done!
Many of us will be very
Many of us will be very interested in the July 10 visit. One thing that as struck me lately is that most of the anti-Catholic commentary that I hear and read is coming from non-christians. They wonder why the Catholic Church doesn't 'get with the program' and 'update its values.' I think many Catholics would agree that the job of the Pope is not to be trendy and up-to-date. It is of great comfort that the Catholic Church holds fast to its teachings throughout the political and social changes over these many centuries. When many of Jesus' followers fell away from him because of his 'hard teaching,' He asked the apostles if they didn't want to leave too. "But where is there to go?" they asked, since the word of God was with Him. How similar to us now; if the Catholic Church did bend with social trends, it would no longer have what makes it so precious.
Are you suggesting that the
Are you suggesting that the Church should compromise on abortion?
I wonder if John Allen and
I wonder if John Allen and Ken Briggs are reporting on the same papacy and the same Benedict.
What a thoroughly disgusting
What a thoroughly disgusting article! Benedict envy Obama? According to what set of values? Mr Briggs prism is entirely based on a wordly view of things. What seems important to him -popularity at the cost of integrity and safeguarding the truth- is the complete opposite to what Pope Benedict has written about and shown over the years is not important to him.
Pope Benedict and President
Pope Benedict and President Obama were created in the image and likeness of God. They each have unique, personal missions, just as their sisters and brothers throughout the world have unique, personal missions. What we all have in common is our humanity, which means that along with doing great things, we can also make mistakes.
If we want to judge our fellow humans, we must judge as God does. The Ten Commandments are clear and leave no room for question: do not take what isn't yours, especially if you can't give it back; so no disrespect, no abuse and no disregard of God, self, others or God's creation. The Two Great Commandments are also very clear: give willingly and completely. And the Last Commandment Jesus gave us was the clearest of all: love one another as I have loved you.
While he was among us, Jesus did not judge. He told the truth and let us know what the consequences and rewards of telling the truth are in the Beatitudes. Even in his last moments on the Cross, Jesus had mercy: Father, forgive them; they don't know what they're doing. So if we're going to judge, we have to wait until we are in full communion with God in heaven, when we can share in God's judgment to bless or damn.
It was at the Last Supper that Jesus gave us his Last Commandment to help us fulfill his First and Only Eucharistic Prayer: that they all may be one. Our Holy Father and our President are baptized Christians. As brothers in, with and through Jesus, they are called to admit their weaknesses and share their strengths and to help each other fulfill God's will on earth. I believe that when Benedict and Barack meet, it will be as brothers who love God and his family and who respect his creation. They will recognize and acknowledge that they each have received graces that can help them unite our human family and guide us Home. I believe both of them will be aware that while they are human, they have been called to share in Christ's divinity. And I believe that they will both sincerely answer as Mary did: Behold the servant of the Lord.
Very good article. The Pope
Very good article. The Pope should promote partial birth abortion. His pll numbers would improve. As the liberals point out, protecting the weak and innocent is old fashioned. Time to get with it!
It's silly to think that all
It's silly to think that all Catholics are Republicans. Total Nonsense. There are lots of Catholics who are Democrats or Undeclared as I am .And I am going to church every Sunday. I wish some sermons were better but my leitmotiv is the answer of Jesus' question in the Gospel: Who do You think I am ?. my answer to this is 'Think for yourself, regardless what is said in the pulpit'. The personal encounter with Jesus the Christ is what should determine our choices. A.JBr.
Let's get back to serious and
Let's get back to serious and meaningful reporting!
Yay Ken Briggs! I LIKED the
Yay Ken Briggs!
I LIKED the article.
One thing I think both leaders will feel is a difficult enigma, is nuclear disarmament issues.
I think Obama is such a good leader because he worked with real poverty, in inner city Chicago.
If both leaders share/learn on world-wide poverty issues, we all win.
Will the U.S. Bishops approve
Will the U.S. Bishops approve of this meeting or will they encourage a boycott?
The author of this article is
The author of this article is clueless ! First of all the pope is not envious of anyone that is very obvious in what he stands for and how he defends it. JP II was the Pope for the times, Benedict is the Pope during a different period. JP II gave people a chance, offering them the "un-clinched" fist. Benedict stands for the truths of Christianity and the Church. People that don't like that are looking for something that is all wrong. It's very easy to pick and choose what sounds good and defend some ideological purpose; however our amazing Pope stands for the truth and is full of great wisdom and knowledge of a 2,000 year old faith. I would never call him envious, I can only pray that our President gains wisdom from the Holy Father in this great time of need in our country and in this world. There is no Democrat or Republican when you stand for what is right in truth. Let the Pope deal with morality as he does greatly and let the President deal with sounding great with a microphone and we shall see who is righteous in the end. Envy is not a word in Benedict's vocabulary! And Henry the IV was a maniac and a great example of what its like when you are filled with things of this world only !
This article is supposed to
This article is supposed to be ‘analysis.’ Maybe it is, but it is certainly not an analysis of facts related to the indicated topic. Rather, it is a self-analysis of a mind (Briggs’), bewitched by ideological biases and incompetence in understanding and presenting theological issues related to ecclesiology, the role of papacy and the church’s mission. After rereading the article a second time, I have to conclude that Briggs doesn’t even pretend to be objective. He simply uses the paradigm of the papacy’s relationship to the world (and world leaders) to say what he wants to say about the pope and the church. The only thing (that the publication of) this article does effectively is further polarizes the already badly divided Christian community. It is a great achievement indeed.
One wonders if Jesus thinks
One wonders if Jesus thinks this papacy is a disaster and struggling?
This analysis as noted by others is political, it also uncharitable with a mocking tone. Therefore, I would answer the above question this way: this papacy is very successful - ultimately Christ was executed because of political analysis and he was, and is, mocked.
Too bad that the Pope seems to continuously be beaten up on these pages for simply being a lover of God and Man.
I can't imagine why President
I can't imagine why President Obama would waste his time meeting with benedict.
Do you know what you have
Do you know what you have said? Since they are the leader of so many peoples it is impossible to say the meeting is not necessary. Or if you feel like it isn't necessary your comment must not be like this. Both leaders have to give their golden time for the world pease. We have to pray for the succes of the meeting. What do you think now?
MAY GOD BLESS THIS WORLD!!
I dont get it. Do you hate
I dont get it. Do you hate the pope? Or do you just wish Obama really were in charge of the world in every sphere? I might expect an article like coming from some inflated academic political scientist perhaps, but not from a so-called Catholic publication. Criticizing the Holy Father, in my opinion, is in bad taste. Since when does the sheep guide the shepherd?
It's easy. It's not hatred
It's easy. It's not hatred of Pope Benedict personally, but hatred of the papacy, which they see as some old white guy telling people how to live. Many know that what they are doing is immoral and sinful, and they hate that someone would dare to have the temerity to tell them so. They hate that, if they listened to the Pope and to the Church, they would have to stop doing those very things, and they love doing them!
They are just like the Pharisees and Sadducees of Christ's time and, were the Lord to return now, they would be the very ones to call for His crucifixion all over again.
It's a silly comparison. I
It's a silly comparison. I would hope that Benedict would not cave on moral issues for his own perstige,which is what the author implies. Rather, the purpose should be to seek common interests in economic justice as a way out of our current quandries of both abortion and global economic inequality.
That would be worse for the conservatives on this list than any capitulation to Obama's star power. It is also a lot more likely. In fact, it would underline what His Holiness writes in his new encyclical. If the new Ambassador to the Holy See is doing his work, he will brief the President on this and make sure that the President is copious in his praise of the document.
Conservatives will hate this.
This is a huge mistake for
This is a huge mistake for Benedict to be meeting with NObama. I pray he uses the time to lecture him on his sinful pro-abortion stance, liberal tax and spend pro-abortion agenda and the evils of socialized medicine which would inevitably lead to more abortions. Hopefully Archbishop Burke will be present to keep these talking points on track.
Is this the Fox network or
Is this the Fox network or NCR? The lack of respect "NObama" is demeaning to the writer. Get a life.
What a load of nonsense. The
What a load of nonsense. The author seems oblivious to the fact that Benedict is attracting larger Wednesday audiences than John Paul II.
And as for the terms "sagging reign", "troubled papacy" and "struggling papacy", I wonder what he is watching.
As someone astutely asked above, is this author observing the same papacy as the objective and astute John Allen?
I suppose you are right if
I suppose you are right if you don't see well...
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