Cardinal Ratzinger - Pope Benedict XVI

The Roman Catholic Church has elected a new Pope, elevating conservative theologian Cardinal Ratzinger, who becomes Pope Benedict XVI. It's interesting to watch this bit of history unfold, and it tells us some things about the times we live in.

First, the selection took only a couple of days, which indicates that whatever dissent there was, it was limited to 1/3 or fewer of the voting members of the College of Cardinals. Considering that Ratzinger is a notorious conservative force, a Catholic Fundamentalist, we can take this to mean that at least 2/3rds of the Church's most influential leaders want the keep the Church at least as conservative as it was under Pope John Paul II.

Second, we can assume that the Church is largely writing off the United States, Canada and Western Europe, where it has lost members for many years now. Ratzinger is not the type of person to appeal to educated westerners to return to the Church. He is the kind of person who will appeal to the elements in the Church that favor rules and order, strict adherence to Roman tradition, and choose the false certainty of doctrine to the potential discoveries of debate.

How does this impact those of us that are not Roman Catholic?

If you are in a western, "first world" country, you can expect to see more church interference in domestic politcs like we saw in the last US election. In that case, conservative Catholic elements called for actions such as denying communion to pro-life candidates, and elevating some issues of conscience, such as abortion, over others, such as opposition to war. Ratzinger has made it clear that the only time religion and politics should cross are when the politicians are in a position to forward the conservative Catholic agenda. In that case, he's not at all above trying to influence voters based on a narrow set of issues, to the exclusion of others. Ratzinger has warned us all of the dangers of "moral relativism," which is Ratz-speak for "progressive values." Don't expect to see him loosen up the church's hard line against female clergy, married priests, or acceptance of gays, let alone abortion and euthanasia.

Which leads us to the implications for our fellow human beings that are not in wealthy western nations, or are at least not wealthy persons themselves. Ratzinger was one of the Church's leaders in the fight against liberation theology (tying politics and religion together to fight for the poor, mainly popular in Latin America). So while he and those like him have had no problem trying to tip the scales in a US election to favor the candidates of the wealthy elite, he has consistently opposed the Church entering the political arena on the side of third world peasants who are abused by landholders and corrupt regimes. His views on the place of women in the world, homosexuality and birth control will play well in the less devloped countries where church doctrine can easily be substituted for, or work with, primitive systems of governance.

While I don't expect any one political or religious leader to make all the changes to the world I hope to see, I do think it's fair to expect each one to make progress in some areas. John Paul II was a bold man, who opposed the "principalities and powers" of his day - the Nazis then the Soviets. He took bold stands against at least some forms of injustice, even if he failed to address some others. It was measured progress, but progress none the less. I'm not sure I think we can hope to see the same from Pope Benedict XVI. The evils of corporatism are more subtle than under Sovietism, and the evils of a world-wide rise in religious fundametalism probably does not seem as threatening to someone who is a conservative theologian.

Still, the new Pope has said he wishes to build bridges to other faiths, to unite Christianity, to be a humble servant in the Lord's vinyard. So for now, I wish him well, pray that God gives him good judgement, and wait with great curiosity to see what he will do.