Habemus Papam!
With the whisps of white smoke began the papacy of Benedict XVI. And with the whines of the Americans continued business as usual. "What? A conservative pope?!?!" Yeah, because the Catholic Church is so known for it's liberal ways. "Well, maybe he'll change." That's what you want, someone flighty serving as spiritual guide for a billion people.
Citizens in this country do a great job of separating their church from their state. Catholics in this country do a horrible job of separating their State from their Church. Christianity is not a democracy -- you do not get a vote. And the rules do not "change with the times". What was right is the same thing that was right two weeks ago. And what was wrong was wrong two millenia ago. While the culture we live in evolves constantly, what is expected of us in our Christian lives does not. This, of course, flies in the face of the American Way. We want freedom, not restriction. When we outgrow an ideal, we simply push it aside. I mean, majority rules! Still, there is that annoying little issue of right and wrong.
So we intermingle our issues. Can't argue that abortion is not murder? Make it a Women's Rights issue. Can't reconcile the fact that Christ himself forgave his killers, as opposed to executing them, with your pro-death penalty philosophy? Make it an economics issue -- it's cheaper to kill them. And on and on...
This is an effective way for everyone to be able to walk away from a debate feeling they are on the higher moral ground. And that's what it's all really about in the United States, isn't it -- being right? Being better than the next guy. We do love our winners.
But the problem here is that we as a society have gotten so good at clouding the issues, that we have lost sight of most of them. Where one side argues that abortion is the taking of a human life, the other argues that not allowing a woman to do so is government interference with her autonomy of body. Neither of the two sides is even addressing the other's argument. And while each may have salient points, any value of such debate is lost in a sea of semantics. This loss of ability to even use a common languge of morality results in virtual enslavement to emotivism, a case quite eloquently made in Alasdair McIntyre's book, After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theology.
This relativism of morality virtually ensures that no argument of a moral nature will be resolved in secular society. The Catholic Church, however is not secular. It is for this reason that secular arguments against her doctrine are irrelevant. The Church is very clear in its teachings. it is up to the Roman Catholic to either accept those teachings or not. It is not the Church's responsibility to change to meet the desires of her flock. It is the responsibility of that flock to look into its heart and live a Christian life. At this point in our collective journey, we have been given Pope Benedict XVI to guide us along that path.
As Catholics, we believe that the Holy Spirit chooses who the pontif will be. The cardinals in attendance at a papal conclave are merely praying for the Spirit to reveal to them the name of the successor to St. Peter. The selection of Joseph Cardinal Ratzenger would seem to be a validation of the pontificate of John Paul II. Benedict appears intent on continuing along the path of orthodoxy laid out by his predecessor. He has also made initial statements addressing my main concern, that of ecumenism. The new pope has made comments specifically designed to reach out to jews and other Christian denominations. While he has stopped short of addressing those of a non-Judeo-Christian theological outlook, it is my hope that that follows.
Another thing that Benedict brings to the office of the papacy is that he is an excellent administrator, something which many say was not a strength of his predecessor. Particularly as regards the abuse scandals in the United States, a strong vioce in Rome will go a long way. As cardinal, the new pope refered to "the filth within the priesthood" when addressing the issue. It would seem that he will proactively address this and other issues that were not focused on as perhaps they should have been.
But Benedict's greatest strength, and that which causes the most hope for some and trepidation for others, is his lifelong defense of Catholicicsm. While statements such as his preferring a smaller, purer Church to one focused solely on numbers may terrify some, It brings joy to my heart. For if there is one thing which no one should ever compromise on, it is one's religious convictions.
The Second Vatican Council brought sweeping changes to a Church that had not seen much in that vein in a very long time. Unfortunately, it was a very misunderstood council and much of the Catholic identity was swept out the door. While the council focused primarilly on how the message of the Church was delivered, its intent was not to change doctrine. Sadly, many misinterpreted Vatican II as doing just that. Mass in the vernacular was quite possibly the greatest thing to happen to the Church in a thousand years. Inclusion of the laity in the liturgy was also positive. A renewed focus on the laity's relationship with scripture breathed a new life into the Church. But none of these things changed doctrine.
I was fortunate enough to be raised in the most conservative diocese in the United States, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. So while I was born in 1969, I had the benefit of a pre-Vatican II theological education, with the benefits of a post-Vatican II presentation. As my life brought me to live in four very distinct regions of this country, I have seen many things. I have seen churches stripped bare of all icons; I have heard priests almost refuse to tell me I have done wrong in the confessional; I have witnessed the increasing restlessness of the "faithful", as they yearn to be free of the yoke of guilt. And I'm not even going to get into the people damn-near leaping accross the isles to hold hands during the Lord's Prayer, making it -- and not the Eucharist -- the moment of communion during the mass. All of these things have contributed to an erosion of the Catholic identity.
Pope Benedict is exactly the voice the Catholic Church needs right now. This pontificate will be a very important one, for this pope may very well be the last one who was actually in attendance at Vatican II. It will be incumbant upon him to be the final authoritative voice on the matter.
But is that so hard? Doctrine is quite clear on the issues most American Catholics say are the most important issues of division facing the Church right now. Let's look at them, and then the arguments raised in favor of a change in policy:
Abortion: A human zygote is not going to turn into a giraffe. Or a Buick. It is going to become a human baby, which will become a human child, adolescent, etc. The only difference between a zygote and a 90 year-old man is that they are at a different point in the life cycle. It is as simple as that.
Divorce: When a man and woman state before God that they are going to remain married to one another for the rest of their natural lives, they are making a sacred oath. The bible is quite clear here. If a man an woman divorce, as is sometimes necessary, they are not to remarry. It too, is as simple as that.
Contraception: The conjugal act has one purpose -- the propagation of the species. Any act taken to subvert the potential creation of human life in that act is contrary to the will of God. Simple.
Celibacy: While not biblically-based, it is the position of the Church that a celibate priest is relieved of the distractions of this world. It is hard enough to maintain a family, let alone simultaneously lead one's flock.
These are the positions of the Church. As with anything else, there are opposing views.
Those against the ban on abortion speak about unwanted children and a woman's right to choose. The Church chooses to place the preservation of life over one's desire to do with their own what they want to because, after all, our lives are not ours. We are but mere stewards of the life God has created and given to us.
In a society overrun by divorce, many would like the Church to loosten up restrictions on remarriage. How? Make your first marriage a conditional promise to God? There is no wiggle room here. Marriage for life means just that. While there are justifiable reasons for divorce, such as abuse, neglect, adultury. Simply "not being happy" does not meet the litmus test.
The most prevelant argument for contraception is that it will slow the spread of AIDS. That is simply not an effective argument. The position of the Church clearly states that the only people who should be having sex are married people, with their spouse and only their spouse. To add a caveat of, "or wear a condom" undermines the entire doctrine and makes no sense.
One of the most highly debated items is the celibacy of the priesthood, which is funny to me, since most of the people arguing are not priests. One argument is that something needs to be done to combat the shortage of priests. That is a valid point. Another is that it is "unnatural" for a man to be celibate -- yet you do not hear these same people crying out for nuns to be free. Then there's the lunatic fringe, who equate supressed sexual desire to a catalyst for child molestation.
I don't know the answer here. Personally, I like having a celibate priesthood. I know that I am my priest's his primary concern. If he has a family at home, can I know that? Perhaps an increase in the responsibilities of the deaconnate is the solution. Perhaps further increased participation of the laity. Given the choice between married men or celibate women, if it comes to that, I would personally prefer celibate women. But whatever is to be done here, I have faith in the leadership of my church to go forward with the best course of action because I believe their placement has been guided by the loving hand of the Holy Spirit.
What it comes down to is a large number of Catholics in this country wanting to change the Church to fit their personal whims. This causes me to wonder how one can truly believe in a church that can be swayed by public opinion. The Church is, by definition, superior to this world. It was founded by Jesus Christ and serves in His name. If one truly believes that, how could they ask it to change?
There's the rub. And that is what every Catholic must ask himself. Do you believe in what the Church has taught you? If you do, then embrace it, proclaim it! If you do not -- if you truly do not -- then you are probably better served seeking a church home more in-line with your ideology. That may end up in a smaller Catholic church. But that's ok. The point here is not that those who disagree with Catholic teaching are wrong. The point is that the teaching is not going to change, nor should it. It is incumbent upon the individual to look wiithin and change.
Am I a perfect Christian? No I am not. I fail on a daily basis. But I know exactly where I have failed precisely because right and wrong are eternal. I trust those who the Lord has placed at the head of my Church. I know many cannot do so, and I respect that. For those who insist on having more input into the direction of their church, who want to in fact steer their church toward their ideal, there are many Protestant denominations where that can happen. And that's not to say that the Catholic way is better. Just different.
In the end, we are all called to Jesus. And we all believe the same things:
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, the maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen;
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, only son of the father, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God, begotten not made, one in being with the Father; Through Him all things were made; For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven; By the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary and became man; For our sake he was crucified under Pontious Pilot; He suffered, died and was burried; On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the scriptures; He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father; He will come again in glory, to judge the living and the dead;
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son; With the Father and the Sun he is worshiped and glorified; He has spoken through the prophets
We believe in one, holy, catholic (little c), apostolic church; We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins; We look to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.
Amen. And viven il Papam!
