All
in all not a good day for the liberal wags.
Vatican pressure said to have forced editor´s resignation
Editor of
Jesuit´s America magazine forced to resign under Vatican pressure.
Fired or
resigned read the the reports from around the world re: Fr. Thomas Reese.
The editor of the US Jesuits´
prestigious America magazine has resigned amid
widespread
speculation about the involvement of the Congregation for the
Doctrine of
the Faith, although neither the official announcement nor the
Catholic
News Service report tension between Fr Thomas Reese and the Vatican.
The National
Catholic Reporter says the resignation caps five years of tensions
and
exchanges among the congregation, which was headed at the time by Cardinal
Joseph
Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, the Jesuits and Reese.
According to
one source of the paper, the communication about Reese´s fate was
carried on
between the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the
superior
general of the Jesuits, Dutch Fr. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, with the
content then
relayed to Reese´s Jesuit superiors in the United States.
In February
2002, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith proposed
creating a
three-member commission of censors for the magazine, though the idea
was never
implemented. According to sources, the congregation told the Jesuits
that the
action was in response to concern from bishops in the United States.
America´s
sister magazine - the Italian Jesuits´ La Civila´ Cattolica - has its
content
reviewed by the Vatican as part of its editorial process.
Catholic
News Service says that Fr Reese announced on Friday that he is leaving
on 1 June
after seven years as its editor in chief. It says Fr Drew
Christiansen,
an associate editor since 2002, who is widely known for his work
on Catholic
social teaching and international justice and peace issues, is
replacing
him.
Fr
Christiansen said: "Fr Reese greatly improved the magazine, adding news
coverage,
color and the Web edition. His technical expertise, in this age of
new media,
will be greatly missed."
He added:
"By inviting articles that covered different sides of disputed issues,
Father Reese
helped make America a forum for intelligent discussion of questions
facing the
church and the country today."
SOURCE
Editor of
Jesuit´s America magazine forced to resign under Vatican pressure
(National
Catholic Reporter 6/5/05)
Father
Thomas Reese leaves America magazine (Catholic News Service 6/5/05)
By Tom
Heneghan 08 May 2005
A leading
Roman Catholic commentator has resigned as editor of an influential
Jesuit
magazine in the United States amid reports the Vatican doctrinal
department
formerly run by Pope Benedict had demanded his removal for being
"off-message"
on condoms.
Father
Thomas Reese, aged 60, announced his unexpected departure from America
magazine on
Friday. The National Catholic Reporter, the US weekly that broke
the story
later on Friday, said the Vatican had objected to articles in the
magazine
discussing condom use to prevent Aids, and on homosexual priests and
secretive
church disciplinary measures.
The National
Catholic Reporter, quoting unnamed sources, said: "The resignation
caps five
years of tensions and exchanges among the Congregation (for the
Doctrine of
the Faith), which was headed at the time by Cardinal Joseph
Ratzinger,
now Pope Benedict XVI, the Jesuits and Reese."
The
Congregation, the modern successor to the Inquisition, disciplined many
critical
theologians under the firm leadership of Cardinal Ratzinger from 1981
to 2005.
According to
the paper, Reese's Jesuit superiors told him he had to quit after
he returned
to America's New York headquarters from reporting on Benedict's
election.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Published on
TaipeiTimes
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2005/04/21/2003251347
DOGMATIC:
German Joseph Ratzinger, now known as Pope Benedict XVI, was elected
head of the
church for his traditional views on abortion and homosexuality
AP , VATICAN
CITY
Thursday,
Apr 21, 2005,Page 6
Advertising A day before he was elected Pope,
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger made
clear the
type of church he wanted: one that rigidly maintained the doctrines
he himself
had upheld as guardian of church orthodoxy, where there were
absolute
truths on matters such as abortion, celibacy and homosexuality.
With his
election Tuesday in one of the fastest papal votes in a century, Pope
Benedict XVI
will most certainly build upon the uncompromising hard line on
doctrine
that he charted under Pope John Paul II.
His election
will thrill conservatives seeking a consolidation of John Paul's
policies. It
will alienate more liberal Catholics, particularly in Europe and
North
America, who had hoped that after 26 years, a more progressive Pope might
take the
helm of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics.
And it will
likely temper hopes around the world of improved relations with
other
religions.
"If he
continues as Pope the way he was as a cardinal, I think we will see a
polarized
church," said David Gibson, a former Vatican Radio reporter and
author of
The Coming Catholic Church.
German
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger holds a glass of beer during his visit at the
Bavarian
cloister Andechs in this 1998 file photo. Ratzinger of Germany has
been elected
Pope to lead the Roman Catholic Church, a cardinal announced on
Tuesday. He
has chosen Pope Benedict XVI as his papal name, the cardinal said.
"He has
said himself that he wanted a smaller but purer church," Gibson said,
referring to
Ratzinger's suggestion that Christianity may need to become
smaller, in
terms of its cultural significance, to remain true to itself.
As prefect
of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith since 1981 and a
close aide
to John Paul, Ratzinger wielded enormous power in shaping church
policy,
silencing dissident theologians and signing off on virtually every
document
that had to do with doctrine.
"The
small boat of thought of many Christians has often been tossed about by
these waves,
thrown from one extreme to the other."
Benedict
XVI, newly-elected Pope
During his
tenure, the Vatican was uncompromising in its opposition to ordaining
women,
homosexuality and lifting the celibacy requirement for priests. Ratzinger
opposed
allowing remarried Catholics to receive Communion and told American
bishops that
it was appropriate to deny Communion to those who support such
"manifest
grave sin" as abortion and euthanasia.
Those
policies will continue under Benedict XVI, who in celebrating the
pre-conclave
Mass on Monday made clear that the next Pope shouldn't bow to the
"winds
of doctrine" that tempted the faithful to stray from the core beliefs of
the church.
"The
small boat of thought of many Christians has often been tossed about by
these waves,
thrown from one extreme to the other," he said, listing Marxism,
liberalism,
atheism and relativism -- the ideology that there are no absolute
truths.
The homily
was classic Ratzinger, and clear evidence that at least doctrinally,
the church
he will lead will not divert from current teaching.
"Obviously
a majority of the cardinals agreed with the analysis that in order to
consolidate
John Paul's legacy, the final part had to be done," said John-Peter
Pham, a
former Vatican official and author on papal succession.
But the
style of the Benedict XVI papacy will likely be vastly different from
that of John
Paul, the personable archbishop of Krakow, Poland, who trotted the
globe and
brought a movie-star quality to the papacy.
Most
importantly, Ratzinger is 78 -- two decades older than John Paul was when
he was
elected in 1978 -- and his health last year was "not that good"
according to
the Reverend Thomas Reese, a Vatican expert. He gave no specifics.
As a result,
Ratzinger's papacy will be viewed as a shorter, transitional one.
"In a
few years, we could be right back where we were, with a sick, elderly even
perhaps
dying Pope," Reese, editor of the Jesuit weekly America magazine said in
an interview
before the election.
Ratzinger
also lacks the pastoral qualities that made John Paul so beloved. He
is a bookish
theologian who surprised thousands by choking up as he delivered
John Paul's
funeral homily -- a rare glimpse of emotion.
Even
Ratzinger's brother, Georg, said his brother would be an "entirely
different"
Pope than John Paul.
"They
had a good relationship, but he [Ratzinger] wouldn't have the faculty to
deal with
people in such a direct and immediate way and to fascinate them," he
told the
German TV station RTL this week.
But Pham and
other Vatican watchers also say that there is more to Ratzinger
than the
world has seen in the past two decades, noting his love of music -- he
is an
accomplished pianist -- and his solid credentials as a scholar.
Ratzinger's
writings and comments give a hint about what his papacy will bring.
He has
opposed Turkey's bid to join the EU and dismissed demands for European
"multiculturalism"
as a "fleeing from what is one's own."
He has also
made sure John Paul's efforts to reach out to other religions didn't
overstep
certain bounds. His 2000 decree "Dominus Iesus," which framed the
role
of the
Catholic Church in human salvation in an exclusive manner, upset
Protestants,
Jews and other non-Christians.
Ratzinger
further rankled other Christians when he said he didn't want
Protestant
churches referred to as "sister churches" by Catholics.
Ratzinger
has written that Jews were "connected with God in a special way." But
in his book
God and the World, he also said "We wait for the instant in which
Israel will
say yes to Christ."
He has
spoken out positively about Islam, saying it has had "moments of great
splendor."
While
Ratzinger criticized the media for focusing too much on the sins of
priests
involved in the church sex abuse scandal, he excoriated the "filth"
in
the church
in a meditation he penned for the Good Friday Way of the Cross
procession.
Copyright ©
1999-2005 The Taipei Times. All rights reserved.
Marin
Independent Journal
Analysis: New pope's hard line on church doctrine unlikely
to change
By Nicole
Winfield
Associated
Press
Wednesday,
April 20, 2005 - VATICAN CITY - A day before he was elected pope,
Cardinal
Joseph Ratzinger made clear the type of church he wanted: one that
rigidly
maintained the doctrines he himself had upheld as guardian of church
orthodoxy,
where there were absolute truths on matters such as abortion,
celibacy and
homosexuality.
With his
election yesterday in one of the fastest papal votes in a century, Pope
Benedict XVI
will most certainly build upon continue the uncompromising hard
line on
doctrine that he charted under Pope John Paul II.
His election
will thrill conservatives seeking a consolidation of John Paul's
policies. It
will alienate more liberal Catholics, particularly in Europe and
North
America, who had hoped that after 26 years, a more progressive pope might
take the
helm of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics.
And it will
likely temper hopes around the world of improved relations with
other
religions.
"If he
continues as pope the way he was as a cardinal, I think we will see a
polarized
church," said David Gibson, a former Vatican Radio reporter and
author of
"The Coming Catholic Church."
"He has
said himself that he wanted a smaller but purer church," Gibson said,
referring to
Ratzinger's suggestion that Christianity may need to become
smaller, in
terms of its cultural significance, to remain true to itself.
As prefect
of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith since 1981 and a
close aide
to John Paul, Ratzinger wielded enormous power in shaping church
policy,
silencing dissident theologians and signing off on virtually every
document
that had to do with doctrine.
During his
tenure, the Vatican was uncompromising in its opposition to ordaining
women,
homosexuality and lifting the celibacy requirement for priests. Ratzinger
opposed
allowing remarried Catholics to receive Communion and told American
bishops that
it was appropriate to deny Communion to those who support such
"manifest
grave sin" as abortion and euthanasia.
Those
policies will continue under Benedict XVI, who in celebrating the
pre-conclave
Mass on Monday made clear that the next pope shouldn't bow to the
"winds
of doctrine" that tempted the faithful to stray from the core beliefs of
the church.
"The
small boat of thought of many Christians has often been tossed about by
these waves,
thrown from one extreme to the other," he said, listing Marxism,
liberalism,
atheism and relativism - the ideology that there are no absolute
truths.
The homily
was classic Ratzinger, and clear evidence that at least doctrinally,
the church
he will lead will not divert from current teaching.
"Obviously
a majority of the cardinals agreed with the analysis that in order to
consolidate
John Paul's legacy, the final part had to be done," said John-Peter
Pham, a
former Vatican official and author on papal succession.
But the
style of the Benedict XVI papacy will likely be vastly different from
that of John
Paul, the personable archbishop of Krakow, Poland, who trotted the
globe and
brought a movie-star quality to the papacy.
Most
importantly, Ratzinger is 78 - two decades older than John Paul was when he
was elected
in 1978 - and his health last year was "not that good" according to
the Rev.
Thomas Reese, a Vatican expert. He gave no specifics.
As a result,
Ratzinger's papacy will be viewed as a shorter, transitional one.
"In a
few years, we could be right back where we were, with a sick, elderly even
perhaps
dying pope," Reese, editor of the Jesuit weekly America magazine said in
an interview
before the election.
Ratzinger
also lacks the pastoral qualities that made John Paul so beloved. He
is a bookish
theologian who surprised thousands by choking up as he delivered
John Paul's
funeral homily - a rare glimpse of emotion.
Pham and
other Vatican watchers also say that there is more to Ratzinger than
the world
has seen in the past two decades, noting his love of music - he is an
accomplished
pianist - and his solid credentials as a scholar.
Ratzinger's
writings and comments give a hint about what his papacy will bring.
He has
opposed Turkey's bid to join the European Union and dismissed demands for
European
"multiculturalism" as a "fleeing from what is one's own."
He has also
made sure John Paul's efforts to reach out to other relations didn't
overstep
certain bounds. His 2000 decree "Dominus Iesus," which framed the
role
of the
Catholic Church in human salvation in an exclusive manner, upset
Protestants,
Jews and other non-Christians.
Ratzinger
further rankled other Christians when he said he didn't want
Protestant
churches referred to as "sister churches" by Catholics.
Ratzinger
has written that Jews were "connected with God in a special way." But
in his book
"God and the World," he also said "We wait for the instant in
which
Israel will
say yes to Christ."
He has
spoken out positively about Islam, saying it has had "moments of great
splendor."
Profile: Cardinals' choice was Vatican's iron hand
By Brian
Murphy
Associated
Press
VATICAN CITY
- Two images of Cardinal Joseph Rat-zinger stood in sharp relief
during the
mourning period for the pope he would eventually succeed.
With his
wispy silver hair blowing in the wind, the German prelate stood before
the world's
political and spiritual leaders at John Paul II's funeral April 8
and offered
an eloquent, sensitive farewell that moved some to tears.
Ten days
later - just before Ratzinger and 114 other cardinals entered the
conclave to
select the 265th pontiff - he delivered a sharp-edged homily on
strict
obedience to church teachings that left liberal Catholics wincing.
"He
could be a wedge rather than a unifier for the church," said the Rev.
Thomas
Reese,
editor of the Jesuit weekly magazine America.
This was
clear in St. Peter's Square moments after the announcement of
Ratzinger's
election and the name chosen by the first Germanic pope in 1,000
years:
Benedict XVI. Amid the applause were groans and pockets of stunned
silence.
Perhaps no
member of the conclave evoked such potent opinions - and has stirred
more
arguments - as the 78-year-old Ratzinger and the role he's held since
1981: head
of the powerful Vatican office that oversees doctrine and takes
action
against dissent.
"We are
moving toward a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize
anything as
for certain and which has as its highest goal one's own ego and
one's own
desires," he said Monday in a pre-conclave Mass in memory of John
Paul. The
church, he insisted, must defend itself against threats such as
"radical
individualism" and "vague religious mysticism."
As prefect
of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, he was the
Vatican's
iron hand.
His
interventions are a roll call of flashpoints for the church: the 1987 order
stripping
American theologian the Rev. Charles Curran of the right to teach
because he
encouraged dissent; crippling Latin Americans supporting the popular
"liberation
theology" movement for alleged Marxist leanings; coming down hard on
efforts to
rewrite Scriptures in gender inclusive language.
He also shows
no flexibility on the church's views on priestly celibacy,
contraception
and the ban on ordinations for women.
In 1986, he
denounced rock music as the "vehicle of anti-religion." In 1988, he
dismissed
anyone who tried to find "feminist" meanings in the Bible. Last year,
he told
American bishops that it was allowable to deny Communion to those who
support such
"manifest grave sin" as abortion and euthanasia.
He earned
unflattering nicknames such as Panzercardinal, God's rottweiler, and
the Grand
Inquisitor. Cartoonists emphasized his deep-set eyes and Italians
lampooned
his pronounced German accent.
"Indeed,
it would be hard to find a Catholic controversy in the past 20 years
that did not
somehow involve Joseph Ratzinger," John Allen, a Vatican reporter
for the
National Catholic Register, wrote six years ago.
But among
conservatives, he rose in stature. An online fan club sings his
praises and
offers souvenirs with the slogan: "Putting the smackdown on heresy
since
1981."
In recent
years, he took on issues outside church doctrine. He once called
Buddhism a
religion for the self-indulgent. In an interview with the French
magazine Le
Figaro last year, he suggested Turkey's bid to join the Europe
Union
conflicted with Europe's Christian roots - a view that could unsettle
Vatican
attempts to improve relations with Muslims.
Critics
complain Ratzinger embodies all the conservative instincts of the last
papacy, but
without John Paul's charisma and pastoral genius.
"I
think this is the closest the church can come to human clon-ing," quipped
Gibson.
Both John
Paul II and his successor were forged by the horrors of World War II
and advanced
in the church in the shadow of the Iron Curtain.
But the
Polish pontiff came from a nation that suffered greatly during the war.
Ratzinger -
like many from his generation - carries the burdens and ghosts of
Germany's
past.
Raised in
the oak forest and pine foothills of Bavaria, he said he was enrolled
in Hitler's
Nazi youth movement against his will. At the same time, the
policeman's
son entered seminary studies in 1939 as a 12-year-old with "joy and
great
expectations," according to his memoirs.
But in 1943,
he was drafted as an assistant to a Nazi anti-aircraft unit in
Munich.
Later, he was shipped off to build tank barriers at the
Austian-Hungarian
border. He wrote that he escaped recruitment by the dreaded
SS because
he and others said they were training to be priests.
He deserted
in April 1945 and returned home to Traunstein. It was a risky move,
since
deserters were shot or hanged. But the Third Reich was collapsing.
"The
Americans finally arrived in our village," he wrote. "Even though our
house
lacked all
comfort, they chose it as their headquarters."
Ratzinger
was identified as a deserter and placed in prisoner of war camp near
Ulm in
southern Germany.
He and his
older brother, Georg, were ordained in 1951. He taught theology and
earned a
reputation as a forward-looking prelate and took part in the 1962-65
Second
Vatican Council, a major attempt to modernize the faith.
In 1977,
Ratzinger was appointed bishop of Munich and elevated to cardinal three
months later
by Pope Paul VI. He was one of only two cardinals in the latest
conclave
that was not chosen by John Paul.
The name he
took - Benedict - draws a connection to Benedict XV, the Italian
pontiff from
1914 to 1922 who had the difficult task of providing leadership
for Catholic
countries on opposite sides of World War I. His declared
neutrality,
and his repeated protests against weapons like poison gas angered
both sides.
"The
name Benedict XVI leaves the possibility open for a more moderate policy,"
said the
Swiss theologian Hans Kueng, whose license to teach theology was
revoked by
the Vatican in 1979. "Let us, therefore, give him a chance. As with
the president
of the USA, we should allow a new pope 100 days to learn."
Marin: Catholic leaders see continuity, stability
By Carla
Bova
IJ reporter
When Mary
Ann Rickard of Sausalito heard Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger speak at a
Menlo Park
seminary six years ago, she knew he was a faithful man who held
strictly to
Roman Catholic traditions.
"He was
a very forceful speaker with clearly defined ideas on what he believed,"
said
Rickard, a parishioner at Star of the Sea Catholic Church in Sausalito.
She was not
surprised yesterday when Ratzinger, of Germany, was elected the new
pope.
"I
think the church needs a strong conservative leader and Cardinal Ratzinger is
that,"
Rickard said.
Catholic
leaders in Marin cited the new pope's consistent support over decades
for church
teachings and his lengthy history with the church as indications he
could
continue in the path of Pope John Paul II.
Ratzinger,
78, served as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,
responsible
for enforcing Catholic orthodoxy, since 1981.
"The
cardinals made a choice for a pope who might not reign as long as a younger
person but
will provide continuity and stability in the church," said the Rev.
James
Tarantino, pastor at St. Hilary's Church in Tiburon. "He was the
right-hand
man when it comes to doctrinal matters of the church. There will not
be too much
change in where we have been since he was almost in the driver's
seat for so
many years."
While the
Rev. Paul Rossi, pastor of St. Raphael Church in San Rafael, was "a
bit surprised"
that someone from within the curia - departments or ministries
which help
govern the church - was named pope, he drew a similar conclusion
that there
would be little change.
"I
thought maybe someone outside of the Vatican itself would be named pope,"
Rossi said.
"It does say to us that the cardinals selected someone who will
probably
keep the same sort of pastoral approach toward the church as Pope John
Paul
II."
Still, Rossi
expressed a wait-and-see attitude.
"We
also know the holy spirit works in marvelous ways so we don't know what that
holds,"
Rossi said. "This man was in a position in the curia which, now that he
is pope,
might shed a different light. In his position now, he might have a
different
approach to things."
The Rev.
Kenneth Weare, pastor at St. Rita's Catholic Church in Fairfax, echoed
the
sentiment, noting that some religious leaders in the past have changed.
"It is
true the cardinal does have a well-established reputation for being quite
conservative
in the area of doctrine," Weare said. "However, I think that people
who are
rightfully concerned about his more traditional approach should take
some hope in
the example of others who have come to leadership positions and
have, in
those positions, changed their perspective."
Weare said
when Oscar Ro-mero became archbishop in El Salvador, he was known as
very
conservative but in a short time began to change his pastoral approach
after his
experience with the people of the country, particularly the poor.
"Most
likely, Cardinal Rat-zinger will adjust his position because of the lived
experience
of the Catholic people worldwide," Weare said.
Some said
Ratzinger's taking the name Pope Benedict XVI could be interpreted as
a bid to
soften his image. Benedict XV, who reigned from 1914 to 1922, was a
moderate
following Pius X.
"When a
pope chooses a name, it generally has some reference to how he is going
to be as
pope and gives a clue as to his style and pontificate," Tarantino
said.
Tarantino
said there was a glimpse of Ratzinger's sensitive side during John
Paul II's
funeral when he choked up while delivering the homily.
"People
have judged him to be, by way of his pronouncements and writings, a
chief
promoter of the doctrines," Tarantino said. "But behind all that, I
think, there
is the man and that side of him that is pastoral is yet to be seen
by the rest
of the world."
Weare said
Pope Benedict XVI could take a prophetic position of the gospel and
be a strong
advocate for human rights and social justice.
"He
will likely develop a positive ecumenical approach to people of other
religions,"
Weare said. "After all, Germany is part Lutheran, part Catholic.
There are
Muslims and Jews represented in Germany."
Contact
Carla Bova via e-mail at cbova@marinij.com
Copyright
and permissions
Hewing to the hard line
Church to hold fast to
doctrines of celibacy, no women priests ANALYSIS
The
Associated Press
Updated:
9:03 p.m. ET April 19, 2005VATICAN CITY - A day before he was elected
pope,
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger made clear the type of church he wanted: one
that rigidly
maintained the doctrines he himself had upheld as guardian of
church
orthodoxy, where there were absolute truths on matters such as abortion,
celibacy and
homosexuality.
advertisement
With his
election Tuesday in one of the fastest papal votes in a century, Pope
Benedict XVI
will most certainly build upon the uncompromising hard line on
doctrine
that he charted under Pope John Paul II.
His election
will thrill conservatives seeking a consolidation of John Pauląs
policies. It
will alienate more liberal Catholics, particularly in Europe and
North
America, who had hoped that after 26 years, a more progressive pope might
take the
helm of the worldąs 1.1 billion Catholics.
And it will
likely temper hopes around the world of improved relations with
other
religions.
Forecast: ŚA
polarized churchą
łIf he
continues as pope the way he was as a cardinal, I think we will see a
polarized
church,˛ said David Gibson, a former Vatican Radio reporter and
author of
łThe Coming Catholic Church.˛
łHe has said
himself that he wanted a smaller but purer church,˛ Gibson said,
referring to
Ratzingerąs suggestion that Christianity may need to become
smaller, in
terms of its cultural significance, to remain true to itself.
As prefect
of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith since 1981 and a
close aide
to John Paul, Ratzinger wielded enormous power in shaping church
policy,
silencing dissident theologians and signing off on virtually every
document
that had to do with doctrine.
During his tenure,
the Vatican was uncompromising in its opposition to ordaining
women,
homosexuality and lifting the celibacy requirement for priests. Ratzinger
opposed
allowing remarried Catholics to receive Communion and told American
bishops that
it was appropriate to deny Communion to those who support a
łmanifest
grave sin˛ such as abortion and euthanasia.
No surrender
to Świnds of doctrineą
Those
policies will continue under Benedict XVI, who in celebrating the
pre-conclave
Mass on Monday made clear that the next pope shouldnąt bow to the
łwinds of
doctrine˛ that tempted the faithful to stray from the core beliefs of
the church.
łThe small
boat of thought of many Christians has often been tossed about by
these waves,
thrown from one extreme to the other,˛ he said, listing Marxism,
liberalism,
atheism and relativism ‹ the ideology that there are no absolute
truths.
The homily
was classic Ratzinger, and clear evidence that at least doctrinally,
the church
he will lead will not divert from current teaching.
łObviously a
majority of the cardinals agreed with the analysis that in order to
consolidate
John Pauląs legacy, the final part had to be done,˛ said John-Peter
Pham, a
former Vatican official and author on papal succession.
But the
style of the Benedict XVI papacy will likely be vastly different from
that of John
Paul, the personable archbishop of Krakow, Poland, who trotted the
globe and
brought a movie-star quality to the papacy.
The age
factor
Most
importantly, Ratzinger is 78 ‹ two decades older than John Paul was when he
was elected
in 1978 ‹ and his health last year was łnot that good˛ according to
the Rev.
Thomas Reese, a Vatican expert. He gave no specifics.
As a result,
Ratzingerąs papacy will be viewed as a shorter, transitional one.
łIn a few
years, we could be right back where we were, with a sick, elderly even
perhaps
dying pope,˛ Reese, editor of the Jesuit weekly America magazine said in
an interview
before the election.
Ratzinger
also lacks the pastoral qualities that made John Paul so beloved. He
is a bookish
theologian who surprised thousands by choking up as he delivered
John Pauląs
funeral homily ‹ a rare glimpse of emotion.
Even
Ratzingerąs brother, Georg, said his brother would be an łentirely
different˛
pope than John Paul.
łThey had a
good relationship, but he (Ratzinger) wouldnąt have the faculty to
deal with
people in such a direct and immediate way and to fascinate them,˛ he
told the
German TV station RTL this week.
But Pham and
other Vatican watchers also say that there is more to Ratzinger
than the
world has seen in the past two decades, noting his love of music ‹ he
is an
accomplished pianist ‹ and his solid credentials as a scholar.
Stands
rankle Christians
Ratzingerąs
writings and comments give a hint about what his papacy will bring.
He has
opposed Turkeyąs bid to join the European Union and dismissed demands
for European
łmulticulturalism˛ as a łfleeing from what is oneąs own.˛
He has also
made sure John Pauląs efforts to reach out to other religions didnąt
overstep
certain bounds. His 2000 decree łDominus Iesus,˛ which framed the role
of the
Catholic Church in human salvation in an exclusive manner, upset
Protestants,
Jews and other non-Christians.
Ratzinger
further rankled other Christians when he said he didnąt want
Protestant
churches referred to as łsister churches˛ by Catholics.
He has
written that Jews were łconnected with God in a special way.˛ But in his
book łGod
and the World,˛ he also said łWe wait for the instant in which Israel
will say yes
to Christ.˛
He has
spoken out positively about Islam, saying it has had łmoments of great
splendor.˛
While
Ratzinger criticized the media for focusing too much on the sins of
priests
involved in the church sex abuse scandal, he excoriated the łfilth˛ in
the church
in a meditation he penned for the Good Friday Way of the Cross
procession.
Posted on Sat, Apr. 23, 2005
Women in the church
Many see changes on the horizon for Catholics with more
nuns working in local dioceses as well as the Vatican
Herald Staff
and Wire Reports
As the 115
cardinals gathered in Rome this week and chose Cardinal Joseph
Ratzinger of
Germany as new pope, Sister Cathi Merck led the 105 nuns in Mount
St. Benedict
monastery in Crookston in choosing a new prioress to succeed her.
While glad that
Ratzinger chose the founder of their order as his namesake in
becoming
Pope Benedict XVI, Merck said the Benedictines at the Mount also hope
that he will
listen to the hopes of many women in the church for expanded
roles.
Her own
monastery's members don't only teach school and care for the sick and
elderly -
the traditional ministries of nuns - but three also are the
administrators
of parishes in the Crookston diocese.
With only
half as many priests as parishes, and with 42,000 Catholics, the
diocese has
turned to nuns to help in ways they never had before.
More nuns
nationwide practice professions that also represent new directions in
the past 15
years or so. For example, Sister Anita Whalen from the Mount is a
dentist in
Warren, Minn.
Women in Vatican
While
Benedict XVI is expected to continue John Paul II's forceful upholding of
the
tradition of a priesthood of unmarried males, there is an unprecedented
number of
women in roles in the Vatican, too, news sources say.
Merck has
been prioress at the Mount for six years and while eligible for a
four-year
second term, she is stepping aside for health reasons.
After three
days of prayer and talk, about 79 sisters decided by consensus that
God was
leading them to choose Sister Lenore Paschke as the 11th prioress of
the
Crookston "house."
Paschke, a
member of the Crookston monastery since 1956, has several
postgraduate
degrees, including a master's degree in education from Bemidji
State
University.
The chaplain
in St. Mary's Regional Health Center in Detroit Lakes, Minn.,
Paschke will
take over her new duties in Crookston on July 31.
Mount St.
Benedict is one of 16 Benedictine communities of women in the
Federation
of St. Gertrude, Merck said. While there are few new women joining
the
monasteries, she and other members believe there is lots of work and new
jobs they
could be doing in and for the church, Merck said.
Women's
inroads
In the wake
of the new pope's selection and in a world dominated by men, some
smart,
powerful Catholic women are making inroads, Knight Ridder Newpapers
reported.
"If you
knock the issue of ordination off the table, women have advanced
significantly,"
even at the Vatican, Sister Mary Ann Walsh, the spokeswoman for
the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in Rome last week.
The Vatican
employee who established the Web site where Pope John Paul II's
teachings
are posted in six languages is an American Franciscan nun, Sister
Judith
Loebelein, nicknamed "Sister Web."
An Italian
Salesian nun, Sister Enrica Rossana, was named last year as the
third-ranking
official in the Vatican office overseeing religious men and women
- the first
time a woman was promoted to a position held by priests since the
Roman Curia
was established in the 16th century.
"The
manpower shortage in the church - there just aren't enough priests - will
lead to
major employment of women," predicted Paul Hofmann, author of "The
Vatican's
Women."
The
percentages
Women still
make up only 10 percent of the 400 staffers in the Vatican's most
important
divisions, the Catholic News Service reported last year. Under church
law, those
offices are led by cardinals or bishops. In the United States, women
account for
more than 25 percent of the top positions in U.S. Catholic
dioceses.
But women
working at the Vatican say they see change coming.
"Things
are a lot slower than they are in the States, but there is a direction"
of giving
women more visibility in Vatican posts, said Joan
Collemacine-Parenti,
a Philadelphia native who earned a doctorate and taught
romance languages
at Temple University and now has worked at the Vatican for
more than 30
years. As a language specialist, she supervises translations for
publications
of the Pontifical Council for the Family.
She said
Pope John Paul II supported women in ways beyond job advancement,
noting that
the Vatican beefed up maternity-leave compensation and flexibility
for female
employees.
Degree
pursuits
Women's
advancement at the Vatican is due in part to their pursuit of degrees at
pontifical
universities. Sister Mary Pierre Jean Wilson, 48, a member of the
Religious
Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Mich., has worked at the Vatican for seven
years, after
earning a canon law degree in Rome.
She's the
first and only female lawyer to work in the office dealing with
Catholic universities
for the Congregation for Catholic Education. Most
recently,
she helped create a computerized list of more than 1,300 Catholic
universities
and institutes of higher learning across the world. (India, the
United
States and the Philippines top the list.)
"In the
past, women didn't have the qualifications," Wilson said. "I'm sure
it
was in the
pope's mind that women could fill many jobs ... . The Holy Father
wanted us to
live our vocations to the fullest."
Collemacine-Parenti
said women are gaining influence in Vatican advisory
commissions
and departments, some of which originated since the Second Vatican
Council in
the 1960s or under John Paul II.
Papal
council influence
Women's
influence is greater among papal councils that deal with issues such as
health care
and ecumenical dialogue, with women comprising 35 percent of the
staff of 11
papal councils, the Catholic News Service reported a year ago.
In 1994, the
pope created the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, a
collection
of scientists, economists and professors. Ten years later, he named
Harvard
University law professor Mary Ann Glendon to lead the panel, which
advises the
Vatican on social policy. Hers is the highest advisory position
held by a
woman at the Vatican.
Last year,
John Paul II also named two women - an American nun and a German
laywoman -
for the first time to the Vatican's top theology group, the
International
Theological Commission. The nun, Sister Sara Butler, 65, a
Toledo,
Ohio, native who taught at Chicago's Mundelein Seminary and now is at
St. Joseph
Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y., attended her first commission meeting
last October
at the Vatican.
"I
think the pope was eager to make sure women are involved," Butler said
last
week from
New York.
At the
lectern
At John Paul
II's funeral, women appeared at the lectern to lead some of the
prayers.
Their appearance was jarring, if only because the stage was so
dominated by
the men who run the church. In the United States, it's typical to
see altar
girls and boys assist the priest at Mass, but Vatican officials still
prefer male
servers.
And there's
little expectation that women will be ordained anytime soon. In the
final decade
of his pontificate, John Paul II urged Catholics around the world
to stop
discussing the issue. Many American bishops took that as a sign that
they should
clamp down on clergy and scholars who raised the issue of female
priests.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"What
neither the bishops nor the feminists realize is that women are running
the
church," the Rev. Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest and editor of America
magazine,
said last week in Rome. "Women are running parishes, and women pass
on the
faith, as mothers and teachers."
© 2005 Grand
Forks Herald and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.grandforks.com
New era for the Catholic
Church begins
By Sandi
Dolbee
UNION-TRIBUNE
STAFF WRITER
7:08 p.m.
April 19, 2005
VATICAN CITY
Pope Benedict XVI stepped onto the balcony overlooking St.
Peter's
Square and into Catholic history Tuesday, becoming the new leader of a
billion-plus-member
church.
Catholic
cardinals stayed the course, electing as the church's 265th pope a man
who spent
the past 24 years as the chief enforcer of church dogma. He was one
of Pope John
Paul II's closest allies during his lifetime and became the most
visible face
of the Vatican after his death.
Cardinal
Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, head of the Vatican's powerful
Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith since 1981 and dean of the Cardinal
of Colleges,
was elected on the second day of the conclave and just about 24
hours after
the doors of the Sistine Chapel were closed and the secret
balloting
began. Tuesday evening, he beamed and waved to a cheering audience
that spilled
out of St. Peter's Square.
"Dear
brothers and sisters, after the great Pope John Paul II, the cardinals
have elected
me, a simple and humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord,"
Ratzinger
told tens of thousands of people who clapped, shouted tributes and
waved a
United Nations of flags.
Ratzinger,
who turned 78 on Saturday, was one of the favorite sons leading up to
the
conclave, especially among traditionalists. And despite reports of a
liberal-conservative
standoff among the 115 cardinal electors, they apparently
were able to
come to a decision after only a few ballots.
Cardinal
Joachim Meisner told some reporters that the new pope was elected on
the fourth
ballot, and that Ratzinger got more than the required two-third
support.
"It was
done without an electoral battle, and without propaganda," said the
archbishop
of Cologne, who seemed unconcerned about commenting despite the
cardinals
taking a vow of silence prior to the conclave. "For me it was a
miracle."
Reaction
through the evening was a jumble of jubilation, thanksgiving, surprise
and
disappointment from Catholics in St. Peter's Square who rejoiced that Pope
Benedict he
would hold the line and worried that he would further split the
largest
Christian church in the world.
"He's
the right one for the church and the world," said the Rev. Anthony Shing,
a
33-year-old priest from Myanmar, formerly Burma. "He's a very, very good
and
moral
man."
Betsy
Samuels, a 21-year-old student Marquette University in Milwaukee, also was
delighted.
"I think it's a great decision," she said. "He'll uphold the
teachings of
John Paul II and uphold the conservative values."
But a
31-year-old Catholic from Monterrey, Mexico, said that Ratzinger will not
be good for
a church struggling with issues ranging from the role of women in
the church,
celibacy for priests and birth control. "I don't think he'll be
changing
what needs to be changing," said Edgar Munoz Ledo.
Two San
Diego residents who were in St. Peter's Square symbolized the mix of
opinions.
Samar Naoum,
a 25-year-old Chaldean Catholic from El Cajon, has pushed for
Ratzinger
since the conclave began on Monday. Tuesday night, he celebrated.
"Anybody
the Holy Spirit would have given us I would have been happy with
because it
was the will of God," Naoum said. "But you can always get a little
more excited
when the will of God is also your will."
Father Joe
Carroll, head of Saint Vincent de Paul Village, had hoped for a pope
from Mexico.
When he heard it was Ratzinger, he worried that he would be too
old to be a
vital pontiff.
"I
think a lot of people are disappointed because of his age," said Carroll,
who
arrived in
Rome on Monday courtesy of a free ticket from a friend. "He's
definitely
part of the old regime," Carroll said, noting that Ratzinger is one
of only
three members of the College of Cardinals not appointed by John Paul
II.
But the
bottom line, said the 63-year-old monsignor, is that the pope is the
pope.
"We just don't see him as the head of an institution. We see him as the
representation
of Christ on earth," he said.
Others
suggested Ratzinger would be a transitional pope, helping whoever comes
next step
out of the giant shadow cast by John Paul's 26-year papacy, one of
the longest
in history. "We'll be back here in three or four years," said
Monsignor
Terry Fleming, 58, an aide to Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony.
Observers
agreed that this was not a vote for change. "I think it's very clearly
a vote for
continuity," the Rev. Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest and editor of
America
magazine, told CNN.
Reform-minded
Catholics said their hearts sank when they heard the news. And
Sister Joan
Chittister, a Benedictine nun from Pennsylvania, said she was
likewise
concerned.
"I
can't deny the anxiety," Chittister said Tuesday night. "But at the same
time, I
continue to hope in the Holy Spirit."
Ratzinger's
star began rising on the public scene when he gave a moving homily,
drawing
repeated applause, at Pope John Paul II's funeral Mass on April 8. John
Paul died
April 2 at the age of 84. Then, on Monday morning, he delivered the
homily at
the opening Mass for the conclave giving a get-tough talk about
holding the
line on church teachings and decrying "a dictatorship of
relativism."
But friends
described Ratzinger as compassionate, intelligent, shy, warm and
gracious.
Last week, his deputy praised him and defended him against depictions
of Ratzinger
being divisive and combative.
"I have
to tell you, I think the image of him as 'panzer cardinal' is completely
ludicrous,"
said the Rev. J. Augustine Di Noia, a U.S. priest who is
undersecretary
of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, referring to
a moniker
comparing Ratzinger to a German tank.
"Something
that strikes me very much is his serenity," Di Noia said.
This
historic conclave the first of this millennium was marked by both its
shortness
and its confusion.
By
tradition, the ballots are burned as a way of communicating with the outside
world what
is happening inside the secret gathering black smoke is for no
decision;
white smoke for a successful election.
On Monday
night, the puffs above the Sistine Chapel's roofline wafted pale,
giving an
initial burst of excitement that a pope had been picked on the first
ballot. At
noontime Tuesday, the smoke from the morning ballots was clearly
black. Then,
at about 5:45 p.m., new puffs began to emerge that were grayish.
"It
looks white," said Carroll, peering hard into the sky. As more smoke
emerged, the
color grew fairer. "That's white," Carroll said. "Yeah, I would
say it
is."
About 15
minutes later, the bells began to sound. "We have a pope!" Carroll
said
as the crowd
roared.
He began to
choke up. "I'm very excited," he said. Forty minutes later, the
doors to the
center balcony of St. Peter's Basilica opened. The rest is
history.
John Paul II
was the first non-Italian pope in more than 450 years. The
selection of
Ratzinger makes that two in a row and also returns the papacy to
a German for
the first time in nearly 1,000 years. A group of young Germans
celebrated
under their country's flag with handshakes and grins.
"We
hoped it would be," said Bastian Dupps, an 18-year-old German who is going
to school in
Rome. But he said he didn't actually believe it would really
happen until
Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez of Chile read Ratzinger's
name.
"We're very proud."
The new Pope
Benedict XVI will be installed at 10 a.m. Sunday at St. Peter's
Basilica (1
a.m. PDT). Tuesday night, he had dinner with cardinals and decided
to spend the
night at St. Martha's House, where the cardinal electors have
stayed this
week, rather than move into the papal apartments. This morning, he
will
celebrate a Mass with cardinals at the Sistine Chapel.
Pilgrims,
priests, nuns and others spent the day at St. Peter's Square praying,
reading,
playing cards and watching for smoke.
Cecilia
Henrich, 43, a Catholic school teacher, wrote in a journal. "We have
four
children and they're back in Iowa and we want to keep it for them," she
said.
Tuesday
night, she had an ending for the story. And she, and others here, became
part of a
chapter in Catholic history.
Josh
Miechels, a 23-year-old Sydney resident, was so overwhelmed that he jumped
up and down
like a child at Christmas. "I can't believe it. I'm standing here
in St.
Peter's Square to see Pope Benedict. It's incredible."
The
Associated Press contributed to this story.
Find this
article at:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20050419-1908-cnspope.html
NEWS
FEATURE:
April 22,
2005 Episode no. 834
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week834/news.html
BOB
ABERNETHY, anchor: Quickly and, for some, controversially, Cardinal Joseph
Ratzinger
was this week elected to succeed John Paul II as the 265th pope of
the Roman
Catholic Church. He chose the name Benedict XVI.
Kim Lawton
is just back from Rome.
KIM LAWTON:
The election greatly pleased U.S. Catholic conservatives who expect
Pope
Benedict XVI will continue upholding the Church's traditional teachings.
Catholic
liberals, who were hoping for more openness in the papacy, were
disappointed.
The shortest
conclave in a century began on Monday, when the 115
cardinal-electors
entered the Sistine Chapel and pledged an oath of absolute
secrecy and
obedience to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Four ballots
later, they selected one of John Paul II's closest advisors, the
powerful and
conservative Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.
Dr. CHESTER
GILLIS (Theology Professor and Chair, Georgetown University): No one
knows
exactly what he'll do. But they anticipate he will carry on the policies
of John Paul
II. So if you're looking for change, this is probably not the
papacy for
it. If you're looking for continuity, this is the papacy, and in
some ways it
extends the legacy of the papacy of John Paul II for another
perhaps 10
or 15 years, however long God allows this pope to live.
LAWTON:
Among many of the world's 1.1 billion Roman Catholics, there was great
joy. Father
Joseph Fessio, provost of Ave Maria University in Florida, was a
student of
Ratzinger's and published the cardinal's writings at Ignatius Press.
He says he
can scarcely believe his good friend was chosen.
Reverend
JOSEPH FESSIO, S.J. (Provost, Ave Maria University): But I was waiting,
saying,
"I wonder, I wonder. Could it be, could it be?" And I saw the
curtains
open. Once I
heard "Ratzinger" I just burst into tears. It was so amazing to
see someone
that I've known, someone that I've talked to, someone that I've
been with
there, dressed up like the pope -- because he was the pope. And the
joy for me
is knowing what a gift this is for the Church.
LAWTON: But
within the Church's more liberal wing, including in America,
Cardinal
Ratzinger's election has provoked great concern about what the future
may hold.
Dr. GILLIS:
Groups such as women who have been interested perhaps in higher
office in
the Church clearly are going to be disappointed in this decision and
be
disenfranchised in that way. The gay community, the Catholic gay community,
will not
find a friend in Cardinal Ratzinger. Those who want greater
collegiality
or participation by the laity in the decision-making process --
that remains
to be seen, but it's unlikely that he'll go in that direction.
LAWTON: As
head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,
Cardinal
Ratzinger was the guardian of church orthodoxy. Part of his job was to
clamp down
on dissident activists and theologians.
Dr. GILLIS:
Some in the theological community -- a shudder went down their spine
when this
pope was elected because he's been a very vigilant watchdog about
orthodoxy,
and he's been fairly proactive and aggressive about theologians who
might
deviate from certain Church doctrines or who might have experimental
notions or
push the edges of theology, which the academy is always invited to
do.
LAWTON:
While this troubles some theologians, others believe Pope Benedict XVI
needs to
preserve the traditional teachings of the Church.
Rev. FESSIO:
We cannot allow people who are commissioned to teach the truths of
the faith to
dilute or disturb or confuse that faith or the people they are
preaching
to. And so, obviously, he is going to make as his norm not his own
opinion, but
the received, authoritative teachings of Jesus Christ that come
through his
Church.
LAWTON:
Benedict begins his papacy with a long experience in the Vatican's
massive
bureaucracy -- the Curia. Experts say this will be an advantage as he
takes over
as the Church's top administrator.
Reverend
THOMAS REESE, S.J. (Editor-in-Chief, America Magazine): Because he's so
familiar
with the Vatican Curia, he can make decisions right away about who will
be appointed
to what offices, and he knows which in the Vatican Curia he wants
to listen to
and which one's advice he's not going to pay any attention to.
Cardinal
Wojtyla, when he was elected, kidded that he had to find his way
around the
building.
LAWTON: But
that administrative experience may also bring some challenges to his
new role as
the Church's universal pastor.
Dr. GILLIS:
He's been a bureaucrat in Rome for 25 years -- longer than 25 years.
So he
doesn't, I mean, I don't know that he has a sense of Catholicism on the
ground in a
pastoral context, where real Catholics in genuine situations of
families and
communities are struggling with issues that the Church is
suggesting
or mandating that they follow.
LAWTON:
Benedict has begun outlining the priorities of his papacy. In a Mass
before the
conclave began, he warned of the dangers challenging faith,
including
liberalism, atheism, and what he called a "dictatorship of
relativism."
After his
election he said his primary task would be pursuing ecumenical and
interfaith
dialogue. He also affirmed his commitment to carrying out the
reforms of
the Second Vatican Council.
Rev. REESE:
Certainly, this is an extremely important moment in the life of the
Catholic
Church because this is the pope who is going to lead the church in the
21st
century. He's going to have to deal with all sorts of controversial issues
and decide:
is he going to allow more open discussion, or are there certain
topics that
are simply off the table and can't even be discussed?
Rev. FESSIO:
He really combines extraordinary talent and ability with genuine
humility. I
want people to know that's the kind of person he is. There's no one
I know who's
ever been in his presence, who has worked with him or spent time
with him,
who did not come away feeling ennobled.
LAWTON:
Benedict said this week he felt John Paul's presence holding his hand
and urging
him not to be afraid of the challenges ahead. After Sunday's formal
installation
service, on Monday (April 25) Pope Benedict will begin receiving
official
delegations.
© 2005 Educational Broadcasting
Corporation. All rights reserved.
ABC Online
AM - Joseph
Ratzinger: a biography
[This is the
print version of story
http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2005/s1349379.htm]
AM - Wednesday,
20 April , 2005 08:08:00
Reporter:
Alison Caldwell
TONY
EASTLEY: The world's media is now scrutinising every detail of the life of
the
Bavarian, Joseph Ratzinger.
He has
devoted most of his life to the Church, but somewhere in his 78 years
he's found
time to learn the piano, and plays very well by all reports, with a
preference
for Beethoven.
And like the
late Pope John Paul, he's a very accomplished linguist, speaking
ten
languages.
Alison
Caldwell has been looking at the life and times of Joseph Ratzinger, now
Pope
Benedict XVI.
ALISON
CALDWELL: Nicknamed "God's Rottweiler" and "Joe the Rat",
Cardinal Joseph
Ratzinger is
one of the best known and, in some cases, feared leaders of the
Catholic
Church.
Born in
Bavaria, the son of a policeman, Joseph Ratzinger was ordained into the
priesthood
in 1951, before becoming the Archbishop of Munich and then Cardinal
in the late
seventies.
Known for
his high intellect, Cardinal Ratzinger was chosen to head the Holy
Office of
the Inquisition in 1981, now known as the Congregation for the
Doctrine of
the Faith. This is where he established his reputation as an
enforcer of
orthodoxy in the Catholic Church.
One of his
first campaigns was against liberation theology, a movement popular
with priests
mainly in Latin America who believed the Church had a duty to
liberate the
poor from oppression.
Cardinal
Ratzinger saw it as a threat to the Church. He publicly criticised its
leaders and
sacked bishops who were sympathetic to it. He once described
homosexuality
as a "tendency" towards an "intrinsic moral evil." During
the US
election he
called for pro-abortion politicians to be denied communion.
With his
conservative track record, many Catholics fear Cardinal Ratzinger could
become a
divisive figure in the papacy. But others argue that it's wrong to
prejudge
him.
Margaret
Hebblethwaite is from the international catholic newspaper The Tablet.
MARGARET
HEBBLETHWAITE: It's a moment for saying to Catholics throughout the
world who
are feeling dismayed and there are many of them I'm sure not to
be dismayed.
For one
thing, he is very much better than his image because he's been
identified
with just one thing, which is the Inquisition of Theologians. He's
actually an
enormous capable and intelligent and devout man and good man, a
morally good
man.
Let's not
judge him in advance, and let's remember that what unites us is far
more
important than what divides us, but it's also a time for the conservatives
to remember
not to crow victory. This is a man who has to unite the Church, that
is his role.
ALISON
CALDWELL: Father Thomas Reese is the editor of the Catholic Weekly, the
America
magazine. He says Cardinal Ratzinger will provide continuation from the
papacy of
John Paul II.
THOMAS
REESE: Both of them were academics, both theologians, both respected one
another
highly, Cardinal Ratzinger was practically John Paul's right hand man,
especially
when it came to Church teaching and doctrine. So certainly he will
be a vote
for continuity in the Church.
He has a
different personality than John Paul II. You know, it will be a papacy
that will
see probably less travel and, you know, very different personality
but
certainly the same teaching, the same programs, the same policies.
TONY
EASTLEY: Father Thomas Reese, the Editor of the Catholic weekly, the
America
magazine.
© 2005
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Copyright
information: http://abc.net.au/common/copyrigh.htm
Privacy
information: http://abc.net.au/privacy.htm
.