April 19, 2005
Pope Bendict XVI
I'm not sure how to react to the choice of Ratzinger as Pope. Since he's German, I suppose I'm going read up about him. David, who blogs at Dialog International--the best (liberal) German-American blog--is disappointed with the choice for political reasons. After all, Ratzinger has definitively positioned himself on the conservative side of the culture war and he intervened in the US Presidential race, ordering priests not to give communion to abortion supporters. In addition, Sullivan points out that Ratzinger publicly opposes the entry of Turkey into the EU--setting the stage for a cultural battle that we liberal internationalists have been desperate to avoid.
On the other side, Michael Novak of National Review, believes Ratzinger is the man to fight moral relativism.
It's been interesting watching the coverage on the evening news. The local stations had nothing but positive things to say: pithy soundbites from happy local believers. The national news (I've been on ABC, even though Gibson can't hold Jennings' jock) has had a more balanced look at Ratzinger's shortcomings. One source cited less than 30% favorability among Germans. Anyway, I look forward to learning more about him in the coming days.
By sheer coincidence, I was at a party thrown by some Bavarian exchange students last night. Apparently, Ratzinger used to teach at the University of Regensburg. One of the guys I talked to last night is in the same (catholic) fraternity as Ratzinger and got to meet him last year. It appears true that the German media and the majority of Germans are hostile to Ratzinger--seeimingly out of political reasons. The Catholic guy I talked to was bitter about this, complaining that "Germans turn gold into shit, while Americans turn shit into gold". He thought that any other country would be thrilled to have the pope. But I think it's natural Germans would be upset that the (apparently) most conservative candidate would be chosen, regardless of nationality, given how left-wing Germans are relative to the world at large.
"ordering priests not to give communion to abortion supporters."
This isn't really true. But to tell the truth, the whole media coverage that began with JP2's death and the new election of Pope Benedict XVI has been so full of misleading statements and outright falsehoods that it seems a futile task to try and keep things straight. The combination of laziness and dishonesty that I have witnessed will make me forever question the veracity of the media's coverage of almost any other event in the future.
Well I got those words from David, and I suppose Ratzinger didn't actually have the authority to "order". But he certainly did weigh in on the dispute. In any case, we non-believers are going to weigh in on political grounds, however ignorant we are of the theological issues at stake. Ratzinger's status as a public intellectual seems to invite comment.
Well I got those words from David, and I suppose Ratzinger didn't actually have the authority to "order". But he certainly did weigh in on the dispute. In any case, we non-believers are going to weigh in on political grounds, however ignorant we are of the theological issues at stake. Ratzinger's status as a public intellectual seems to invite comment.
ludwig, Where did I ever say non-believers shouldn't weigh in? Of course you should weigh in. It is not ignorance of the theological stakes that I am railing against. It ignorance of simple facts and that this doesn't seem to stop people from making bold pronouncements that has me upset.
I know this new pope rather well.I can tell you he's an asshole of the first degree.When I was a volunteer 1994-1998 at an A.I.D.S.center I met a few priests some with AIDS, and some nuns and to the man and woman Ratzinger then Cardinal, was hated one and all.Reasons, he was hurting the very people (priests & nuns) who were trying to minister to the AIDS community.He condemened homosexuals calling for legal agenda against them such as not allowing gay/lesbian peoples not to adopt children coincidence Texas just passed a law doing just that.
Then there is the case of Dominican priest Matthew Fox of Holy Names College of Oakland Ratzinger "silenced" Fox for a year and eventually drove Fox out of the church What was one of Ratzinger's main charges against Fox It was Fox's support of gay and lesbian people and his unwillingness to condemn gays as Ratzinger instructed him to do.
Thelogians are supposed to go out on a limb so the rest of us don't have to.
I mean you have to be a pretty low character to come down on people already sick from AIDS and that's exactly what Ratzinger did Shame on him
Ratzinger also persecuted Dignity a gay/leabian group of catholics who Ratzinger, denied this group a spiritual right to belong to the church
What ever happened to hate the sin love the sinner ?
james
Whatever happened to punctuation?