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James Debono
When puffs of white smoked announced the election of Cardinal Ratzinger, progressives in the Catholic Church were dumbfounded. Despite the election of the man known as God’s rottweiler, the moniker bestowed upon him for silencing progressive theologians and for his rigid interpretation of doctrine, some of them did see the silver lining.
The advent of a sober papacy was welcomed by those who felt uncomfortable with the “orgy of superlatives” that had marked the last days of Pope John Paul II’s papacy. This time, German Joseph Ratzinger was seen as a more modest choice. “With Ratzinger we will not have a super pope. He is not such a person. His style is more modest than that of Pope John Paul II,” Dominican friar Gwann Scerri, the general co-promoter of Justice and Peace in the Dominican Order, had told MaltaToday two days after Ratzinger’s election.
Events proved the Dominican friar right. Pope Benedict XVI spent the first months of his pontificate modestly and quietly, reminding those with memories long enough not of his immediate predecessor, but of Pope Paul VI. His visit to Germany was the first international set piece of his pontificate, an occasion he was bound to use to set the mood for what comes after. By this test, his closeness to his predecessor – undoubtedly one of the reasons he was elected – had not tempted him into imitation.
According to Catholic journal the Tablet, “Benedict’s modest and understated public style might almost be seen as a deliberate repudiation of the personality cult that was increasingly associated with Pope John Paul II.”
Fr Gwann Scerri had also anticipated that by becoming Benedict XVI, Ratzinger would change. “He will change – if he does not extend a hand to everyone, who would hear him?” In fact as Pope, Ratzinger has so far done almost nothing controversial. In September he even hosted dissident Catholic theologian Hans Küng in his summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, a clear sign that the new Pope is open to intellectual dialogue with his critics.
Those who rejoiced or feared that the papacy had shifted to the right with his election have so far seen very little to confirm their judgement. Benedict is showing his more conservative side by highlighting the spiritual perils facing Europe through secularism and relativism, which greatly exercised him before his election.
He has also been engaged in the fight against the legalisation of de facto unions. This is an area, however, where he is not making much headway as various European countries like Spain have proceeded to recognise gay unions.
His critics have warned him not to embark on a crusade against the old continent: “a relativist and secular continent it may be, but Europe is enjoying an unprecedented period without war between its nations, is a laboratory for a unique experiment in international co-operation through the European Union, and is a place where human rights are enshrined as never before,” a Tablet leader read in the aftermath of his election.
Lacking the aura of a super pope, but armed with intellectual prowess, Benedict XVI can stand out as an interlocutor rather than an imposing political giant. Surely he has already managed to gain the respect of Cuban communist leader Fidel Castro, who has invited the Pope to the Caribbean island, and who told Cardinal Bertone that he had recognised in the new Pope “the face of an angel, the face of a very good person.”
jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt
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