Habemus papam: the new Pope needs our prayers

The Telegraph (U.K.) ^ | 04/20/05 | Leader

[Pokey78]

Aspellbinding pause came after the words "habemus papam" were pronounced on the balcony of St Peter's at 5.43 yesterday, before the name was given. Then came "Josef" - Josef Ratzinger. Those watching, in the city and the world, waited during those seconds, agog to know the identity of the new Pope. But why should the world care who the new Pope is?

The answer lies in the extraordinary influence of the last papacy, of Pope John Paul II. Geopolitically, it changed the face of the world, not least by bringing the Soviet empire tumbling down. John Paul's importance was recognised by the turnout of world leaders at his funeral, and not just those who agreed with his principles.

Cardinal Ratzinger was one of two cardinals in this conclave who had voted for John Paul II. Yet he is not John Paul III, but Benedict XVI. It was 1978 when we last had a new pope, and many have forgotten the interest and uncertainty such a change brings. No one can predict the reign.

Some hopes of the secular world certainly will not be fulfilled. Western liberals are shocked by the Church's attitude to abortion, contraception, practising homosexuality, the ordination of women and the ordination of married men. But the Western world will be disappointed if it expects Pope Benedict to countenance abortion or sex outside marriage. Movement might have been expected on the ordination of married men, a matter of discipline, not moral doctrine.

But in whatever years are left to Pope Benedict, 78 last Saturday, no betting man would put money on change even here.

Cardinal Ratzinger was no monstrous obscurantist. He did not tolerate out-of-line theologians teaching in the name of the Church, but at least he was a proper theologian with an international reputation himself. As a theologian he attended the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), and he intends to continue its engagement of the Church with the world. But, in line with that council, how open will he be to collegial authority, and will he see the laity as prime movers of the Church in the new century?

His choice of the patronal name Benedict invokes his unfortunate predecessor Benedict XV, elected at the beginning of the First World War, and dead eight years later, worn out by unsuccessful efforts for peace. But the name also refers back to St Benedict, the builder of Western monasticism.

At the opening of this conclave, Cardinal Ratzinger delivered a sermon stressing continuity of religious doctrine in contrast with the endless experiment of secular ideologies, seesawing from "Marxism to free-market liberalism, even to libertarianism; from collectivism to radical individualism; from atheism to a vague religious mysticism". If St Benedict of old built a new Christian society for a Europe ruined by the fall of the Roman Empire, Pope Benedict is confident that he knows where to look for a vision to transform newly decayed Europe and the world.

It is no business of a national newspaper to decide the pastoral priorities of a man Catholics call the Vicar of Christ. Some readers will be very interested in his reverent attitude to liturgy. As far as Britain, its Queen and Government go, there is a presumption of friendship with the Pope, cemented by the visit of John Paul II in 1982. Society shares with the Church the furtherance of family values, education, social cohesion, peace and aspirations to human fulfilment, with a rejection of a culture of pornocracy or drugs. Christian rivalries no longer turn the Pope into Antichrist. Pope Benedict's task is daunting, and he asked in his first public words for prayers. He surely has those of Christians and the good wishes of many beyond his flock.

[Tribune7]

prayer bump

[Knitting A Conundrum]

so, if you are rude to me, come into my house, trash my rules, make fun of what I believe in, and I ask you to go, I have a heart of darkness for doing it?

This is what a lot of people have been doing with the church.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

You interested, Meek?

[Campion]

To infallibly hunt down and excommunicate external evils, suggests an internal heart of darkness, projected onto others.

That you characterize a courageous zeal for truth as "an internal heart of darkness" says plenty about you, and nothing about the Pope.

Popes are Christians, followers of Jesus Christ, not libertarian worshippers of their own bellies. Deal with it.

[MeekOneGOP]

"Habemus 'Possum." (?)

Cardenal Ratzinger defines the libertarian first principle of following one's own conscience, as relativistic tyranny. He affirms his faith by condemning alternate perceptions of holiness. He accuses those whom he has censured, and silenced of being themselves the dictators. To infallibly hunt down and excommunicate external evils, suggests an internal heart of darkness, projected onto others.

Ratzinger, the enforcer of orthodoxy, might remember the words Pogo, the marsupial philosopher, "We have met the enemy and he is us."

¿¿¿¿¿¿

[Old Sarge]

[SmithL]

Interesting short-term history here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/user-posts?id=205072

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

You are suggesting that the Pope should take his cue from a children's book about some Gala worshiping nature freak?

[cyborg]

[Old Sarge]

Oooo, pretty sparklies!

[PresbyRev]

Prayers for Pope Benedict XVI.

May God bless his reign as servant-leader of Christ's Church.

[SolidRedState]

"alternate perceptions of holiness"?
Where did you come from?
He hasn't even been Pope a full day. How do you know what he is going to do?
Seems to me the Pope is supposed to defend against "alternate perceptions of holiness", so I guess he will be doing his job.

[aposiopetic]

To infallibly hunt down and excommunicate external evils, suggests an internal heart of darkness, projected onto others.

This neglects a simpler explanation, viz., that he may just love the Almighty and neighbor enough that he hates evil and does not want anyone harmed by the spread of false doctrine.

[Zacs Mom]

[cyborg]

Your verbal flatus is most unwanted.

[NeoCaveman]

Mill John Stuart Since Apr 17, 2005

Hmmmm.

[dsc]

"We have met the enemy and he is us."

No, we have met the enemy, and he is Satan and his modernist, liberal useful idiots.

[Allosaurs_r_us]

                                                                            

 

Anybody else smell somthin'? Looks like the same thing they been postin' on DU today.

[killjoy]

No, we have met the enemy, and he is Satan and his modernist, liberal useful idiots.

[Killborn]

Dang, Meek! They are coming out of the woods or something?!!? Yeesh.

[537cant be wrong]

coming out of the wood.
i think they just pounce on any major event that is rightious, but in there gay world it is more doom and gloom.
sheeesh there world is so dark it must truely be unberable for there miserable souls :)
BWWWAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAHAAAAAA

[Killborn]

The majority of homosexuals need to tell the Lavender Mafia to FOAD. They are making the entire homosexual community look bad with their radical anti-God, pedophiliac, mindlessly carnal, and drug addicted deathstyle. Like the priests said:

"Speak now or forever hold your peace."

[TXBSAFH]

Prayers sent.

[fortunecookie]

No, we have met the enemy, and he is Satan and his modernist, liberal useful idiots.

And in some places, they can't line up fast enough to 'help'. Excellent comments!

[dsc]

"Speak now or forever hold your peace."

And when they don't, will you start wondering if the
"majority of homosexuals" only keep the rhetoric toned down and pretend not to be "radical anti-God, pedophiliac, mindlessly carnal, and drug addicted" to provide plausible deniability for the activists?

People who suffer from same-sex attraction disorder are ill. Some are sicker than others, but the worst thing you can do to any of them is to allow them to pretend that their illness is health.

[dsc]

I never saw SNL during those years, so I'm not sure just what your graphic is meant to imply.

[fortunecookie]

They are ramping into full tantrum mode. The lefties were so sure, so certain they would prevail with a progressive Pope and in the election last fall, too. It's a little fun to watch them race to try to one-up each other with false accusations and vitriolic untruths. Heads will be exploding.

[Killborn]

Agreed. The worst thing we can do to homosexuals is to keep them in that lifestyle. They need help.

[Killborn]

Heh. I can't wait for them to self-destruct. Justice, liberty, and the american way would trimph over communism once and for all.

[dsc]

"Heads will be exploding."

Oh, if only...

[Ramius]

Oh, if only...

Stay tuned. :-)

[Mill John Stuart]

As a world religion that has participated in, and suffered from, harsh religious conflict for two millenia, the Church has found that repression of evil and false doctrine can lead to creation of even greater evils. The Church has made its peace with considerable variation in doctrine and practice: priests with common law wives in Peru, Santeria in the Caribbean, Candomble in Brazil, Americans who use artificial contraceptives, conservatives and liberals. It has apologized for the violent way it has suppressed what it considered false in the past. The experiences of religious conflict have taught the Church and all other world religions that a degree of religious tolerance is necessary, that you cannot prove your love of God by silencing, excommunicating and driving out those who do not conform to the latest doctrinal shifts. The first amendment of the US Constitution embodies a recognition that religious tolerance is necessary for people to get along in the modern world. The Catholic Church, while not a political nation, is the denomination which has the biggest, and perhaps most elastic tent of all the world religions. That is inherent in the name Catholic, all-encompassing. Ratzinger has moved away from this big tent approach that the Church has evolved over centuries. He has been very selective about which currents and which individuals he would suppress, not going after the most violent, or most in violation of Catholic sexual morality, or farthest from official doctrine. There is a clear political bias, reflected, rather than a broad opposition to evil, or even false doctrine.

[Mill John Stuart]

Just because we are conservative doesn't mean we are anti-modernist, does it? The Catholic Church certainly embraces science and philosophy. What are American democracy, capitalism, the bill of rights, and internet blogging if not modernist?

[Mill John Stuart]

Flattered.

[garandgal]

At the opening of this conclave, Cardinal Ratzinger delivered a sermon stressing continuity of religious doctrine in contrast with the endless experiment of secular ideologies, seesawing from "Marxism to free-market liberalism, even to libertarianism; from collectivism to radical individualism; from atheism to a vague religious mysticism".

Wow. This is a terrific line, and shows this man's vast intelligence and understanding of the effects of immorality on a variety of issues. I love the compare and contrast of what he sees as immorality on both ends of the spectrum, and agree with him 100%.

[Mill John Stuart]

Ratzinger has a considerable public resume. He would not deny that he has been quite clear about where he is going. He was pretty straight forward in his long statement after John Paul's death.

[Mill John Stuart]

Doesn't take much to get y'all going, does it?

[Mill John Stuart]

What are libertarian worshipers of their own bellies?

[Mill John Stuart]

One would have to say that Pogo is a bit more than a children's book. It's clearly for adults, and one of the most respected, and thoughtful comic strips of all time. What is Gala about? You're definitely right about the freak part, though. I guess that goes with the territory.

[Mill John Stuart]

Somehow my earlier reply did not get through. You seem to raise a serious question, deserving a serious answer. I saw a priest in Nicaragua who ran schools, churches, womens' centers, and reconciliation meetings between Contras and Sandinistas. He would travel on foot and by mule with a group of lay workers hundreds of miles throughout the countryside around the town of Waslala. He spent something like 150 days on the road each year establishing the link between the Catholic Church and the tiny communities in the nearby mountains. His perspective came from the tradition of Vatican II and liberation theology. He said we should see the face of Christ in the face of the shoe shine boy. People worked with him who were both Sandinista and Contra and everything in between. His people served as "delegates of the word" in the tradition of the Christian Base Communities of Liberation Theology. Ratzinger's crackdowns and censures were directed against people like him, people who clearly had great faith in the church, who were clearly within the house, and were building it and holding it together. Yes, you would have to say that in driving people like these out of the Church, Ratzinger was creating and giving life to the very heart of darkness, he is ostensibly fighting against.

[dsc]

"Just because we are conservative"

We?

"doesn't mean we are anti-modernist, does it?"

Modernism has a specific definition within the context of Catholicism. See the writings of Saint Pius X.

"What are American democracy"

America is a republic, not a democracy.

"capitalism"

Capitalism is not an "ism." It's just the way people act when they are free. Goes back as far as history.

"the bill of rights"

The Bill of Rights is grounded in Natural Rights philosophy, which does not fall under the heading of modernism as the term is used in the Catholic Church.

"internet blogging"

The Soviet union had its samizdat; the French revolutionists had their pamphleteers, and in earlier ages information was passed by word of mouth.

BLogging is just a more efficient way to do what has always been done.

[MeekOneGOP]

They removed the comment, but not the poster.

[ExGeeEye]

Explanatory note on the graphic:

One of Dana Carvey's characters, shown here on the right, was "the Church Lady" who had a fictional cable access show (cf. "Wayne's World") called "Church Chat".

The character was drawn from life, according to Carvey; ladies of his family's church who said things like "some people only come to church when it's con-VEEN-ient" and rhetorically wondering whether some malfeasance or other-- short skirts or unwed snuggling-- was caused by-- "could it be...SATAN!?"

Of course, it could be, but is more often our own Adamic nature that really needs no supernatural impetus.

Which explains why I, a serious Christian of the Baptist brand, enjoyed "Church Chat" :)

[lillybet]

God Hears our Prayers, he has chosen well for the good of all

[dsc]

"Of course, it could be, but is more often our own Adamic nature that really needs no supernatural impetus."

I find it very hard to know how to know.

IMB, since the fact that we have a sinful nature is attributable to Satan, all sin is due in a way to his influence.

I don't imagine that Satan is imminently present every time a minor sin is committed, but he precipitated the events that led to it.

Then, too, he has a lot of help. A whole army of angels was cast out of Heaven with him, right? What we Catholics used to refer to as Satanum aliosque spiritus malignos: Satan and the other malign spirits (that wander the world seeking the ruin of souls).

I sometimes hear liberals arguing in favor of abortion on demand, and at such times I have no sense of Satan's presence or any reason to suspect it...but can we say his influence is absent?

As I said, I find it very hard to know how to know what might be direct influence, and what is just the influence of the wrongheaded ideas he introduces into the world.

Talking about it makes me want to say the prayer to the Archangel Michael (which I know Baptists don't do).

Sancte Michael Archangele, defende nos in proelio;
contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium.
Imperat illi Deus; supplices deprecamur: tuque,
Princeps militiae coelestis, Satanam aliosque spiritus
malignos, qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in
mundo, divina virtute in infernum detrude. Amen

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle;
be our safeguard and protection against the wickedness
and snares of the devil; may God rebuke him, we humbly
pray; and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by
the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil
spirits who wander the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

[aposiopetic]

My sole assertion stands, that you (for whatever reason) reject a simpler and more benign explanation: the discouragement (what you call "suppression" -- a condition which no longer obtains, given the state of worldwide communications in 2005) of the teaching of error is done to fulfill the two great commandments.

For the record, since my comment went to the issue of motive, I never asserted that Ratzinger had somehow succeeded in stopping the teaching of every known or conceivable error among a billion or so Catholics.

Feel free to take that debate up with someone else.