Church in Crisis: Pope Benedict Polarized More Than Unified

Speigel Online ^ | February 11, 2013 – 07:57 PM | A Commentary by Peter Wensierski

[haffast]

Ever since his appointment in April 2005, Benedict XVI has been a divisive figure. The euphoria over the election of a Bavarian pope that first swept Germany has long since receded. With all due respect to the first pope to voluntarily step down in hundreds of years: In the eight years he held office, the pope did more to polarize than to unify Catholics in his country of birth.

Benedict XVI never managed to grow beyond his former self, the conservative professor of theology Joseph Ratzinger. The pope did not build bridges as a Pontifex Maximus should. Here in Germany, his election led to an increasing split within the Church. On the one side were the disappointed advocates of long-overdue reform. On the other were the fundamentalists, the upholders of tradition and self-appointed guardians of the faith who wanted to turn the clock back to before the Second Vatican Council and sought salvation in an authoritarian and hierarchical Church of the past.

Some in Germany are already speaking of a schism within the Conference of Bishops. During his years in office, Pope Benedict boosted the reactionary wing of the Catholic community, with its frequently obscure splinter groups, more than his predecessor did -- be it with his approaches to the ultra-conservative Pius Brothers, his scolding of renegade theologians or his fondness for the Traditional Mass. His efforts to address the abuse scandals that rocked the Catholic Church all over the world were too little, too late. Neither in the United States, Ireland nor Germany did he and his bishops manage to regain the trust subsequently lost.

snip

[Rashputin]

". . . the reactionary wing of the Catholic community,. . ."

This is obviously a completely unbiased news report. /sarc

[Intolerant in NJ]

Funny interview on TV tonight with a girl on Philly’s St. Josephs Univerisity campus, hoping the new Pope will be more “progressive” than the current one, who’s “too conservative on gay marriage and women’s rights” - bizarre people who believe the Chirch should change its teachings to conform with their “beliefs”, rather than accepting the Church’s teachings to guide their lives.....

[IslamE]

Germans like the majority of Europe are socialists, they hate the fact Pope Benedict never allowed gays to marry and thought abortion was wrong! Benedict never gave into their insanity, Benedict is a great yet humble man who knows that good is good and evil is evil!

Socialists put darkness for light and light for darkness, they will fail in their efforts to place faith in governments and flawed elites, God will not be mocked nor will He tolerate His Laws being ignored! Our governments like the media are insane! God is slow to act, yet they will know His wrath and the elites will be gnashing their teeth!

[SamuraiScot]

Benedict XVI never managed to grow beyond his former self, the conservative professor of theology Joseph Ratzinger. The pope did not build bridges as a Pontifex Maximus should. . .

Folks in the news business always seem to put their fingers in their ears to keep out the news. Ratzinger kicked @$$ with a smile—a genuine smile. He phased out bad bishops and priests and installed good ones, lots of them, putting tough young men in influential positions. He reformed the English liturgy and made everyone accept it, despite predictions to the contrary. He was utterly beloved by the young, as was was JPII, drawing millions to World Youth Day. He has built for the future, and will even get to influence the choice of his successor—unlike popes who serve to the end of their lives. Just as important as all that, he has spoken the truth about Moslems, homosexuality, and holiness, among other things, in season and out of season, and never backed down.

As to whether Der Spiegel or other socialists with bad consciences speak well of B-16, well, he has been a soldier in a holy war against the devil and his useful idiots for 85 years. We don't think less of Eisenhower for being unpopular with Hitler.

[right way right]

Lemming’s are unified when going over a cliff.

Just saying.

[LadyDoc]

Expect a schism among the liberals in Europe if the Cardinals elect another Catholic Christian as Pope.... And all the US press is cheering for a Latin American with liberation theology ideas to be elected.

[Prospero]

What a “screed.” Starts off with the Pope’s being “appointed,” rather than elected, and goes from error to raving bitterness in very short order.

[Northern Yankee]

Seems to me Christ was polarizing. Didn't they nail him to a cross?

Reckon the Pope's in good company.

[ilovesarah2012]

I am not Catholic but respected the Pope for standing up for what was right against many CINOs. Weaken the Pope, weaken the church. I have no use for “all get along” protestant leaders, either, or rabbis, for that matter.

[dfwgator]

Pope Benedict Polarized More Than Unified

Well then considering that Jesus did the same thing, he's in good company in that department.

[ThePatriotsFlag]

To me, he comes off as a Pope that got the appointment through intrigue and power plays...just a “feeling” I have. He doesn’t seem devout or caring...cold. What the church needs is someone caring and loving yet strong in the traditions of the church. (Probably no Pope John types are left).

[fatima]

I always liked Ratszinger,when he became Pope I was happy.He said the church would get smaller and he started to clean house.To tell you the truth anybody can own a newspaper and also be a writer.So I don’t pay attention to them.There is one thing that I wanted him to finish before he left and it looks like that is not going to happen.I prayed the rosary for him yesterday.

[annalex]

the pope did more to polarize than to unify Catholics

Exactly, and that is Pope Benedict's greatness. The last thing we as Catholics should want is unity in the Church that was nearly crippled by Vatican II. The Pope did great work to unify the forces of the Holy Tradition in the Church by opening the door to the Latin Mass and to the Anglicans longing for authentic Christianity. But this work of unifying the authentic and the traditional in the Church could not have come but at a price of alienating the foreign and the syncretic in the left field. This work, of unifying the right and scattering the wrong must continue, and it will.

[Bulwyf]

Eventually, and I think soon, there will be a pope who will unite the religions under one banner as in revelations, to be the one world religion. I think it will be under the catholic banner.

Hold true to the word of God, things today are increasingly uncertain, and I think true persecution is coming.

[stop_fascism]

Yeah - from Der Spiegel April 30 A.D. - “Christ declares he came to bring a sword. He is proving to be a polarizing figure and not the unifier that advocates of long over-due reform had hoped for.”

[Romulus]

Oh, well. Life is about choices, and a little clarity at last is a good thing.

[ArrogantBustard]

Benedict XVI has been a divisive figure.

He follows in the footsteps of his Master.

Matthew 10:
32 Every one therefore that shall confess me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven. 33 But he that shall deny me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven. 34 Do not think that I came to send peace upon earth: I came not to send peace, but the sword. 35 For I came to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36 And as a man's enemies shall be they of his own household. 37 He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me. 38 And he that taketh not up his cross, and followeth me, is not worthy of me. 39 He that findeth his life, shall lose it: and he that shall lose his life for me, shall find it. 40 He that receiveth you, receiveth me: and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me. 41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive the reward of a prophet: and he that receiveth a just man in the name of a just man, shall receive the reward of a just man. 42 And whosoever shall give to drink to one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, amen I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.

[ArrogantBustard]

Even though this pope hasn’t actually kicked any priests out of their congregations no matter how lefty liberal their ideas of Christianity are, Spiegel is screaming.

Imagine the howling from the left if a Pope were to reinstitute the Inquisition, as many of us 'conservative' Catholics have suggested?

The "apostolic visitations" sent to certain seminaries and religious congregations was extremely mild, but the leftists screamed like stuck pigs.

[Cicero]

Exactly so. Faithful Christians—and Jews—should stick together and work against the common enemy.

I spent a good part of my professional life as a Catholic working together with Evangelical Christians toward those things we could all agree on. We could agree to disagree on other matters, but we could all agree on things like religious freedom and the right to life.

Having another strong and faithful Pope, who can continue to weed the liberal heretics out of positions of power in the Church, will be vital to the conservative cause in general. No need to agree on everything, but that should be clear enough.

[Mrs. Don-o]

This is a news outlet that calls "Mothers, let your babies live" a "divisive, controversial position" that the Pope needs to "grow out of."

They portray betrayal of all decency as "growth."

Which indeed it is, as in broncho-pulmonary carcinoma.