Discuss issues so that the listening pope may hear
The death of Pope John Paul II was significant in at least two very important respects.
First, it became quite clear that the pope is not just the leader of the 1,1 billion Catholics in the world today. He is now recognised as an important spiritual leader by members of different faiths and by secular leaders of different political persuasions.
Secondly, his death created a new sense of expectation among Catholics and members of the broader Christian community and among others who now recognise the papacy as a leading spiritual and political institution.
Some people expected the cardinals to elect someone from South America; some wanted the pope to come from Africa; and many were looking forward to the election of a progressive pope who would help the Church to recapture the spirit of Vatican II as they felt that, great as he was, John Paul II did not adhere strictly to what they saw as the letter and spirit of the Second Vatican Council.
The election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany as pope seems to have disappointed many. Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, is not from South America; he is not from Africa; and by all accounts he is a conservative leader who was a close associate of and advisor to the late Pope John Paul II.
While there was a great deal of fascination with the papacy when John Paul II died, Pope Benedict XVI does not seem to have been greeted with the same degree of enthusiasm by the South African press.
In terms of press reports, the election of Cardinal Ratzinger as pope was an indication of the Catholic Church’s determination to follow a conservative line. The new pope was likely to bring about a rift between conservatives and progressives in the Church, commentators said.
Highlighting Cardinal Ratzinger’s conservative and hard line approach to issues, the “Second Opinion” article in The Mercury of Durban, dated April 21, said: “The Bavarian-born cardinal drummed out dissident voices and silenced debate. He opposed the ordination of women, criticised the moral relativism in today’s world and emphasised the superiority of Catholicism.”
Personally, I must confess I was not overly excited at the news of Cardinal Ratzinger’s election. However, as I reflected further on this I began to see things differently. Those of us who are concerned about the election of a conservative cardinal to the papacy should consider the following:
If the cardinals did their work well (and I have no reason to believe they did not), God had a hand in the choice of the new pope, and God knows what is best for the Church at any particular point in time.
I agree with those who suggest that the ideas and vision of Pope Benedict XVI are not necessarily going to be identical to those of Joseph Ratzinger the cardinal. As pope, the former Cardinal Ratzinger is likely to adopt a broader view of things.
Pope John Paul II was a conservative leader in many respects, but what he has achieved in projecting the image of the Church and the status of the papacy exceeded all expectations. While he was conservative, he was undeniably a man of God and the Holy Spirit guided him in achieving what he was able to achieve for the Church and for the world.
Guided by the same Holy Spirit, Pope Benedict XVI may surprise us all, for it is not by their own power that good Christian leaders achieve what they are able to achieve, but by the power of God.
We should never forget that it was Saul, the murderer of the followers of Jesus, who became the Church’s most eloquent spokesperson and theologian.
What, then, should we do? Shall we fold our hands in the expectation that God and the new pope will sort things out for us?
I think it would be irresponsible of us to just wait and hope.
For one thing, the papacy has been redefined in that it has become a public office which people Catholics, Protestants and members of other faiths can comment on. For another, the future of the Church is a concern not only of the pope, the cardinals and the bishops.
The laity and the rest of the clergy are part of the royal priesthood that Peter talks about in his first letter (1 Peter 2:9). And it is not only to the hierarchy that the Spirit reveals himself because the Spirit gives his gifts “at will to each individual”, and this includes members of the laity (1 Cor. 12:11).
In view of the above, I propose the following course of action for all interested Catholics:
All of us, whether we consider ourselves to be conservative, progressive or orthodox, should be united in support of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, and we should pray that he may be able to guide the Church with wisdom, love and compassion and regard himself as a servant leader, governing in the best interests of Christ’s Church and humanity.
In his installation homily, Pope Benedict said: “My real programme of governance is not to do my own will, not to pursue my own ideas, but to listen, together with the whole Church, to the word and the will of the Lord”
There are many issues of concern to Catholics and to the broader Christian community which the Vatican should address. Since the new pope is a “listening pope”, we should not be afraid to bring to his attention matters we consider to be of concern to us and to all who care for the welfare of the Church.
These matters should be widely and freely debated by the faithful in a spirit of love and respect for authority so that the Vatican can be moved to consider them. The following are among such matters:
The issue of collegiality and power sharing between the pope and the bishops. Making provision for married priests in the Church. The ordination of women. The use of contraceptives for birth control purposes. The place of liberation theology in the Church. Christian Unity and relations with other denominations. Relations with other religions such as Islam, Judaism and Hinduism. The promotion of democracy and good governance and justice in the Church and secular society. Evangelising those parts of the world where the faithful are increasingly turning away from the Church.
We, the faithful, should urge the Church to consider calling Vatican Council III to address these and other matters, with ordinary members of the clergy, women religious and members of the laity being given the opportunity to express their views for the benefit of the bishops.
All concerned Catholics should actively participate in debate on these issues, in the interests of building a better Christian community serving humanity.
This is an opportunity for the Church to demonstrate its desire to be really and truly “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world”.
Professor Ngara teaches at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He wrote this article in a personal capacity.
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