The Pope has resigned. I have two reactions: meh and hope.
Meh – I’m not
Catholic. The Pope does not have any power over me (nor does he have any actual
power over anyone else, but a subtle reference to the classic movie Labyrinth never hurts).
Sure, he is a
very significant person who is the spokesperson for something like a billion
Catholics worldwide thus representing a major aspect of Christianity, but he
doesn’t speak for me or have direct influence over me. I am interested, but
from the sidelines.
It is important to lift up such a reaction. People like to
get excited about things for many reasons, but this is not something that I
think Baptists (or other Protestants) should get excited about. If the Pope
were resigning because he wanted to become a Baptist then I would be excited.
If it were because he wanted to become a Baptist and join the church I am
currently serving then I would be very, very excited. I may even wave the new
member classes just for him! Yet that does not seem to be the case. Alas. In
the meantime I still have to work on Sunday’s sermon, there are still people to
visit, church work to do, the Gospel to share, and life will continue. So I
say, “good for you Pope,” enjoy your retirement, get some rest, and I hope the transition
goes well.
Hope – Like it or not
the Pope’s resignation does effect me. Like it or not for many people he
represents Christianity and those who are not Christian may lump me in with
those who are weeping and wailing over the Pope’s resignation. Or for that
matter when the Pope makes a proclamation some may assume that us Baptists are
brought into that proclamation as well. I cannot control people’s perceptions
and the office of the Pontiff influences many people’s perceptions of Christianity.
The direction the Pope sets can make or break ecumenical
works. If John XXIII never set the groundwork for the Second Vatican Council
then Catholics and Protestants may still be avoiding each other on the street.
If Paul VI never took a stand against birth control with Humanae Vitae then questions and conversations around family
planning and women’s rights may have gone in a very different direction (ah the
joy of the hypothetical counterfactual).
Honestly I have not been a fan of Benedict XVI. I think he
has spent more time closing windows that were opened via Vatican II than doing
anything else. I think he has been circling his dogmatic wagons around a
specific view and interpretation of doctrine giving some the impression that
the Church is more of a fortress than a mystical communion. I wish him the
best. As a person I cannot say anything bad about him, but as a Pope I am not
sorry to see him go.
My hope is that the next Pope will listen to the sense of
the faithful, the movement of the Holy Spirit, and consider opening up a few
windows in the Church. Or at least use some Febreze®.
3 comments:
Hey Rev --
It's an old pal of yours here -- a good read as always. I think this pope was the embodiment of why so many moderates (like me) and liberals have left the church. We've long suspected we weren't welcome, but this guy came right out and said it/. Google's clogged right now with resignation stories so I can't find the link I want, but during a Christmas Eve homily, Benedict said something along the lines of this: "If you don't believe everything we believe, then you're not Catholic. And if that means we're going to have a smaller Church, then maybe that's OK."
It was the apex of what John Paul II said throughout his papacy, that in a world pushing "moral relativism," the church is not a morality buffet. It is what it is, and its rules are indivisible.
And among its rules are the promotion of bigotry, ignorance, domestic violence (through its attitude toward divorce), starvation and overpopulation (don't get me started on birth control and let's not talk about abortion)...And notice I was gracious enough to not even mention the "centuries of institutionalized child rape" here...
And if I'm not welcome in a club like that, well I think that only reflects well on me.
--Dan
Dan, It's Rev. Dr. (ha?). I found the link to the Homilies http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/homilies/2010/index_en.htm
but I could not find the Homily you are referring to. Regardless, you are right that he was very clearly drawing the lines again and again as to who was in and who was out. The most recent attack on the US Nuns is a great example of this. That is why I have some hope, but not a lot.
You should know that during the time between Feb. 28 (when Benedict XVI steps down) and whenever they choose the next Pope there is a special deal for all Catholics who would like to become Baptist. We will wave all transfer fees and recognize your infant baptism. Act now while there is still time!
Hey Rev-Doc (better?)
I'd love to join you, but I take the Sabbath restrictions extremely literally and spend all 24 hours of Sunday in bed. That's what you're supposed to do, right?
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