“What the new Pope has done is conflate a sin with an identity.” (Sullivan, 2005)
With the media excitement of Pope Benedict’s visit to the USA this past week, it may be time to reexamine the direction his holiness would like to take the Catholic Church. The ultra-conservative ideals and goals are no secret. Has anyone heard if the Tridentine Mass is officially back? Benedict, at a minimum, seems intent on undoing Second Vatican Council and much of the progress by Pope John XXIII, a man who led his Church out of the Middle Ages and into the 20th century. As frightening as it may be, it seems Benedict and his ilk, are of the mindset that those medieval times were not so bad. Certainly, if you were a white male with connections and wealth, times were good. Maybe not so good if you happened to find yourself on the other side of the all-powerful theocracy on an issue, especially if you were perceived as a “threat” – burning at the stake cannot be a good end. The Pontiff’s thinking and preferred direction for the Church should concern every person. Sullivan’s article deals specifically on the Pope’s views on homosexuality and service. The most alarming statement in Sullivan’s article is the last paragraph where he states that the Pope has “identified” a group of people as being “beneath serving God”. If Sullivan’s papal thesis is correct, the Church has taken a very dark turn. Similar to fundamentalists of every stripe, thinking of this type is paramount to ‘us vs. them’ attitudes – the stepping stone for one group to declare another as evil, therefore, they must be destroyed. Something is inherently wrong when labeling becomes a means to maintain power. One can only wonder where women and other minorities will fit into the grand scheme.
"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." --Mahatma Gandhi
Source Citation:Sullivan, Andrew. "The Vatican's New Stereotype: Why its new rules barring gay priests turn Jesus' teaching on its head." Time 166.24 (Dec 12, 2005): 92. Academic OneFile. Gale. BCR Regis University. 19 Apr. 2008
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Gale Document Number:A139405717
Andrew Sullivan's blog, the Daily Dish, can be found at andrewsullivan.com
1 comment:
It is a bit frightening to hear an esteemed religious leader speak of some who aren't worthy of God's attention or love. However, Jesus did speak of a sin that did not merit forgiveness: a sin against the holy spirit. It is possible that this is what the pontiff meant by his remarks.
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