Americans with preconceived notions about Pope Benedict may be in for surprise during U.S. visit
Posted by David Gibson Religion News Service and Charles Honey The Grand Rapids Press March 29, 2008 08:00AM
If what you know of Pope Benedict XVI is the hard-line doctrinal decrees of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he may surprise you on his first visit to the United States next month.
So says the Rev. Robert Sirico, who has met Benedict and seen his pastoral side closer than many.
"They're going to see he's far more gentle than he's very often made out to be," said Sirico, president of the Grand Rapids-based Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty. "He's not a storm trooper. He listens, and he just wants to be heard."
Central to the anticipation surrounding Benedict's April 15-20 visit is a widespread curiosity among U.S. Catholics about a pontiff whom they mostly know only through headlines and video clips.
What is he like in person? And what he will say to his large and often independent-minded followers in the United States?
Such questions might seem odd because, for nearly a quarter-century before his 2005 election as pope, Cardinal Ratzinger was the Vatican lightning rod on the most explosive doctrinal controversies. No one in Rome -- except John Paul II -- garnered more media attention or got so much negative press.
But not only is Ratzinger in a different role now as pope, he has relatively little direct experience with U.S. Catholics -- a flock that, despite its outsized influence, still represents just 7 percent of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics.
Many U.S. Catholics are not familiar with Benedict or what he stands for, said Robert Marko, chairman of theology at Aquinas College. In a course he taught on Ratzinger's theology last semester, older and younger students had mistaken impressions, Marko said.
"I think there's a built-in prejudice against him among many," Marko said. "He's already been tagged as kind of God's rottweiler.
"He is a brilliant, brilliant theologian. As people come hear what he says, I suspect they will be impressed. I would hope it opens the eyes of those who tend to be overly critical."
Sister Nathalie Meyer, prioress of the Grand Rapids Dominican Sisters, was impressed when she met Benedict in a worldwide gathering of religious sisters last spring.
"He was very gracious, very gentle, very pastoral," Meyer said. "He's very different than I expected."
A learning experience
At heart, Benedict is a thoroughly European man, a German-born academic and classical pianist who speaks Latin with greater fluency than he does English. For years before his election, he wanted nothing more than to return to the Bavarian university town of Regensburg to write and lecture.
Yet, now, he finds himself about to visit Washington and New York as pope. It could be a learning experience for him, too.
Vatican officials say that, as cardinal, Ratzinger visited the U.S. five times -- the last nearly a decade ago -- and always on academic missions or church business. In a 1996 book-length interview, "Salt of the Earth," Ratzinger was hesitant to comment on the American religious scene "because I have so little knowledge of America."
Yet that's not to say Benedict does not appreciate the United States. In that interview, he noted that America has a "commitment to morality and a desire for religion" -- even citing Hillary Clinton's plea to families to watch less television as evidence of a "broad current" of counter-culturalism.
Last month, when he accepted the credentials of the new American ambassador to the Holy See, Benedict struck that note again, extolling the United States as "a nation which values the role of religious belief in ensuring a vibrant and ethically sound democratic order."
Associates of the pope also stress he is well-informed on American culture, politics and church life. As a cardinal, Ratzinger always had Americans on the staff at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and, as pope, appointed William Levada, the archbishop of San Francisco, to his old job, making Levada the highest-ranking American ever to serve at the Vatican.
The Rev. Joseph Fessio, a former student of Ratzinger's and the publisher of all of Ratzinger's works in English through Ignatius Press, also cited Benedict's intellect as compensating for his lack of direct experience with the U.S.
"I've had the practice over more than two decades of speaking with him, each time ... about the two or three problems here which I thought most important," said Fessio, a Jesuit. "I don't recall ever telling him something he didn't already know."
Reining in liberal forces
On the other hand, Benedict's American contacts are almost all like-minded conservatives, which may give him a somewhat slanted view of American church life. As John Paul's doctrinal czar, Ratzinger was instrumental in the campaign to rein in liberal and moderate forces in the American church. He disciplined theologians and prelates, promoted like-minded bishops to prominent posts and quashed debates over issues such as the role of women or birth control.
The tipping point -- in the Vatican's favor -- may have been a 1989 showdown in Rome between Vatican officials and American church leaders. During that summit, Ratzinger was John Paul's chief spokesman, and he told the bishops in no uncertain terms that they are "guardians of an authoritarian tradition" and must be firm and not overly tolerant: "Pastoral activity consists in placing man at the point of decision, confronting him with the authority of truth."
The effort, while taking a toll, was considered a success.
Observers generally agree the American church is in an inactive -- some would say resigned -- era. In his 1996 interview, Ratzinger acknowledged that tensions with the American hierarchy had eased, and that there were only "30 bishops at most" (out of about 300) who caused headaches for the Vatican.
Gentle reminders
Now that he is visiting as pope, Ratzinger likely will soften his tone. The pastor-in-chief will follow the model of John Paul, exhorting the flock to a greater fidelity to Rome but reminding them -- as gently as possible -- of their failings.
In addition, there may be more focus on Benedict's support for environmental protection, his "liberal" (by American standards) stands on social welfare and immigration and his continued opposition to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
Sirico expects the pope will address abortion and other human-life issues, the sanctity of marriage, prosperity and globalization, as well as academic freedom in his talk at The Catholic University of America.
"I think he is going to basically call people to look at the (Catholic) identity of the institutions," Aquinas' Marko said.
Overall, Benedict is far more likely to please conservatives than he is liberals. He surely will do little to advance the reform-minded agenda of Catholics who want the church to consider changes in doctrine, tradition or governance. Instead, the pope will want to remind Catholics that remaining a counter-cultural force is the best way to push America toward a more just society and to unite fractious followers under the banner of a common, and somewhat retro, Catholic identity.
"He's calling us back to the basic message of Christianity," Marko said. "That's his genius."
Source: http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/03/americans_with_preconceived_no.html
