Nonetheless, I do find the selection of Cardinal Ratzinger to be a 'watch-and-wait' event, since he has a very dense past both within the Church and (or by extension) within the history of the 20th centry. He was, according to reportage, more of a progressive before witnessing the student revolutions in the late '60s, and feeling more than ever that orthodoxy and clear interpretation of doctrine were the antidote to the rise of secularism, concluded that action had to be swift and severe. He has, since then, championed what are typcially termed 'conservative causes,' including much Catholic dogma, such as the ban on birth control, denigration of homosexulality and exclusion of women from the institution of the Church, that have left many Catholics and non-Catholics around the world with post-conclave-cold-feet.
I've done a marathon of internet research, and offer up the following links for those who want some 'further suggested reading' to begin forming their opinions of the latest Pope with as much solid information as possible. These links are culled primarily from 'progressive' or 'alternative' news sources, so there is an implicit bias, but the essential facts are verifiable and true. Among them are columns of commentary, ranging from a piece written by a prominent San Francisco Rabbi, to a pop-culture critique from the New York Time's incomparable Maureen Dowd. Enjoy!
- Commentary by Rabbi Michael Lerner, from TIKKUN.org (from Commondreams.org)
- A piece from the Washington Post, American reaction to the new Pope
- Maureen Dowd, of the New York Times, weighs in (from Commondreams.org)
- A solid piece from the Guardian UK, provides a brief history of Joseph Ratzinger, and his impact on the Church, past, present and possible future
No comments:
Post a Comment