April
19, 2005:
We
Have a New Pope:
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger Becomes
Pope Benedict XVI
by Jon
M. Sweeney
Days
of intense speculation have culminated as 115 cardinals decided
today who will serve the Roman Catholic Church as its next
pope. The end of the secretive conclave, begun on Monday afternoon
local time when the cardinals sequestered themselves in the
Vatican’s famous Sistine Chapel, was predicted for sometime
this week.
It will not be easy to follow in the footsteps of John Paul II, his charisma,
physical energy, intellect, leadership, and power of personality. John Paul
died at the age of 84 on the evening of April 2 in his private apartment at
the Vatican in Rome. Within days, the chants of Santo! Santo! and
banners reading Santo Subito! (“Sainthood Now!) were heard and
seen from the crowd of two million faithful who came to pay their last respects
to John Paul’s body. Also, there are already reports from the faithful
of miracles that have come as a result of praying to the deceased pope for
intercession. Such attested miracles are necessary for the beatification, and
then canonization, of any Catholic saint.
According to the Associated Press, in a survey taken only ten days ago of 500
Catholics in America, two-thirds of respondents said that John Paul should
be made a saint.
Catholics
believe that the pope is the head of the Church universal,
a direct spiritual descendant of St. Peter, the apostle, who
they believe to have been the first pope. The elected successor
to John Paul is the 265th pope in that line of religious authority.
John Paul appointed all but three of the 115 cardinals who
chose his successor, fourteen of which are in the Vatican representing
North America.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, a conservative German theologian, and one of the
closest associates of John Paul, was seen by many experts and observers as
the frontrunner for the papacy. National Catholic Reporter Rome correspondent
John Allen, Jr. was the first American journalist to report Ratzinger’s
possible favored status among the assembling cardinals in a column late last
week. Then, the Sunday New York Times proclaimed the same in part of its front
page headline—“German Seen as Central Figure in Conclave.”
Why
Should Non-Catholics Be Concerned Over the Selection of the
Next Pope?
Roman
Catholicism is the world’s largest religion, with at
least 1.1 billion baptized members. Present in St. Peter’s
Square on April 9 for the funeral of John Paul II were at least
fifteen reigning monarchs, close to 75 heads of government
or state - including President George W. Bush and Iranian President
Mohammed Khatami - at least fourteen leaders of other world
religions, and several leaders of other Christian denominations
including The Most Reverend Rowan Williams, the Archbishop
of Canterbury.
World leaders outside the Catholic church paid their respects to John Paul
because of the enormous influence he had over world affairs. Not all popes
have had the vast influence that John Paul—who is credited with playing
a key role in the downfall of Communism, for instance—had. Nevertheless,
why are so many non-Catholics watching closely as the cardinals debate who
will be the next pope?
There are vital issues facing the future pope. First, will women one day be
able to lead as priests in the church? John Paul stood adamantly against even
the discussion of this issue. Second, will the “top down” approach
to dogma continue, as it has from John Paul’s Vatican for the last twenty-six
years? Many theologians have been silenced, discussions abruptly ended, and
spiritual leaders removed when they were not quick to recognize or affirm what
was sent to them. We saw this sort of intimidation even in the 2004 U.S. presidential
campaign, as Catholic bishops threatened to withhold the sacraments from candidate
John Kerry, or anyone else, for that matter, who didn’t agree with official
teachings.
But perhaps most importantly, what will be the future of Roman Catholicism’s
relations with the rest of Christianity? The message from John Paul’s
papacy was mixed on this subject. Through his travels he reached out to the
world, meeting personally with more religious leaders than any pope before
in history. Through his speeches and writings he often encouraged the dream
of restored communion between branches of Christianity, as hinted at in the
proceedings of the 1960s Second Vatican Council. In his 1995 document, Ut
Unum Sint, he even encouraged Christians of other denominations to help
him find ways of improving his papal ministry. But, John Paul did not make
an effort to clarify the most essential teaching of Catholicism that separates
Catholics from other Christians: True salvation, according to official teaching,
remains the province of Catholicism alone. According to Dominus Iesus,
a declaration written in 2000, “the one Church of Christ subsists in
the Catholic Church.” And it was Cardinal Ratzinger who wrote it.
More information about Pope Benedict XVI can be found at The
National Catholic Reporter Web site.
Jon Sweeney is an author and editor living
in Vermont. His new book is
THE LURE OF SAINTS: A PROTESTANT EXPERIENCE OF CATHOLIC TRADITION. More
by Jon Sweeney.
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