Positive Liberty

CNN is reporting that German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger has been chosen as pope.

Here is some news analysis from a historian: Papal names often reflect the policies the incoming pope hopes to pursue. In this case, the two most recent Benedicts–XV and XIV–suggest quite a lot about how Ratzinger views his mission.

Benedict XV’s tenure came during World War I, a time of general crisis in the West. From the perspective of a hard-line conservative, today probably looks like a similar time of crisis, if not physically than certainly in spiritual matters.

Benedict XIV was pope during the years 1740-58, an era that happens to be in my specialty. Benedict XIV definitively condemned a number of theological innovations, particularly by the Jesuits, who then as now included many of the most liberal theologians in the Church. The following comes from Wikipedia, which seems to be more or less accurate:

Perhaps the most important act of his pontificate was the promulgation of his famous laws about missions in the two bulls, Ex quo singulari and Omnium solicitudinum. In these bulls he denounced the custom of accommodating Christian words and usages to express non-Christian ideas and practices of the native cultures, which had been extensively done by the Jesuits in their Indian and Chinese missions. An example of this is the statues of the ancestors - is honor paid to the ancestors to be considered unacceptable ‘ancestor worship,’ or is it something more like the Catholic veneration of the saints? And can a Catholic legitimately ‘venerate’ an ancestor known to not have been a Christian? The choice of a Chinese translation for the name of God had also been debated since the early 1600s.

The consequence of these bulls was that many of these converts left the church.

Historians continue to debate just what was going on at these Jesuit missions, and the matter is too complex to delve into at length right now. A charitable interpretation would have the Jesuits appreciating the philosophy of Confucius just as Catholics now appreciate the philosophies of Aristotle or Plato. A less charitable approach has them turning to outright paganism, which I frankly find hard to believe.

But whatever interpretation we follow for these centuries-old disputes, it certainly seems that Ratzinger intends to govern as a conservative, and to brave the consequences of his choice. As a non-Catholic, I really have no strongly-held position on this. Still, I do wish my Catholic friends, many of whom are gay, the best in whatever may be to come.

Yes, I have to admit I am a bit concerned. Consider this Freeper who linked to my previous article on papal prophecies. Apparently he didn’t notice that I am rather a skeptic about the coming Apocalypse:

The Order of St. Benedict claims this final pope will come within the Benedictine Order [sic], and that he was placed in the secession [sic] line because St. Benedict himself prophesied that before the end of the world, his Order will triumphantly lead the Catholic Church in its battle against evil (the Battle of Armageddon).”

…Pope Benedict, the 112th pope since Celestine II. As prophesized, the connection to the Olivetans, even if only in the name chosen. [sic]

Gird thy loins, it’s evil-smitin’ time!

Cruelty doesn’t need a reason; it only needs an excuse.

Update: Other blogs discussing the historical Benedicts include Majikthise, whose speculations are a lot like mine; Outside the Tent, who draws unsavory (but, I think, unjustified) conclusions from Benedict XIV’s anti-Semitism, and lastly a whole lot of bloggers who don’t know their Roman numerals very well. No links for them.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS