November 7, 2004
FEAR OF A RED HAT:
Vatican watchers track rise of key cardinal (Daniel Williams, November 7, 2004, Washington Post)
The strict line on Catholic dogma by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger has earned the chief Vatican guardian of orthodoxy a host of nicknames: the Enforcer, the Fundamentalist, and Panzerkardinal, a German neologism that compares the Bavarian-born prelate to a battle tank.Ratzinger has long been one of Pope John Paul II's closest collaborators. But he has recently taken on an exceptional role as the Vatican's most forceful voice on a range of important and controversial issues facing the Roman Catholic Church. At a time when the ailing pope is seen and heard less and less by the public, Ratzinger's prominence has earned him another nickname in ecclesiastic gossip: John Paul III.
''Cardinal Ratzinger is a singular figure in the history of his office and perhaps the church," said Gianni Baget Bozzo, a theologian who specializes in the Vatican. ''He takes the initiative on a wide range of subjects in a way that is usually reserved to the pope. That's not to say he acts against the pope. He is trusted. But he is a kind of vice pope." [...]
''In spite of his age, Ratzinger has recently jumped to the top of the list of candidates," wrote one Vatican watcher, Sandro Magister, in L'Espresso magazine recently. ''Some look at him as if he were already de facto pope, the stony defender of the faith in a church under attack from modernity."
As head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Ratzinger has made several waves over the past year. Top among them was a letter he sent in August to Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington advising clergy that they must deny Communion to supporters of abortion rights who, he said, persist in cooperating in what he termed a ''grave sin." The note also provided advice on how Catholic voters should proceed when faced with a choice that included a political candidate who supported abortion rights.
You can't understate the importance of the synergy that has existed between the Church, America, and Britain which have all had rather conservative leadership since the late 70s/early 80s and have, therefore, been able to reshape the world. Posted by Orrin Judd at November 7, 2004 1:40 PM
Where was the outcry when Ratzinger, who is not an American, instructed U.S. voters how to vote?
Except from me, not a peep anywhere.
Ratzinger is, as cardinal, an enemy of democracy. They all are.
Posted by: Harry Eagar at November 7, 2004 2:08 PMAn enemy of democracy telling people to vote?
Posted by: oj at November 7, 2004 2:12 PMRatzinger doesn't care who will be the next pope to serve under him.
Posted by: Eugene S. at November 7, 2004 3:37 PMHis power under JPII will probably prevent his becoming Pope, but I'd assume his age would be a plus, not a minus. The Cardinals aren't going to want to pick another Pope who can serve for a quarter century.
Posted by: brian at November 7, 2004 5:08 PMI'm predicting a black pope. That would be an obvious compromise between the many conservative, doctrinal Cardinals and the rump of progressive Cardinals.
Posted by: David Cohen at November 7, 2004 5:38 PMHarry: Ratzinger was instructing Catholics to behave in accordance with long-standing Church doctrine rather than run off, hither and yon, in search of their own groove. There are not 30,000 Catholic denominations.
Posted by: JimGooding at November 7, 2004 6:31 PMDavid - Actually, we may have a black pope, as Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria is a leading candidate. However, though beloved by conservatives, he is in less favor with progressives, who are hoping for an Italian.
Posted by: pj at November 7, 2004 9:18 PMJust as a Pole was very important in the war against communism, so an African would be in the war against Whabbi Islam.
Posted by: Robert Schwartz at November 7, 2004 9:29 PMYes, Orrin. Allowing the laity to vote the way the clergy tells them is the limit of what the cardinals will tolerate.
Posted by: Harry Eagar at November 7, 2004 10:35 PMVote.
Posted by: oj at November 7, 2004 10:49 PMArinze has been sucking up to the terrorists for decades now, and has been a major force in seeking a common ground between Catholics and Jihadniks.
Posted by: Bart at November 8, 2004 6:53 AMBart:
Please be careful, if he's following his theological convictions he's certainly not "sucking up", he's going where his faith leads him. Is George Bush following his convictions or seeking wealth and political revenge in Iraq? I think both Bush and Arinze are following their convictions. Let us pray and hope that they both continue to seek God's council and remain open to His voice.
Posted by: Dave W. at November 8, 2004 10:13 AMNot everyplace where people cast ballots is a self-governing republic. You, of all people, ought to see that.
Posted by: Harry Eagar at November 8, 2004 3:44 PMThey all become democracies--people buy the rhetoric.
Posted by: oj at November 8, 2004 3:55 PMThey do? Ivory Coast?
Just to take the example of the week.
How about Argentina?
For that matter, your favorite, Spain?
It had elections until Franco got in.
Posted by: Harry Eagar at November 10, 2004 9:06 PMFranco gave them democracy.
Posted by: oj at November 10, 2004 9:10 PM