Because the best things in life are free.

 
Catholicism Goes Back to the Future

Saying that the Conclave of Cardinals might struggle to decide a successor to Pope John Paul II is an understatement. His reign was so long that most Catholics have forgotten or were not alive to see the controversy surrounding his elevation in 1978. If not for “The Godfather, Part III” most Americans would likely not even be aware that there was a controversy to begin with. His predecessor, John Paul I died after only 33 days in office once it became clear that he might amend the major encyclical of the previous Pope, Paul VI. He had rejected the recommendations of Vatican II to liberalize Church additions toward female sexuality and contraception.

But thanks to John Paul II, the Catholic Church squelched this debate only at the risk of trivializing itself in world. His staunch opposition to the Iraq war did nothing to stir Catholic sentiment against George W. Bush in the 2004 election. He waited far too long to address sex-abuse scandals. And for all his talk of standing up to Communism, John Paul II did very little to aid the plight of Catholics in China. He did enhance the retail papacy with World Youth Days and several international visits that raised the profile not just of the Church but of his own office.

But the long reign of a monarch is often deleterious for the people he or she leaves behind. The pressures building throughout the pontiff’s quarter-century rule are about to be released. The developed world’s scorn for Africa roils beneath the surface. The demands of Americans and Europeans for the Church to embrace things such as stem-cell technology will also rumble parishes from California to Krakow. Not to mention the critical shortage of priests everywhere.

This leads me to think that for Catholics, the future may be now.
posted by Thomas at 12:00 AM 0 comments