Right wing Roman Catholics mourn the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

As a practicing Roman Catholic, my opinion (for what it is worth)  about Pope Benedict  XVI, is that he was a human being who exemplified tremendous integrity.  He knew the Catholic Church desperately needed sweeping changes for multiples of reasons.  Unfortunately, Pope Benedict XVI,  was just not strong enough to be a leader for the moment.

Instead of leading, Pope Benedict XVI became another kind of spiritual leader. Pope Benedict was not a reformer, but he led a spiritually conservative cause for traditional Roman Catholics that desperately yearn to protect the faith from the influences of  moral relativism. 

Echo essay from The Guardian, published in the Effingham Daily News, an Illinois newspaper.

Pope Benedict XVI (b.1927- d. 2022)  

Although the Catholic Church is contemplating its future direction, it would be a mistake to view (Pope Benedict XVI’s) death at the age of 95 as anything other than a significant moment. (Read Pope Benedict XVI's obituary at this link here.) 

Though the notion of “two popes” worked better as the title of a film than as a true description of Vatican reality, the politics of Benedict’s retirement have undoubtedly been fraught and faced with challenges.

As Pope emeritus, Benedict XVI became a rallying point for opposition to attempts by his successor, Pope Francis, to move beyond his traditionalist legacy. 

Frankly, Benedict’s failure to properly address the sex abuse scandals that continue to overwhelm the church during and after his pontificate are well chronicled. But the context of that reluctance to engage was a kind of siege mentality which he embodied – first as Pope John Paul II’s ideological enforcer (earning him the nickname “God’s rottweiler”), and then as Pope. 

Benedict’s defensive response to western secularization viewed battening down the hatches of orthodoxy – and closing ranks within the church hierarchy – as the best antidote to the perceived relativism of the age.

Amid corruption scandals, outrage over clerical sexual abuse, and a gulf between church doctrine and the everyday experience of many ordinary Catholics, this approach served neither the church nor the world well. But it remains entrenched in parts of the Vatican. 

As Pope Francis – who himself intends to stand down if his health deteriorates significantly – seeks to implement a very different vision, the coming year will be crucial.

Pope Francis presides during the funeral for Pope Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI (1927-2022)

In 2021, the pope launched the awkwardly named “synod on synodality” – the biggest consultation of global Catholic opinion ever undertaken by the church. This is Francis’s flagship attempt to return to the open, participative spirit of the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, which concluded that church stances could and should be open to change in light of “the signs of the times”. In October, the first summary of the synodal process’s findings suggested that congregations around the world long to revive that ethos.

Collated responses from millions of Catholics record a widespread desire for an agenda of “radical inclusion”. This encompasses equality for women within the church, greater focus on the plight of poor and marginalized groups such as migrants, a welcoming approach to LGBTQ Catholics, and an overhaul on church governance in relation to sexual abuse. It is an outline of a progressive Catholicism that can build bridges with secular society, instead of taking pride in keeping a distance in the name of doctrinal purity.

The Catholic church is not a democracy, and the final outcome of the synod is likely to be less radical than many participants would hope. But in an era in which Christian identity – and Benedict’s traditionalism – have been weaponized by the radical right, a reform program with its roots in the laity would have welcome ramifications beyond the pews. Pope Francis’s listening exercise can let the winds of change finally blow through the Catholic Church, a global institution in need of renewal.

Published in The Guardian