DN, Benedict - A Courageous Conservative

7/28/2019 DN, Benedict - A Courageous Conservative

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Benedict: A courageous conservativeBy Kevin de Souza

Its one week since Benedict XVI announced that he would step down as head of theCatholic Church at the end of February. The news rattled the world. I refused to believe ituntil I saw the Vatican Radio website for myself and heard the Popes address for myself.

Scott Hahn, the eminent Biblical scholar says, In some ways Im surprised at how surprisedI am. A letter to the editor in the Daily Nation (15 February) read: Giving God a two-weekresignation smacks of insubordination. Naturally, Benedict XVI has been a father figure tous. We feel the loss. Were not sure how to accept his decision.

Invariably, experts in diverse fields have felt obliged to analyse the situation, cookelaborate conspiracy theories and express their learned opinions. Some say he did well byresigning, while others question why he did not emulate his predecessor John Paul II bysuffering to the end.

I admit that the two men certainly have very different approaches to the sameproblem of

suffering. But I should also point out that many voices that now praise John Paul II were thevery ones that criticized him for refusing to resign from the papacy because of his advancedphysical infirmity.

The Pope must be a sign of contradiction

Lets face it: the first pre-requisite for the Vicar of Christ is that he must always be ready tobe a sign of contradiction. If Benedict XVI hadnt resigned, his persecutors would have foundsomething else to hound him on. Now that he has done the unthinkable, they cry foul howcan a pope break away from 600 years of tradition?

Very simple. For as much as Benedict has been labelled a conservative, his decisionproved him to be quite liberal, out-of-the-box we may say. It would have been far easier forhim to retain his position and remain passive to his duties of office. It would have been morecomfortable to stay holed up in his papal apartment, defended by a press release from hisspokesman saying something like, The Holy Father is unavailable as he is tending toimportant issues.

In his Ash Wednesday homily on 13 February, Pope Benedict made an interesting Lentenreflection: Conversion means not closing in on oneself in the pursuit of one's own success,one's own prestige, one's own position, but making sure that every day, in the small things,

truth, faith in God and love become the most important thing.

This is a conversion he has shown in practice. After much prayer and examination ofconscience before God, it became clear to him that his mind and body were no longer ableto respond to the hectic pace of life in the government of the Church. It wasnt a light day-oldcough or a heavy weeklong cold that afflicted him. It was 8 years of uphill walking, and hehad to admit that the climb had now become too steep. He made a choice to leave thepapacy knowing full well this was not a matter of his personal successes or prestige orposition. The papacy is a service to God and his people.

The Pope must be himself

The one chosen to serve as Pope is an individual, with his own identity and character traits.John XXIII was a simple man, son of a farmer, who surprised those around him by one day


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convoking the Second Vatican Council. Paul VI followed him in 1963, and until 1978, he hadthe difficult task of charting the way for the Church through murky post-Vatican II waters.John Paul I died 33 days after his election; he is remembered as the smiling Pope.

Its no wonder that John Paul II is informally referred to as John Paul the Great. At the ageof twenty, he had already lost his mother, his brother and his father. The Second World Wardidnt allow him to be with any of them when they died. He joined the clandestine

underground seminary. He survived a serious car accident; instead of being discouraged bythis, the young Pole became even more convinced of his vocation to the priesthood!

The youthful priest was out kayaking in northern Poland when he was summoned to beappointed auxiliary bishop of Krakow. At the age of 58, he became Pope and an extremelyhealthy pope at that. He jogged in the Vatican gardens, went swimming, hiked in themountains and loved football. The two assassination attempts on his life did not deter himfrom his mission, although they eventually took a toll on his health.

Everyone is tempted to juxtapose Benedict XVI with John Paul II. Born in Hitlers times,Joseph Ratzinger served his country as part of an anti-aircraft unit. Later he studiedphilosophy and theology and went on to become a Professor. He loves classical and he is an

excellent pianist who enjoys performing wonderful renditions of Mozart and Schubert. Aged70, he asked John Paul II for permission to retire and work in the Vatican library. The Poperefused. Eight years later, on 19 April 2005, Ratzinger was elected to occupy the Chair ofPeter.

The Pope must be himself. Its unfair to compare a sportsman and a scholar. Its impossiblethat any two men share the same strengths (and/or weaknesses). Thats why we have toaccept each person as he is. From a purely physical point of view, John Paul II was moreadept to suffering and was able to push himself to heroic limits that few of us if any wouldbe able to reach.

The Pope must do the will of God

In the Inaugural Mass of his Pontificate, Benedict XVI stated: At this moment there is noneed for me to present a programme of governance () my real programme of governanceis not to do my own will, not to pursue my own ideas, but to listen, together with the wholeChurch, to the word and the will of the Lord, to be guided by Him, so that He himself will leadthe Church at this hour of our history.

To those who deny the existence of God whether on principle or out of convenience this issheer humbug. For the believer however, the third dimension of a Divine Will gives a deepermeaning to life. If the Pope is to serve, he must do the Will of God.

Can resigning from the papacy be the Will of God? Yes. Under the conditions stated byCanon 332 2 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law: Should it happen that the Roman Pontiffresigns from his office, it is required for validity that the resignation be freely made andproperly manifested, but it is not necessary that it be accepted by anyone. In other words,no conclave is needed to dispense a pope from his duties.

Some would argue that this was a rather precipitated decision. Perhaps they ignore the twovisits the Pope made in 2009 and 2010 to the Cathedral of Sulmona to pray before the relicsof St Celestine V, the Pontiff who resigned in 1294. Four years of prayer and examination of

conscience constitute anything but a rash decision. The resignation was freely made. Hefulfilled the Will of God.


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The Pope must be a conservative

In the coming weeks, there is going to be plenty of speculation about thepapabiles. And ourfriends who resort to the popular nomenclature for branding popes and popes-to-be will berumouring that this candidate is liberal and that one is conservative.

All the popes from Linus, Cletus, Clement and Sixtus down to John XXIII, Paul VI, John PaulI and John Paul II have been conservatives. Paul VI was literally martyred alive for his

encyclical Humanae Vitae that gave clear-cut ideas on why artificial contraception isunacceptable for the believer. Going against the grain is what qualifies you as aconservative

From that perspective, Jesus Christ was also a conservative. He talked about people notlooking at women lustfully lest they commit adultery with them in their hearts. He appointedtwelve men, not twelve women, to be his apostles. And he reminded us that a man wouldleave his father and mother to be united to his wife, and the two would become one.

Let all those who aspire for a more progressive Pope be assured that the Vicar of Christ willalways be another Christand therefore, he will always be a conservative. No to same-sex

marriages. No to the ordination of women as priests. No to adultery, fornication, and all thesins against the 6th Commandment. No to sin.

The courage of Benedict XVI

As one of those privileged to attend three World Youth Days with Pope Benedict XVI, I cancertainly vouch for the courage of this man.

It took courage for a quiet-natured person like him to mingle with 1.4 million youth in Colognebarely four months after his election. Theysaid that only the charisma of John Paul II drew

young people closer to the church. Theywere wrong. Despite his initial clumsiness inhandling crowds, he brought in many more young people closer to Christ.

It took courage for an 81-year old man to embark on a journey longer than twenty-four hoursfrom Rome to Sydney in 2008. He took several days to recover from the jet lag. Even thoughhis physical strength had started to wane, he pressed on.

It took courage for this largely speaking indoor man to hold his ground at Cuatrovientosairfield in Madrid when a storm broke out in the World Youth Day Night Vigil. More thanonce, his aides urged him that it was best to leave the stage, but Pope Benedict refused. Atthe end of the storm, his voice crackled over the public address system: Dear Friends: I

thank you for your joy and your resistance. Your strength is greater than the rain.What anovation he received from the 2 million young people present. He had stayed for us.

It took courage on 11 February 2013 for the Holy Father Benedict XVI to announce that hecould no longer cope with his Petrine ministry. He voluntarily lowered himself in the sight ofmen. How gracefully he continues to carry the cross of misunderstanding and widespreaddisappointment of his people. He has shown us that courage brings suffering and thatsuffering is not aproblem, but the sign of a follower of Christ. May no adversity paralyzeyou. Be afraid neither of the world, nor of the future, nor of your weakness,he told the youthin Madrid.

We have many reasons to thank God for the pontificate of Benedict XVI. As we approach 28February, we should feel the urge to support with prayer and sacrifice he who has been ourfather and he who will be chosen to take his place.


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Kevin de Souza is a freelance writer who has worked in the field of education and institutionalcommunication for the last 15 years.

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DN, Benedict - A Courageous Conservative