The Pope, Piety and Popularity

After Pope John Paul II died in April 2005, a vacuum developed between the Catholic Church and its 1.131 billion Catholic membership worldwide. The assumption of the Papacy by Joseph Ratzinger, who chose the name Pope Benedict XVI, has done little to ease the sense of loss and displacement of Catholics in their faith that missed the comforting presence of John Paul II. The Church seemed distant, and the initial pronouncements of Pope Benedict XVI regarding changes in the conduct of the Holy Mass engendered a disconnection among many Catholics who find difficulty feeling the present Pope.

Pope Benedict XVI espouses fundamental Catholic practices of worship. His views and principles that promote orthodox Catholic teaching is an abrupt departure from the openness and liberalized methods that had been universally accepted as welcome changes. Practices which made the Holy Mass more participative, more open and involved, unified and adapted to local cultures, were ordered reversed to the traditional worship procedures. These include the priest with his back to the churchgoers, veils for women, and use of Latin. The impact of this order hit the entire Church membership instantly since it is where Catholics converge on Sundays. Confusion followed unanswered questions , and the hopes of the local Catholic leadership for ready compliance turned into disassociation.

Being the immediate successor to Pope John Paul II, comparisons may be unfair but unavoidable. John Paul II had a very friendly and approachable persona. He was a charismatic Pope who had the ability to inspire billions of members globally; the knack for rallying professionals, elderly, and working class Catholics to a regeneration of the faith; and the communication savvy to connect with the youth worldwide whose influence they embraced, whose words they absorbed, whose humanity they accepted and loved. His memory lives on in the youth whom he has touched spiritually and emotionally.

In contrast, Benedict XVI has a stern projection that can be daunting to those who want to reach out. As the present head and spiritual leader of the Catholic Church on Earth, his words and actions were taught to be infallible. This teaching no longer holds as much awe and wonder as it used to. His address at the University of Regensburg inappropriately used a 14th century Papal quotation that slammed the Muslim faith - causing protests from Muslims worldwide. The fiasco was done at a time when inter-faith harmony was being promoted.

The 6-day Papal visit to the United States, where 67 million Catholics (22% of the population) reside and whose practice of the faith differ widely with the tenets of conservative Catholic teaching, will test the Pope's diplomacy and will. Compared to Europe, America is largely conservative and he will find it more to his liking. Conservatives reign in America, from government, business and industry, Christian and Evangelical denominations, and the American population at large. But underneath this conservatism are legal practices that contradict Catholic tenets, where one remains a good Catholic despite having an abortion, using birth control devices, divorcing a spouse, remarrying, marrying someone of the same gender, changing of one's gender, and going to Church when convenient. These, he cannot undo. Also, he will have to face the issues regarding sexual abuses done by priests and nuns that undermined the moral authority of the Church and the faith itself.

The conflict within conservative America may have rendered the Catholic tenets irrelevant, and perhaps irreconcilable with their way of life. This lack of attachment has caused a serious disconnect between American Catholics and the Church. A purification of the practice of the faith is needed, one that will find agreement within their ranks and bring them in harmony and unity with all people in the world through God. But how can he reconcile unity with all men and love of God when God's teachings are disregarded and ignored? Would not retaining the contradictions in practice make the religion hypocritical and senseless? Are the contradictions beneath the veneer of conservatism in America manifestations of pretense and hypocrisy? If the Pope glosses over these contradictions, is he being hypocritical?

It is almost impossible to be a Catholic in a world so mired in untruth that is regarded as an angle of the truth or a version of the truth. If Jesus is the only truth, then the inter-faith harmony is seeking unity with a lie. If peace and co-existence is the goal, then Catholics are allowed to coexist in peace with a contradiction. This is what will perhaps reunite American Catholics with God and heaven, in making their bed for peace and coexistence, they can lie with a contradiction.

Haaarrrrwwwwwk...Twooooooooph...Ting!