Benedict's continued Disconnect

I want to say, I have some sympathy for Benedict's concerns about Brazilian life -- having been there I was introduced to a society that where pretty much anything seems to go. having said that, Benedict came off, from all reports as a moralistic old man who had no idea of what's going on Latin America. His message was one of political passivity and spiritual inwardness. He didn't deal with issues like poverty, except in cursory ways -- and certainly didn't address them from a systemic perspective. He called for more religious teaching but didn't say how this was going to happen. When you think that 65% of the population is at least nominally Roman Catholic and yet Pentecostal preachers outnumber priests 2 to 1, something needs to change. Now, as a Mainline Protestan I can name two solutions that Benedict is unwilling to consider -- married clergy and women as priests.

Perhaps Benedict's most egregious statement had to do with the idea that Native Americans were longing for European priests to come to them and bring the message of the church. From the LA Times Article:

And in comment likely to generate controversy in Latin America, the pope said the New World's indigenous population, "silently longing" for Christianity, had welcomed the teachings that "came to make their cultures fruitful, purifying them." Many indigenous rights groups say the conquest ushered in a period of disease, mass murder, enslavement and the shattering of native cultures.

Here was an example of real cultural deafness. Although I do believe in the power of the Gospel message to change and transform lives, the church came with a colonial power that was oppressive, coercive, and exploitative. Millions died of disease or by way of slavery. To say this was an effort that made "their cultures fruitful, purifying them" was clearly Eurocentric. This will haunt Benedict's relationships with the Americas.

And so am I surprised that a paltry 150,000 came out for the final papal mass. Now to a pastor of a small church, 150,000 sounds grand, but apparently that was just a fraction of the number expected to come -- not just from Brazil, but from across Latin America.

I must confess some angst about writing these commentaries. I have great regard for the Roman Catholic Church. As a Protestant I know that the RCC is the parent of my tradition -- even if we've gone in a very different direction. I learn much from the Catholic Church and on many issues am at one with them. Benedict is in a very difficult position and is likely a transitional figure. I wonder though if next time a Pope is selected there won't be a fairly concerted effort to draw someone from Latin America. It almost happened last time, and if the Church wants to keep it's place in Latin America it will have to start listening, something Benedict seems unable to do.

Finally, I want to say thank you to the LA Times for their great series of articles on the papal visit. Our region is heavily Hispanic, and thus extremely interested in this topic and they did well.