I love Pope Benedict, aka the B16 Bomber, aka the PanzerPope, aka the German Shepherd What a week! It has long been said that Benedict's greatest concern is schism. In the past week, he has made efforts to heal the schism in the Chinese Church, the schism with the SSPX, and the Schism with the Eastern Orthodox (who have applauded the recent document on ecumenism). Many high church Anglicans are seeing the _motu proprio_ as a nod in their direction, as well, and hoping for a similar announcement about the "Anglican Use".
What's interesting is how people try to "place him" or compare him to JPII.
I've always seen the terms "conservative" and "liberal" as best understood in a context of law: conservatives believe in strict interpretation; liberals believe in loose interpretation.
JPII and B16 are different not in view but style. To borrow from the "progressive" Catholics, I'll use the terms "theological" and "pastoral."
JPII's "theological" approach was the write very legalistic documents: "This is how it is. Do it. There's no discussion." It's how he addressed traditionalists and progressives alike regarding their concerns in the Church. _Ecclesia Dei_ said, "If you want the Old Mass, you use the Old Mass, period. You need to meet all sorts of criteria, too." All his other liturgical documents said, "I want the Vatican II Mass in Latin, with Gregorian chant." We all know how his documents on not ordaining women refused to even allow discussion of the subject.
On the other hand, JPII was very "easy going" in "pastoral application,"if you will. Contrary to what progressives claim, he did very little to censor voices of dissent. He just kept hoping people would heed his documents.
Benedict, in contrast to his reputation on both ends of the spectrum, has proven very open to dialogue and flexibility. When he draws a line, he draws it hard, but he's at least more open to discussing the issues than JPII was.
Meanwhile, people go back and forth on hsi background.
At Vatican II, he was a "progressive" or "liberal" theologian. To a certain extent, that changed when he saw the radicalism of the late 60s and the travesties that were done to the Mass in the 70s.
Yet, to another extent, the things that made him "liberal" then were just his agreement with the theological developments made by the Council regarding the nature of the Church and other issues. Ratzinger the 1960s liberal and Ratzinger the 1980s Champion of Orthodoxy are really the same person. Similarly, people refer to how he dressed as more of a modern professor than a priest, but there is still a modern parallel in the way he unceremoniously goes for walks in the streets of Rome and so forth.
People are seeing the _Summorum Pontificum_ as a "nod to traditionalists" and so on. "Progressives" are calling it a rejection of Vatican II (does he say anywhere that the Vatican II mass is banned??)
But, it is actually a very progressive document. Where JPII's rules for the Tridentine Mass were very strict, Benedict has loosened them up, including allowing vernacular readings and modern feast days. I'm hoping he'll also allow the modern lectionary, which JPII forbade.
Vatican II wanted a Latin mass with vernacular readings. Every major liturgical document from the Vatican in the past 40 years has called for it.
that call has been ignored. So now Benedict is going back to the 1962 Missal and, "on his own authority," trying to redo what Vatican II intended to do to *that* Missal.
In essence, he's not rejecting Vatican II; he's rebooting Vatican Ii.
Re: I love Pope Benedict, aka the B16 Bomber, aka the PanzerPope, aka the German Shepherd
quote:
GodsGadfly wrote:
In essence, he's not rejecting Vatican II; he's rebooting Vatican Ii.
I think that is a very good analysis, and quite accurate.
Historically it takes 50 years after any major council for the "pendulum" to stop swinging. We had 20 years of experimentation, 20 years of JPII trying to stop the experimentation, and now 10 years of Benedict helping the Church to find the new equilibrium. This is exactly how it should be.
The next few years (until 2015) will be amazing, and we as a Church are in position for an explosion in the third Christian Millennium. It will be a time of renewal comparable to the eras of Ignatius of Loyola, Francis of Asissi, Gregory the Great, Theresa of Avila, and the other great Catholic reformers. Some day the name of John Paul II will be spoken in hushed terms, as we speak today of Gregory the Great. Benedict may well be ranked as a Doctor of the Church. And the biggest surprises will be the theology of the pastoral pope, and the shepherding of the theologian. They are definitely the right men at the right time guiding the See of Peter.
This is an exciting time to be a Catholic, and perhaps the most exciting time in the entire history of Christianity!
Re: I love Pope Benedict, aka the B16 Bomber, aka the PanzerPope, aka the German Shepherd Rick,
You're absolutely right.
It's also the question of how long a Council lasts, since Vatican II was, technically, just the completion of Vat. I, which had been suspended due to war. And Vat. II was relatively short for the more "modern" councils.
Trent lasted several decades, and several popes. St. Pius V wrote _Quo Primum_ *after* Trent had ended, and was roughly the same number of Popes, from the start of the Council, as Benedict from Bl. John XXIII
Re: I love Pope Benedict, aka the B16 Bomber, aka the PanzerPope, aka the German Shepherd I share your optimism guys! I know my weaknesses, so I pray I can help prepare my children to share in the upcoming renewal (taking place even now). Only God knows the great plans he has for us. There's a reason He's strengthening the Church at this time. Look at the forces arrayed against Christianity.
Re: I love Pope Benedict, aka the B16 Bomber, aka the PanzerPope, aka the German Shepherd
quote:
GosdGadfly wrote:
It's also the question of how long a Council lasts, since Vatican II was, technically, just the completion of Vat. I, which had been suspended due to war. And Vat. II was relatively short for the more "modern" councils.
Well, technically a council ends at the death of the pope, unless his successor reconvenes it. Paul VI reconvened Vatican II. Vatican I was not reconvened, so it ended when the then-current pope died.
quote:
Trent lasted several decades, and several popes.
They didn't have air travel and air mail. Theoretically a council could be even quicker today because so much could be done by email. Trent also dealt with much more serious doctrinal matters. Vatican II was not a "doctoral" council but a "pastoral" council.
