OPEN LETTER TO THE NEXT
POPE (2)
Dear ________________:
Much as
I try to be blasé in my belief that Popes and Cardinals aren’t all that
important in the greater Catholic scheme of things, I can’t help but get
excited now that you guys have locked yourself into the Conclave. Over the next hours or days, one of you will
emerge as the next Pope. That’s a great
burden but also a great opportunity for you – and for us. That’s what I want to talk about today.
Choose
your name carefully. Whatever you do,
don’t choose John Paul III or Benedict XVII.
Either of those names will send a signal -- much clearer than the smoke
signal from the Sistine Chapel -- that you’re not interested in reform. On the other hand, if you choose the name
John XXIV, you will cheer the hearts of millions around the world.
But,
first, let’s talk about a few more cosmetics. When you walk out on that balcony for the
first time as Pope, don’t come out arrayed in the livery of a monarch. That whole talk in the press this week about
the Papacy as being the longest-living monarchy in the world is totally
embarrassing. You’re not a monarch, a
king, you’re a servant and you should act and dress like a servant. I’m not talking about sack cloth and
ashes. You’re an international figure,
and you should dress accordingly. But
you’re not a monarch. So, if anyone
tries to put the papal Tiara on your head, tell him where to put it. Better yet, tell him to send it over to the
Vatican Museum.
Now, to
a couple of big ticket items that you need to get behind you or you’ll never
gain the credibility you need to carry out your responsibilities as the Servant
of the servants of God, at least in Europe and the United States.
Contraception
and birth control. Go back and dig out
the recommendations that the Papal Commission on Birth Control made to Paul VI
back in the 60’s. The Commission got it
right when it recommended that the Church overturn its ban on artificial birth
control. Unfortunately, Paul VI listened
more to conservative advisors than to the Papal Commission, and decided to
maintain the status quo. Paul VI
reportedly anguished over this decision for the rest of his life. He should have. The consequences of that decision, not just
for individual Catholic couples, but for overpopulation, AIDS prevention, and
unwanted pregnancies have been overwhelming.
As you
know, the main reason for not overturning the ban on artificial birth control
was that if Paul VI approved artificial control, ERGO, the previous Popes must
have been wrong. And, of course, the
Vatican bureaucracy can’t allow that because Popes can never be wrong. Really? This is mortifying in the extreme,
given the painful history of the Papacy and how wrong some of their decisions
were. Does Galileo ring a bell?
But,
let’s move on. The Vatican’s whole
attitude toward sexuality is so bizarre that it’s hard to know where to begin,
and you could recapture a great deal of credibility by dealing with that
head-on. Since we just discussed birth
control, let’s start with that. The
Church officially maintains that the only legitimate purpose of the sexual act
is procreation and that every sexual act must be open to procreation or it is
mortally sinful. To be fair, it’s always
been okay to use the rhythm method but we know how successful that has
been. I am probably the unsuccessful product
of the rhythm method, born in 1938 in the Depression with my Dad out of a job. And Vatican II broadened the interpretation
to allow the sexual act as a sign of love between married couples even when
procreation is not possible.
But,
that’s it? Come on, get serious. It’s like saying that the only purpose of
eating is to sustain life and only taking food or drink necessary to sustain
life is morally lawful. Dessert? Nope, sorry, mortal sin. Not necessary to sustain life. Glass of wine? Maybe one, but if you have a second one,
you’re going to hell. Unfortunately, we
older Catholics remember how easy it was to go to hell by eating a hamburger on
Friday or even sipping a cup of cold water after midnight before taking
Communion the next day.
Now,
before I wear you out with hectoring, let me quickly address gay and lesbians
since we’re in the same subject area.
The Church considers homosexuality a moral evil because it is
"ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil," that is, it is not open to
procreation. (See above.) So, in other words, these people who were
made this way – they didn’t choose to be born gay – are SOL. Since their sexual instincts and orientation
is towards members of their own sex, they are in terms of Church doctrine -- shall we say, screwed. Try to run that thinking by the Guy who
started this whole Christian movement and see if that makes sense. (Cf. New Testament.)
Okay, I
hear you, enough for now. But, next
time, I am going to take up what should be an easy one – ordination of women to
the priesthood. That sounds like a
non-starter, but it should be easy and you could send an electrifying message
throughout the world, not just to Catholics but people everywhere. After all, the greatest long-standing scandal
of the Catholic Church has not been the priestly pedophile scandal -- ugly as
that has been -- but the historic refusal to grant women full partnership and
participation in the life of the Church.
More
later.
Ciao,
Jerry
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