On Pope Benedict XVI

Wednesday Marks 1st Year Anniversary of Pope's Time in Office

One year ago, when Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger stepped onto a balcony of St. Peter's Basilica as the newly elected Pope Benedict XVI, conservative Catholics rejoiced and liberals sulked.

Today, as Benedict marks his first anniversary as pope, the liberals are still unhappy. But so are some conservative activists. (Read More.)

Washington Post staff writer Alan Cooperman was online Wednesday, April 19, at 11 a.m. ET to examine the pope's 1st year in office.

The transcript follows.

____________________

Alan Cooperman: Hello, welcome to the Washington Post online chat about the first year of Benedict XVI's papacy. Let your questions rip.

_______________________

Chicago, Ill.: I have heard rumors that Benedict is planning an internal shake-up in the Vatican -- re-organizing offices and replacing top staff. Have you heard anything along those lines?

Alan Cooperman: A thorough shakeup of the curia is one of the actions that many Vaticanistas, experts, have expected from Benedict. Because of his long years at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, there is no doubt that Benedict knows the inner workings very well, and probably knows exactly what he wants to do. So it has come as a surprise that he has moved relatively slowly so far. For example, Cardinal Sodano is still secretary of state. Benedict has made a few changes -- a new No.2 official at the Congregation for Divine Worship, which is in charge of liturgy, for example. And he has merged four curial offices into two, effectively eliminating the Council for Interreligious Dialogue and transferring its head, Archbishop Fitzgerald. This is widely seen as a reflection of his desire to demand more "reciprocity" from Islamic countries on matters of religious freedom; Fitzgerald was viewed, correctly or incorrectly, as being relatively accommodationist toward Islam. But so far, Benedict has NOT undertaken a thorough housecleaning of the Vatican bureaucracy.

_______________________

Gaithersburg, Md.: I have to wonder if this so-called disappointment of liberal and conservative Catholics isn't purely an American thing. Liberals were worried from the beginning, particularly those who want female priests and more tolerance for divorced Catholics and homosexuals. Conservatives are disappointed that Benedict XVI hasn't been more forceful in the statement on gay priests and that the Tridentine mass hasn't made a comeback. I would wonder if the vast majority of the Catholic Church, which is not American, has the same concerns. I suspect not or at least not nearly as much as we in America do. So is this another case of us Americans being caught up with being American rather than with being part of the much larger world?

Alan Cooperman: Wonderful, perceptive question. Yes, I think that American Catholics have certain concerns that are probably shared to a high degree by fellow Catholics in Europe and Australia, but that are not of high concern in places like Asia and Africa. However, the expectation that Benedict would be a doctrinally conservative pope, focused to a greater degree than John Paul II on the inner workings of the church -- a pope "ad intra" in Latin, as opposed to JPII's "ad extra" papacy -- was widely shared around the world. And so, bottom line, I think Catholics everywhere who are paying careful attention are probably surprised that Benedict is moving so slowly. And, as I pointed out in today's article, the intriguing thing is that at the one-year mark, the disappointment, or concern, or "palpable uneasiness" -- in the words of the Rev. Richard John Neuhaus -- is coming from some notable conservatives.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: From the pews it isn't apparent that the new pope has done anything yet. That he is more of a caretaker than a groundbreaker. What am I missing behind the scenes?

Alan Cooperman: No, you aren't missing anything. That's the point -- relatively little has happened yet. Almost everyone I know who read the first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, "God is Love," thought it was lovely and highly readable, a refreshing change, quite frankly, from some of the dense philosophy penned by John Paul II. But there was little or nothing in the encyclical that was news, theologically or doctrinally. Now, that certainly does not mean that Benedict will turn out to be a caretaker pope. It does suggest that if he is going to break ground, he is going to do it slowly. That makes sense, because this is a man who has written in the past very critically of certain changes that he thought were "ruptures" with the past -- such as the switch to the Novus Ordo (the new Mass) from the Tridentine liturgy that had been in use from 1570 until the 1960s. He might turn out to be a gradualist groundbreaker, if that makes any sense.

_______________________

Accident, Md.: Pope John Paul II had the ability to reach people worldwide on a personal level. Few can forget his rejoinder to the crowd that "JPII, he loves you".

This is characteristic of the kind of papacy that seems most effective for the church. How does Pope Benedict measure up with his ability, albeit desire to make the connection with Catholics worldwide?

Alan Cooperman: Tough to say. It's early yet. Benedict may have a big advantage in the fact that expectations for charisma are low, so when he turns on the charm, people are electrified. There are reports that this has happened a few times already. George Weigel tells me that the crowds coming to see Benedict in St. Peter's Square are larger than those drawn on a weekly basis by John Paul II -- but that may be deceiving, because the crowds are still coming partly to mourn JPII. One intriguing thing about Benedict, stylistically, is that he has pulled some garments out of the Vatican wardrobe that had not been seen in decades, maybe centuries -- such as a larger pallium, and a particular hat, and the red shoes. Some people say this shows a touch of vanity. Others say it reflects an artistic sensibility -- he is, after all, an accomplished pianist. Either way, I think his desire and ability to connect with people has been underrated, and may turn out to be a big surprise in the years ahead.

_______________________

Springfield, Va.: Is there any indication that Benedict is planning a swing to a more-liberal Catholic church?

Alan Cooperman: None whatsoever!

There is one intriguing thing -- his dropping the title of "Patriarch of the West." As you probably know, the pope has many titles -- successor of Peter, bishop of Rome, prince of apostles, etc. Anyway, when he dropped "Patriarch of the West" in March, there was a lot of clucking and headscratching -- what does it mean? And based on at least one snippet from Cardinal Ratzinger's voluminous writings, some scholars suggested there was a faint possibility that he intended to leave room for the creation of new patriarchates in the West, a way to give greater authority and independence to conference of bishops in places like, well, America. If that were true, it could have turned out to be a dramatic, far-reaching, possibly even deeply liberalizing step. But when the Vatican finally explained the dropping of the title, it said nothing of the kind. It essentially said that the pope wanted to stress that he is the head of the universal church, not the equivalent of the Orthodox patriachs who head the Eastern churches.

_______________________

Philadelphia, Pa.: Does Pope Benedict seem to show any concern for the sexual abuse problems in the Catholic Church? For now, sexual abuse is on the back burner, but aren't we likely to see further shocking revelations in the future? Is he going to address this problem or ignore it?

Alan Cooperman: Yes, Benedict has shown concern for the sex abuse issue. The clearest sign was his appointment of Archbishop William Levada of San Francisco to be his successor at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The CDF, as it is known, exercises oversight over the handling of every allegation of sex abuse by priests worldwide. It may not decide each case -- it may allow local (diocesan) bishops and heads of religious orders to decide whether the allegation is true and what to do about the priest -- but the CDF "reserves" to itself the final say over the procedures to be followed. So the naming of an American to that post, while unexpected, was I think a reflection of the new pope's deep personal understanding of how complex this situation is for the church. As for "future shocking revelations," count me a skeptic. Everyone -- including the president of the US Conference of Bishops -- says there will be more cases of abuse. But it's hard to imagine how ordinary Catholics, or reporters like me who have been writing about the sex abuse issue for several years, could be deeply shocked anymore. Read the Philadelphia district attorney's report on decades of abuse in the Philadelphia archdiocese and its handling by not one, but two cardinals, and tell me what could be more shocking. Maybe I lack imagination.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Any thoughts on the Pope's health status? I noticed that he looks tired in his recent audiences and also at the end of the Holy Week period.

Alan Cooperman: Benedict appears to be in remarkably good health for a 79-year-old man who is working very long days, and has for years. Heart disease is the main concern. Cardinal George of Chicago told me that when Benedict was elected, he told the college of cardinals that he was taking the name Benedict in honor of Saint Benedict, who evangelized Europe, and of Benedict XV, who tried to stop World War I. And, according to George, Benedict's words were: "In my short time as pope, I hope to be a man of peace as well." So if that is accurate, Benedict himself has predicted a short papacy.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Can you explain why liberals are disturbed with this Pope? All he seems to be doing is reaffirming the steadfast moral values that the church is based on -- and have been based on for ages. Why are liberals so upset with this?

Alan Cooperman: First of all, when I speak of liberals and conservatives in this context, I'm talking about the spectrum of views on issues WITHIN the Catholic Church, not about liberals and conservatives as we understand them in American politics.

And I'm using the words in the common modern understanding of them. Liberals in the church context are those who, generally, want change. Conservatives are those who, generally, oppose change -- unless it's a restoration of tradition or more ardent enforcement of existing discipline and doctrine.

In terms of specifics, liberal Catholics may want change, or at least more open discussion of change, on a number of fronts, auch as: rethinking whether a monogamous same-sex relationship is sinful; allowing married priests; applauding the "inculturation" of the Mass (drumming and dancing in Africa, gospel singing in America, etc); giving the laity in general and women in particular a larger role in the governance of the church. The list goes on, of course. Some of these may indeed challenge the "steadfast moral values" of the church, as you put it. But others -- such as the question of whether to allow married men to become priests -- are widely understood by Catholics to be matters of "discipline," not doctrine. There already are married priests in the Eastern Catholic churches and, through the "pastoral provision," a few former Lutherans and Episcopalians who are married in the Western church. So just to take that (priestly celibacy) as an example, it is not so clearly a challenge to moral values. It's a challenge to tradition. The same could be said for issues of liturgy and governance in the church.

_______________________

Baltimore MD: It should be no surprise that this pope who waited one year to quietly reveal his hidden agenda at the Ishtar -Easter- feast. The College of Cardinals chose these last two pontiffs who have come from the two countries than sought to annihilate the Jewish people. In the midst of the revelation that the "Gospel of Judas" casts Judas as one initiating the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of mankind (Isaiah 53), Benedict on the contrary, has determined that Judas (Hebrew: Yehuda, "Jew") is this ultimate betrayer.

Benedict said, "For Judas -Jew-, only power and success are real; love does not count. And he is greedy; Money is more important than communion with Jesus, more important than God and his love. He also becomes a liar, a double-crosser who breaks with the truth. He hardens, becoming incapable of conversion ... and throws away his destroyed life."

Benedict XVI, wishes to carry on the vision of his personal hero, Benedict XV, who in his 1917 Seven Point Peace Plan stated "occupied territories -Israel- must be evacuated". The Church sees one great obstacle in its concept of world peace: the existence of the -Jewish- State of Israel, which it refuses to acknowledge as the Land given to Abraham (Genesis 12), mocking the Words of G-d by calling it "Palestine" instead.

Alan Cooperman: There has been both enormous warming, and some continuing tension, in the relationship between the Holy See and the State of Israel. But there is NO evidence whatsoever that Benedict is bent on the elimination of Israel. I think that's just plain nutty. And the efforts made by his predecessor, John Paul II, to improve relations with the Jewish people are well known. They were courageous and pathbreaking.

_______________________

Alexandria, Va.: Based on you comments, do you think part of the conservatives problems is that Pope Benedict is adverse to change? In other words even if he thinks a current Church position is too liberal, he is hesitant to change it.

Alan Cooperman: It's not so much a matter of the pope thinking that current church "positions" are too liberal. The question for many conservatives is whether the pope will enforce the existing positions. Will he, for example, tolerate bishops who take a flexible interpretation of the recent Vatican instruction against admission to seminaries, or to ordination as priests, of men who have "deep-seated homosexual tendencies"? Will he give further leeway for priests to use the Tridentine liturgy? Will he revamp the curia? Those are some of the things that conservatives have hoped for, and expected from Benedict, and that have not happened -- at least, yet.

_______________________

Alan Cooperman: Folks, many thanks for your good questions. I look forward to another chat in the not too distant future. And thanks for reading the Post.

--Alan Cooperman

_______________________

Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.