February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Much of what we know, or think we know, will be discomforting to Catholics who see themselves as being at the center of the doctrinal spectrum.
Presumably, the level of discomfort will only rise for those who lean to the liberal side of that same spectrum.
This is in part because as a cardinal, Joseph Ratzinger didn’t see much of a spectrum at all. His was a fixed view of where Catholics should stand on a range of faith and moral issues.
And yet, we are no longer talking about a cardinal with an unforgettable German name. We are now talking about a pope named Benedict.
In a way, the tradition of taking a new name offers the successor of Peter a clean slate, and a chance for the faithful to make room for a novice head of a church that numbers in its ranks more than a billion souls.
Pope Benedict should be judged from what he says and does from his election forward, not what he has said and done in his past.
Of course, Benedict may well choose to follow the doctrinal path he so clearly set out during his years as Prefect of the Congregation for Doctrine of the Faith, the onetime Holy Inquisition.
Equally, he might find that the view from the papacy is somewhat longer and broader than from even a cardinal’s office deep in the Vatican.
This job can change a man because its demands and opportunities are entirely beyond all previous experience. It will also demand of Benedict the thoughts and labors of each and every hour of his life, from here to its end.
We wish Pope Benedict well. May he lead his church wisely.