Challenges Facing Pope Benedict XVI
A commentary by Darris McNeely
United Church of God pastor, Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, Indiana
Bavarian Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger has been elected
the 265th supreme pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. His chosen name,
Benedict XVI, has caused many to speculate on the form and shape his
reign may take.
Benedict XV was the pope during World War I who sought to prevent the
great conflict that plunged the twentieth century into decades of turmoil.
Will the new Benedict seek to use his office to reconcile the differing
factions of our present age and prevent the emergence of another time
of world conflict? Time will tell. But there is no doubt he will face
a number of pressing issues immediately.
Many articles have listed the challenges before the church. Among them
are a declining number of ordained priests, especially in the developing
regions of Asia, Africa and Latin America, the regions where the greatest
growth in the church is taking place.
Another problem is the growing number of voices demanding change in
many of the basic traditions of the church. Ending the requirement of
priestly celibacy, many say, would open the doors for more men in the
priesthood.
Ordaining women priests is another change many progressives would like
to see. Pope John Paul II, and most of the Cardinals he appointed, opposed
any change in these teachings. Yet there are many voices in North America
and Europe who feel the church must loosen its tight grip on these and
other matters.
Writing in the April 18, 2005 Wall Street Journal, John-Peter Pham
highlighted what might be the most significant challenge before the church
in the coming decades—a shift in the center of power away from
Europe toward what he calls the "global South."
"Europeans and North Americans presently make up only a third
of all Catholics. By 2025—that is, conceivably by the end of the
next pontificate—that proportion will slip even further to barely
one-fourth. As the historian Philip Jenkins has observed, the 20th century
was 'clearly the last in which whites dominated the Catholic Church:
Europe simply is not The Church.'"
Of the 115 Cardinals who voted this week the breakdown is 58 European
and 57 non-European. In the coming years the numbers are likely to tilt
toward the non-European.
Pham makes the observation, "... that many have been slow to appreciate
... that these numbers represent not just a demographic shift, but also
one that might have seismic repercussions for an array of ecclesiastical
and theological issues.
"In fact, if John Paul's Vatican has appeared in recent years
to be deaf to the demands of its stagnant and aging Western flocks, it
was because the late pope was being attentive to dynamic younger flocks
in the developing world. It might well be that this conclave is the last
one where issues dear to the hearts of First World Catholics will figure
prominently, and the first where a whole series of new concerns emanating
from the global South will come to the fore."
Papal biographer George Weigel, commenting just minutes after the appearance
of Benedict XVI, said he expected the new pope's first priority
would be the "re-conversion of Europe." It is clear the Church's
identity and influence in Europe is waning. Not only has a modern materialistic
culture sapped the spiritual focus of the continent but it also is under
great pressure from a rising Muslim population.
Pope John Paul II was distressed when the present European Constitution
failed to reference Europe's historic Christian roots. The new
pope is known not to favor the admission of Turkey into the EU.
Look for the Catholic Church to focus on what it sees as threats to
the heartland of Christian civilization and take steps to revitalize
its presence and influence in Europe. The dynamic new growth may be coming
from the developing world but the Roman Catholic Church has not written
off Europe as dead. Their identity and future are closely bound together.
It is interesting to note this reference to "the global South." Bible
prophecy foretells a power from the South, a "king of the South" (Daniel
11:40) shall attack a power called "the king of the North",
thus provoking a major incursion into the Middle East by a power coming
out of Europe. The Catholic Church has been historically wedded to the
powers of Europe through various alliances and compacts.
Though this relationship has been weakened in modern times, the Bible
shows a point in the future when this church-state relationship will
come together. The result will be a world power system unlike any seen
before. We are watching historic events unfold before our eyes.
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