From:

A M E R I C A N A T H E I S T S
A A N E W S
#1164 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 4/19/05
http://www.atheists.org
http://www.americanatheist.org
http://www.atheistviewpoint.tv


POPE RATZINGER -- BAD NEWS FOR FREEDOM, SECULARISM, INDIVIDUALISM
With New Papal Initiative, Will Global Culture Wars "Go Nuclear"?

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, German prelate and head of the Vatican
office that enforces doctrinal conformity and orthodoxy, was selected
as pope earlier today and promptly assumed the name Benedict XVI.

Minutes later, he stepped onto a balcony of St. Peter's Basilica where
he was greeted by a cheering crowd of tens of thousands of followers.
The new pontiff then delivered a blessing and described himself as "a
simple, humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord."

"The fact that the Lord can work and act even with insufficient means
consoles me and above all I entrust myself to your prayers,"
Ratzinger, the 265th pope declared. The crowd responded with chants
of "Benedict! Benedict!"

Telegrams from U.S. and other world leaders poured into the Vatican,
all with a similar enthusiastic tone praising the new pontiff.

But there were concerns that the man who headed the Congregation for
the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican office charged with enforcing
religious orthodoxy, may be even more hard-line on social issues and
church teachings than his avuncular predecessor, John Paul II.
Ratzinger has been dubbed "God's Rotweiler" for his stern
pronouncements on issues such as equal rights for gays, abortion
rights and secular institutions. Associated Press quoted Sister
Jeannie Gramick of New Ways Ministry, a group addressing the needs of
Catholic gays and lesbians, as saying that Ratzinger's selection as
pope will be "devastating."

Others are warning that the new pontiff's goal to "re-convert" Europe
and undermine its secular institutions, as well as raise the profile
of Catholicism in the Middle East could intensify the "clash of
civilizations" and fuel Islamic extremist movements.

A Divisive Pope?

The former pontiff, John Paul II, was a Catholic conservative but
still managed to maintain a modicum of popular support especially in
his homeland of Poland. Ratzinger, though, is perceived by many as
more divisive. According to Associated Press writer Melissa Eddy, the
new pope "alienated some Roman Catholics with his zeal enforcing
church orthodoxy," and earned scorn for his policies preventing
priests from giving pregnant teens birth control and abortion
information, and even banning them from joint ecumenical gatherings.

He also clashed with dissenters within church ranks such as the
prominent theologian Hans Kuegn (Kuhn), who helped Ratzinger obtain a
post at the University of Tuebingen. Many saw Ratzinger as the man
behind the Vatican's move to revoke his license to teach in 1979.

And Ratzinger's hostility toward modernity, secularism and
Enlightenment values may be reflected in his remarks yesterday during
a mass dedicated to selecting the next pontiff. Ratzinger singled out
a laundry list of doctrinal and political taboos, including
liberalism, Atheism, "extreme individualism" and "relativism," the
ideology which he charged vitiated the notion that there were "no
absolute truths."

Questions Linger About Election, Background

While Ratzinger was considered a front-runner in his quest for the
papacy, news reports describe the "surprise" (Vatican Radio) and
rapidity of his election. Indeed, the balloting -- a ritual steeped
in papal tradition -- was among the fastest in the past century. Pope
Pius XII was elected in only one day in 1939, and new pope was
selected after the first five founds of voting in less than two days.
The Cardinals who are responsible for selecting the papal successor
are sworn to secrecy on the matter.

Ratzinger also has an "interesting" background which has led some to
question his life as a teenager in Germany during the Nazi era. He
was enrolled in the Hitler Youth movement at age 14 when membership
for youngsters was compulsory. In his memoirs, Ratzinger says that he
left the organization to pursue studies in the priesthood. In 1943,
he was drafted into the military to work with an anti-aircraft unit,
but barely completed basic training.

This background, along with his stern, patriarchal embrace of
doctrinal orthodoxy quickly gained Ratzinger a variety for disparaging
titles even from church peers including "The Enforcer" and
"Panzerkardinal." Britain's Guardian newspaper suggested prior to the
latest Vatican conclave that "Ratzinger's wartime past may return to
haunt him..."

It may be the new pope's attitudes, though, about modernity and
modernization within the church that generate concern even among
Catholic reformists. In addition to clashing with dissenters like
Kuegn (Kuhn) and later reining-in reformist priests, he "hurt many
people and far overstepped his boundaries in Germany," said Christian
Wiesner of the Wir Sind Kirche ("We Are Church") movement. Ratzinger
himself felt "out of step" with the cosmetic reforms of the Vatican II
movement, and wrote in his autobiography: "More and more there was the
impression that nothing stood fast in the church, that everything was
up for revision."

Heads Modern Inquisition

Rising rapidly within the ranks of the Vatican bureaucracy, Ratzinger
was appointed leader of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
in1981 by then-Pope John Paul II. He was charged with enforcing
church orthodoxy, cracking down on dissent and shoring up Vatican
teachings.

The Congregation traces its origins to the entity which oversaw the
notorious Inquisition. But he also gained a reputation as a
reactionary beyond the walls of the Holy See. Ratzinger and fellow
conservative prelates joined the condemnation of any activities
critical of religious belief, and even supported demands from Islamic
leaders in 1986 that Salman Rushdie's controversial novel "The Satanic
Verses" be banned. (In his fictional book, Rushdie allegedly made
remarks insulting of the Muslim faith. Iran's Ayatollah Ruollah
Khomeni issued a fatwa" or death sentence, and demanded that the book
be censored. Many Catholic, Protestant and Jewish leaders concurred,
saying the novel showed "disrespect" for religion.)

Ratzinger has also been a vocal supporter of orthodoxy, even at the
cost of stereotyping sincere reformists and other religionists. In
1987 he offended Jews by declaring that their history and religious
texts could only reach true fulfillment if they accepted Christ.
Three years later he insulted Protestants by describing their religion
as "deficient." He also established himself as the leading opponent
of "relativism," which he defined as "letting oneself be tossed and
swept along by every wind of teaching..."

Ratzinger added, "We are moving toward a dictatorship of relativism
which does not recognize anything as for certain and which has as its
highest goal one's own ego and one's own desires." The future pontiff
declared, "Having a clear faith, based on the creed of the church, is
often labeled today as a fundamentalism."

The new pontiff's crusade against "relativism" may conceal a more
sinister distain for robust civil liberties and human rights. In
1986, for instance, Ratzinger instructed fellow prelates that
homosexuality was a "tendency" toward an "intrinsic moral evil.

"Neither the church nor society should be surprised," Ratzinger added
if "irrationality and violent reactions increase" in the wake of gays
or other groups demanding their fair share of social freedom. More
ominous was his statement in 1992 that civil rights could be
"legitimately limited" by government in order to enforce sectarian
beliefs and moral codes.

The New Enemy For The Vatican

With "the fall of the wall" and the collapse of most Communist states,
the Holy See has initiated a campaign against new foes, including
modernity and secularism. It is a cultural and political battle with
many facets including:

* Opposition to family planning, birth control and abortion rights for
women.

* Efforts to undermine he integrity and independence of secular
institution, including governments.

* A geopolitical strategy to "retake" Europe, which the Vatican sees
as both a bastion of secularism and fertile ground for Muslim
conversion.

* The re-establishment of Roman Catholic cultural-political hegemony
throughout the former Eastern Europe and Soviet Union. This has
resulted in clashes with the Russian Orthodox Church and efforts to
stigmatize Protestant and other religious groups as "sects" unworthy
of recognition by governments.

* Political power in the United States under the guise of "life
issues" (abortion, contraception, euthanasia); efforts to obtain
widespread financial aid to Roman Catholic schools, especially in
light of declining enrollment; heightened demands to censor media and
"cleanse" the culture of profane depictions of religion.

* Opposition to a robust empowerment of women (banning contraception)
and promoting the view that, first and foremost, females have a
destiny based on "natural law" to breed and raise children with other
goals (career, intellectual development) secondary to this.

* Am evangelizing effort throughout Asia and particularly Latin
America where Protestant, Mormon and even crank New Age beliefs are
finding a growing and enthusiastic audience.