CNS on Benedict XVI's "Emerging Papacy"

John Thavis offers this analysis for CNS.

He offers a fair breakdown of the Holy Father's style and emphasis. Noting the differences between Benedict and JPG, Mr. Thavis had this to say:

The 78-year-old pope also took a serious approach to the World Youth Day encounters. Gone were the foot-tapping, the arm-waving and the ironic one-liners that Pope John Paul would employ to delight his younger crowds.

Instead, Pope Benedict protected the religious tone of each meeting, putting his fingers to his lips when the inevitable chanting of his name would begin. By the end of the weekend, the chanting had lessened considerably.

The young people seemed to respect his wishes and accept him on his terms, recognizing that public charisma is not everything. The dozen who had lunch with him were unanimously impressed with his kindness, his intelligence and, above all, his personal interest in their lives.

The pope's spokesman, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, said during the trip that if Pope John Paul often expressed himself in gestures Pope Benedict is giving the church "a pontificate of concepts and of words."

In other words, Pope Benedict XVI was being himself. He is a scholar, a man with a great love of learning and an intimate understanding of how ideas have consequences. Mr. Tavis notes that he presents an understanding of the Faith that young people appreciate:

On a trip he inherited from his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI stepped into the world spotlight and outlined the priorities and the style of his emerging papacy.

To young people gathered for World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany, the pope brought an intensely spiritual message during his Aug. 18-21 visit, telling them that living their faith and imitating the saints were the only ways to transform the world.

That seemed to make a connection with many young people in Cologne. In the words of one young U.S. pilgrim, youths came for religious inspiration, and they got it.

Pope Benedict XVI is not afraid to challenge the young to be more "open to Christ." Having worked with young people for eleven years, I appreciate his understanding. The young yearn for a challenge. They want to know what life is all about. They want to make things better. Too often, we adults believe they're not ready to handle the truth. We think they need more maturity in order to understand more complex systems of thought. How often do High School educators, for example, structure courses according to the "readiness" we believe students possess at a given age? How often are these decisions more for our convenience than their need? Pope Benedict understands that if the young are taken seriously, and if they themselves seriously want to learn, then they will do so. He expects them to engage the teachings of Christ, however complex. Thus, they do. True, the young may require support in taking on challenging teaching. If they truly want to understand, however, they'll get it. If we provide them with the support they need, they'll get it even more quickly and easily than otherwise.

In addition to his realism in dealing with the young, Pope Benedict demonstrates he wants to address ecumenical and interreligious dialogue realistically. Again, Mr. Thavis observes:

In a historic visit to Cologne's synagogue, the pope eloquently highlighted the common religious heritage shared by Christians and Jews. He also condemned the Holocaust, but without revisiting the church's self-criticism on the issue; he blamed Nazi ideology on "neopaganism" and stayed away from the question of the moral failures of German Christians.

To Muslims, he delivered an unusually tough condemnation of terrorism, stressing the need for Islamic leaders to educate their own youths in tolerance.

Pope John Paul condemned terrorism many times, too. But the late pope also said it should "never be forgotten that situations of oppression and exclusion are often at the source of violence and terrorism" -- something not mentioned in Pope Benedict's speech.

In the land that gave birth to the Reformation, the pope's comments to Protestant and Orthodox leaders were highly anticipated. His audience was pleased at three things he said: openness to a "unity in multiplicity" approach, flexibility on the future of papal ministry and, above all, his renewed pledge to make ecumenism a real priority of his papacy.

But the pope also used language to indicate that an ecumenical leap was not imminent. He counseled patience and realism and emphasized that "there can be no dialogue at the expense of truth."

And he introduced a theme he is likely to develop further in his pontificate: that Christian churches today need to offer a much more united voice on modern ethical issues.

People of Good Will must agree on the truth. That takes time. Minimizing our differences simply to agree today will only lead to resentment or unreality tomorrow. There may be some issues in which none of us will agree. That's fine. We ought to acknowledge our differences while committing to act with compassion and mutual respect toward each other. Nothing in those principles demands we surrender our convictions about the Gospel. Pope Benedict XVI understands this, and he's willing to challenge all sides with this reality. Unfortunately, certain parties on either side of the ecumenical effort have too often pushed for Catholicism to be more "inclusive" by downplaying the Church's religious claims. Hiding the truth, however, accomplishes nothing that lasts. The only secure way to make ecumencism and interreligious dialogue work is to understand and accept where we all stand, and then agree on how to live and learn from each other. The Church must not shy away from her convictions in a misguided attempt to make a better ecumenical partner.

In light of this understanding, Pope Benedict XVI had strong words for Islamic leaders. He condemned the immorality of terrorism without the usual equivocation to "oppressiong and exclusion" that John Paul the Great regretably repeated too often. That's important. Terrorism is rank barbarism of the most heinous order. Nothing justifies it. The indiscriminate murder of innocents, as though everyone is a military target, is an instrinsic evil that can never be tolerated or rationalized. The eradication of oppression and exclusion is another issue altogether. Islamic leaders must begin the long overdue campaigne of condemning all that use terrorism as a means of political leverage or cultural conflict. They must take back their religion from the islamo-fascists that have hijacked it for their very stalinistic, albeit fundamentalist-looking, enterprise. Their continued moral equivalence between the evil committed by islamic terrorists and the policies of the West must end. Their continued silence makes all muslims look like sympathizers or complicit supporters, if not terrorists. Enough is enough.

Our Holy Father realizes that the Church has new challenges to face as well as old ones to resolve. While continuing the wonderful work JPG has literally given his life to accomplish, Pope Benedict XVI acts in new ways to further the Church's mission. He's wise enough to know that the cardinals, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, elected him to be himself. Our new Pope has shown us that he'll be exactly that. Good. For the Church needs Pope Benedict XVI now.