Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens have launched in their latest crusade by seeking to indict the Pope. It’s not the humourless arrogance that I mind; rather it’s the muddling up of issues and the ignorance of the law.
Contrary to what Dawkins and Hitchens (and Monbiot) argue, putting the Pope on the dock will not bring any justice. The accusation of crime against humanity is not based on the Pope’s direct action or complicity in crimes. The responsibility for child abuse rests with the perpetrators and with those organisations, in this case, the dioceses that have aided the crime or failed to stop it. If there are cases where the Pope is directly responsible, they would be a matter for the national courts, not for an international criminal court. A head of state, such as the Pope, has no legal responsibility for his citizens, unless s/he is directly implicated. We would not hold the Queen or the Prime Minister accountable for the criminal behaviour of British citizens in the UK or abroad.
The issue for the Pope is not a legal one, but a moral one. The Vatican has lost its moral authority. They are feeling the heat and act as the victims of the media in a secularised society. As a result, not a day goes by without some ludicrous statement is made to be then is retracted or clarified. First, Father Raniero Cantalamessa, the Pope’s preacher, likened the media’s treatment of the Catholic Church to anti-Semitism; then Babini, Bishop of Grosseto, called the media’s criticism of the Vatican a ‘Zionist attack’ and blamed the Jews for the holocaust, and now Cardinal Bertone blames child abuse on homosexuality.
It is saddening and depressing to see members of the hierarchy of the Catholic Church displaying such ignorance, prejudice and bad taste. Pope Benedict XVI’s reign has so far been embarrassing and perhaps the first one where the Pope had to say ‘sorry’ left, right and centre. The Vatican is being reprimanded by heads of state (France and Germany), not just the media. This is, however, not the result of our 'secularised' society, but of a moralised society where human rights are finally recognised and cherished and where accountability is demanded from all authorities.
The Pope is sorry, but he’s not showing moral leadership. The changes in child abuse policy are welcomed but they are too little too late as ever. A brave Pope would understand the times, the call for accountability and initiate a Concilium for the renewal of Catholicism, for a rethink of Church doctrine, and for an increased participation of Catholics to Vatican politics and policies. That would take courage and humility, the same courage and humility Pope John XXIII had. I’m not holding my breath for Vatican III.
04 April 2010
The Catholic Church and the 21st Century
The season of scandals has not ended. First it was bankers, then MPs, then sport celebrities, then wealthy party donors, and now the Catholic Church. Mind you, victims of priests’ abuse have been coming into the open consistently for many years. However, there is something different now. The media seem to have a stronger influence. Technological advances have allowed the media to penetrate deeper into our daily lives. The artificial dichotomy of public and private has fallen victim of cyberspace, where everybody dwells in semi-public and semi-private spaces. Everybody is under scrutiny.
The ‘public’, or perhaps, the ‘audience’, is calling for more accountability. At times, this is mere lust for saucy details, but, at other times, it is a sincere search for honesty and integrity. ‘We, the people’ want our representatives and all authorities to be transparent and accountable. Americans, being culturally more attuned to the democratic game, are attacking the Vatican as if it were just another authority or organisation. As such, it is quite logical for the American media to call for the Pope to resign. At the other end, the Vatican, under Ratzinger’s guide, has backtracked from Vatican II and gone back to the times of pre-Westphalia absolute states. As a result, the ‘Hierarchy’ cannot comprehend the anger and clamour of the secular world. So much that they see themselves as victims rather than perpetrators.
Both sides must be bewildered. On the one hand, the Vatican has tried to apply canon law and heal the pain in silence instead of washing the dirty linen in the open. On the other hand, the ‘public’ sees the Church as a powerful institution that has betrayed trust.
Some might say that religion is no longer relevant and that this is the final nail in the coffin. That’s more wishful thinking. Religion is more relevant now than it has ever been in the past fifty years. It is, however, going through dramatic change and adjusting to the twenty-first century.
If the Catholic Church crumbles under the weight of its obsolete legal system, rigid dogmas and hierarchies it will have been the media what did it. By the end of the century, the Catholic Church will not be the same. It remains to be seen whether the Church chooses to open up, as Pope John XXIII did, or cling on to nostalgic dreams of power.
Religious authorities are being transformed by the media, by public demands for transparency and by the need to be relevant in an epoch grounded on individual autonomy. The call for the Pope to ‘stand down’ might be unrealistic but epitomises our times. Catholicism in the US has a democratic liberal flavour and is far less constrained by the diktat of the Hierarchy. Are Catholics in Europe ready to reform the Church and make its message relevant for our times?
The 21st century is sweeping across the world bringing a new era for democracy. It might plunge us into tyrannical populism or deepen our democracy. It is down to us to reform institutions and power bases, including the media, so that we can preserve and extend rights and freedoms instead of crushing them under cynicism or populism.
The ‘public’, or perhaps, the ‘audience’, is calling for more accountability. At times, this is mere lust for saucy details, but, at other times, it is a sincere search for honesty and integrity. ‘We, the people’ want our representatives and all authorities to be transparent and accountable. Americans, being culturally more attuned to the democratic game, are attacking the Vatican as if it were just another authority or organisation. As such, it is quite logical for the American media to call for the Pope to resign. At the other end, the Vatican, under Ratzinger’s guide, has backtracked from Vatican II and gone back to the times of pre-Westphalia absolute states. As a result, the ‘Hierarchy’ cannot comprehend the anger and clamour of the secular world. So much that they see themselves as victims rather than perpetrators.
Both sides must be bewildered. On the one hand, the Vatican has tried to apply canon law and heal the pain in silence instead of washing the dirty linen in the open. On the other hand, the ‘public’ sees the Church as a powerful institution that has betrayed trust.
Some might say that religion is no longer relevant and that this is the final nail in the coffin. That’s more wishful thinking. Religion is more relevant now than it has ever been in the past fifty years. It is, however, going through dramatic change and adjusting to the twenty-first century.
If the Catholic Church crumbles under the weight of its obsolete legal system, rigid dogmas and hierarchies it will have been the media what did it. By the end of the century, the Catholic Church will not be the same. It remains to be seen whether the Church chooses to open up, as Pope John XXIII did, or cling on to nostalgic dreams of power.
Religious authorities are being transformed by the media, by public demands for transparency and by the need to be relevant in an epoch grounded on individual autonomy. The call for the Pope to ‘stand down’ might be unrealistic but epitomises our times. Catholicism in the US has a democratic liberal flavour and is far less constrained by the diktat of the Hierarchy. Are Catholics in Europe ready to reform the Church and make its message relevant for our times?
The 21st century is sweeping across the world bringing a new era for democracy. It might plunge us into tyrannical populism or deepen our democracy. It is down to us to reform institutions and power bases, including the media, so that we can preserve and extend rights and freedoms instead of crushing them under cynicism or populism.
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