Welcome our new Pope Benedict XVI! What are your thoughts, feelings, dreams or concerns?
My heart is mixed! I know, again, our North American issues have a slight chance of being addressed...meaning women empowerment in church leadership roles, such as ordination, the ability for priest to marry, embracing fully our gay brothers and sisters, more reprimand of priests/bishops covering up priest molestation, etc.....Again, I am reminded of our global church, what are their needs? Genocide, Aids epidemic, utter poverty in Africa, oppression and deep poverty in Latin America, trafficking of women and children across the world, still 2/3rds of our world going to bed hungry every night!
I don't know, again where will the Pope put his 78 years of energy? My spirit was so moved by the crowd, literally 1,000's upon 1,000's, of young people in the Vatican Square so jubilant and enthusiastic. I can't ignore that, what dream is burning in their young hearts? What are they feeling or seeing what I am not? Can I remember what I felt when I was 20 and how I viewed the world and what I thought it needed to make it better? Was I more "black and white" more traditional back then?
Blog on and let me know how you see all this!
posted by Pia's Pals @ 2:08 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Hi Green, thanks for your heartfelt response to our new Pope Benedict XVI. I can feel your struggle between “being kind and hopeful” and “tired of feeling so unheard and alienated”. I can resonate with your feelings, seems like we have waited a long time for an “emerging” church that offers gender equality and so many other life concerns here in the United States.
Did you happen to see a copy of his homily today at his first Mass? It was on line with CNN. I found it very encouraging...especially when he mentioned the word Vatican II and how he wanted to bring it forward and the 2000 year old traditions of the Church. He really is appealing to both entities. Also, acknowledging that he would continue the thrust of his predecessor, John Paul II, to keep positive and growing relations with all heads of nations and religions. And, of course, a strong and loving hand reaching out to our youth.
I do have a lot of hope, Green, and join your prayers of continued sacrifice in a church that while it tries to hold all our needs, still will find the needs and concerns of North America low on the totem pole.
Because of that reality, I, myself, am ready for a grass roots movement in the church, to bring to fruition some of these valid needs, especially where the place of women are concerned. I have a few ideas brewing...
And, yes, our Jesus was one radical man! Have you read, “Jesus, Before Christianity” by Albert Nolan,OP? Awesome read! Take care, Green, you may feel alienated, but you are not alone, your sister with you in heart:)
I was one of the first girls in my home town's church to become an alter server. Although it was long after Vatican II, our pastor just didn't think that allowing girls on the alter was acceptable. It took all the moms in my second grade class writing letters to Cardinal Mahoney to get the pastor to open his eyes. Well, I guess it really took a phone call from Mahoney to get him in line. I will never forget the first Mass I served in. A group of little old ladies came up to me at the end of Mass to tell us how proud they were and how long they had been waiting to see girls as altar servers. I almost cried. It was such a touching experience.
That experience lead to even more questioning about how the Church is organized and run.
All that said, equality of the sexes was not high on my list changes I hoped the new pope would make.
The ONE thing I want is for the use of condoms to become an acceptable practice. Having studied Catholic doctrine, I understand the basis for the ban, but still cannot agree. Study after study shows that condoms prevent the spread of STDs. 1 of every 9 people in South Africa is infected with HIV/AIDS. What will be left of them by the time we have another pope? Pope Benedict is staunch in his beliefs and I find it doubtful that he will address the condom issue with anything but scorn.
I have faith that the church is a slow moving mountain, but a moving one none the less. I reject this idea that the Church should never cater to public opinion. That's just hoopla! The church has been changing and growing for the past 2 millenia. The idea that people's opinions never came into the picture is rediculous. Hello - Vatican II!
I don't expect the Vatican to bow to liberal sentiments, but I do expect it to actively work to heal the suffering of the world - spiritual and otherwise. I have faith that the Church is not a lost cause.
Oh yeah, and I’ve read that Benedict has a problem with lay ministers. That just ain’t right… I hope he gets over that quickly because the Church would fall apart without lay contribution.
Faith, hope, love. God - I'm working on them all.
Wow! Lot of good thought going on here. Thanks Green, Soul journey and Sage for coming on in, please come again!
Apparent in every one of our writings is the call to hold such extremes of hope/despair, excitement/sadness, surety/doubt, expectancy/slowness, wanting a new way/compromise, faith/lost, etc. all at the same time within us.
Seems all of life is having the ability to hold more than one emotion or thought at at time and still believe in the ONEness of us all and the ONE God who holds us all together. Some have called it wisdom. I call it the same.
It is good to be on this life's journey together.
Post a Comment
<< Home