Why is the pope doing what he's doing?

Image: guardian.co.uk

John Allen at NCR has posted an insightful column on the broader dynamics behind Benedict XVI's pontificate and his battle against secularism. Here's a portion of a lengthy column well worth the read:

Much has been made lately of Pope Benedict XVI's apparent lenience for "cafeteria Catholicism" on the right. Two developments have fed the perception: talks between the Vatican and the Society of St. Pius X, the "Lefebvrites," who broke with Rome in protest of liberalizing currents after the Second Vatican Council (1962-65); and new structures to allow Anglicans to become Catholic while preserving their heritage, with the most likely takers being conservative Anglicans opposed to homosexuality and women's ordination.

Though it's not clear how many Lefebvrites or Anglicans will walk through the doors Rome has tried to open, the effect on both fronts will be to inject new pockets of traditionalist believers into the Catholic circulatory system.

What's the underlying logic for such moves? While it may at first blush seem unrelated, a controversial decision on Tuesday by the European Court of Human Rights, which held that displaying crucifixes in Italian public school classrooms violates freedom of conscience, can help provide some context.

In effect, Benedict's outreach to Lefebvrites and dissident Anglicans forms part of a trend I've described as "evangelical Catholicism." One cornerstone is to reassert markers of Catholic distinctiveness -- such as Mass in Latin, and traditional moral teaching -- as a means of ensuring that the church is not assimilated to secularism. At the policy-setting level of the church today, this defense of Catholic identity is job number one.

(read the complete column)

Image: Mindtalk

Recent papal initiatives have been applauded by some and condemned by others. Both fans and critics sometimes lack an understanding of the broader, deeper base upon which Benedict XVI has acted.

Whether you see the tip of the iceberg as a beautiful natural formation or a sign of impending danger , it's critically important to know it's just the tip and to understand what's below the surface.

-ConcordPastor