Ways of Christ
Additions.
Pope John Paul II. and the
future of the Catholic Church;
The successor, Benedict XVI.
Pope John Paul II was unique and did not really match obsolete patterns:
Concerning morals and church law he could be looked upon as having been
"conservative" or "right-wing", but not as a representative
of the economic lobby; two things which are often interconnected. Dedicated to
social justice and peace, he was more "progressive" or
"left-wing", without being open for extreme ideas, such as those of
communism.
Jesus himself stands even more for overcoming false contradictions, as described
on our pages. Jesus is a shining example for everyone.
Even the influence of a pope in his own Church is limited:
For instance, when the pope asked God to forgive the crimes of the church
inhistory, the Vatican limited his efforts. His approaches to more unity with
other churches were minimized by the Vatican "Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith". His respectful attitude towards the places of the
prophecy of Virgin Mary like Medjugorje was not taken up by the responsible
local bishops, and so on.
Both within and outside the Catholic Church many people projected their various
wishes onto a new pope. The Catholic Church will need to find its real role
within
ecumenism. The relationship between Christians
and other religions - supported by the pope with the peace prayers at Assisi and
by others (who are not what you would call the best friends of the pope) with
their project "world ethos" - is still subject to improvement.
If, for instance, celibacy for priests were to become voluntary and female
deacons or even female priests were broadly accepted, it is a matter of
consideration within the Catholic Church and of dialogue with other Christians.
So the ecumenical background does exist. However, it would not be
advisable to simply adapt the Roman Catholic Church to suit the superficial
secular society with its "interest groups".
The new pope, Benedict XVI. is known for his
strict Catholic theology. He showed - for instance at the Catholic World Youth
Day in Germany - that he is continuing to work for "human rights and
the holiness of human life, for the values of the family, for social justice and
peace in the world". He said, Catholics have to be tolerant in the relation
with Jews, Muslims and other religions, and that the religions should work
together for the named values. Obviously he does
not want much changes in the Catholic Church.
Many people are consciously or unconsciously seeking
spiritual guidance. A church or its leaders can only partially fulfill these
wishes - in spite of the possible improvement of their relationship to their
communities. Ultimately, this guidance for individuals, for a Church and for all
churches, can only come from God.
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