Pope in Black and White

Hard to start a blog with 2 references about the Pope, but the choice of Ratzinger has brought about some interesting question--namely, how his brand of conservatism gels with the "man of peace" and more progressive image that we've seen--correctly or not--in John Paul II. Yet as another generation of global geopolitics is renewing the bond of religion and politics, we have to see all leaders of world religions as serious power brokers for all, and not just the faithful.

First off, we now have a pope who once wore a Nazi uniform.

It was so easy to think of John Paul II as a man of peace who spread goodwill, etc., etc. Part of that, especially for Jews, arose from the idea that he fought against Nazism and Hitlerism, and thus against "evil", as a young man. John Paul's religion seemed to dictate that he reject evil.

Now there are tons of caveats. John Paul II was Polish, so he had plenty of non-spiritual reasons to reject the Nazis. Ratzinger is German by birth, was just a boy when Hitler took power, and was most likely more a victim of conscription than a willing member of the Hitler Youth and the German army. By nature of his circumstance, his religiosity seems to have provided an escape from the Third Reich, but not a driving will to fight a regime--a viewpoint that may well apply to Church itself under Pius.

I thought the reaction of the Israelis to Ratzinger's election was quite telling. Ha'aretz (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/567037.html
) yesterday reported that Israel's leadership, including Moshe Katzav, acknowledged Ratzinger's past, but was still hopeful that he, as Benedict XVI, would continue JPII's outreach to other religions, and Jews and Israel in particular. As a nation of conscripts, it may be easier to understand that being drafted doesn't mean you believe the policymakers 100-percent.

But I'm curious to learn more about Benedict's conservatism--and whether the absolutism that divides right from wrong in Catholic orthodoxy means that the new pope will be less tolerant than his predecessor.

More later. --D