Professor Bainbridge...on law, politics, religion, culture & food

Watching Papa Ratzi

Pope Benedict is proving an interesting contrast to his predeccessor. Unlike John Paul of blessed memory, who after the Berlin Wall fell and his great crusade against communism ended always seemed to be apologizing to somebody, Benedict seems much more willing to be confrontational. On Good Friday, for example, he allowed the use of a traditionalist prayer that calls for the conversion of Jews, which offended a lot of Jewish spokesmen. But how could the Pope be true to the Great Commission without hoping for the conversion of all men and women of whatever faith, Judiaism included? Instead of bowing to political correctness and phony charges of anti-semitism, the Pope remained true to Christ’s command to seek “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

B16’s also been willing to take on Islam. Recall his 2006 speech that quoted “14th-century Byzantine emperor, Manuel II Paleologus, who said the Prophet Mohammed’s teachings had brought “things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.’” This Easter weekend, despite Osama bin Laden’s latest message singling the Pope out for leading a Crusade, the Pope personally baptised Magdi Allam, “Italy’s most prominent Muslim, an iconoclastic writer who condemned Islamic extremism and defended Israel.” Given reports that “Iran is considering the death penalty for apostates,” this was an act of great courage on the part of Allam, but it was also yet more evidence that Benedict is willing to defend his faith even at the risk of giving offense.

Candidly, I find this trait admirable, even if I don’t always agree with specific manifestations. The post-vatican II Catholic Church (especially here in America) all too often resembles the the church in Laodicea:

The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the source of God’s creation, says this: “I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

One thing about Ratzi. He’s definitely not lukewarm.