Congress session: The election of Benedict and What It Means for the Church (Fr. Thomas Reese)
Fr. Reese is famous for having been the editor of America magazine who was basically asked/forced to step down by the Vatican for being too open to giving print space to voices critical of Church teachings. I wasn’t originally signed up for this session because I already had two sessions regarding the Vatican and the international Church and didn’t recognize Fr. Reese’s name. On the bus trip down while reviewing my sessions and the alternatives, I realized who Fr. Reese was and was more intrigued to go to this session. That said, I was also very hesitant. I didn’t want to go to a laundry airing session and was worried that’s what this session would be. In the end I decided to go despite my fears.
I must give Fr. Reese a great deal of credit. He was gracious towards Benedict and was very careful to give the positives of Benedict’s motivations. In fact, it was only in the question and answer section when directly challenged in regard to his opinion on subjects which he disagreed with Benedict that he was willing to state his disagreements. Even then he remained charitable and dealt with the issues sans any ad hominum attacks.
Fr. Reese very much concurred with John Allen Jr. that Benedict has been far more cautious that people expected and had a lot of praise for his balanced approach to date. He also pointed out what he saw as two areas where Benedict was an improvement over John Paul.
1st he spoke to his willingness to meet with dissident theologians specifically referencing Hans Kung. He said John Paul did not and would never have met with Kung because he worried that it would appear like he was endorsing or supporting Kung’s ideas. Benedict on the other hand seems to have a much more open approach and feels comfortable that his words and documents will make it clear what he believes. He doesn’t seem to fear any sense of guilt by association. Reese saw this as a VERY positive thing.
2nd he spoke to an idea that I found very intriguing. He said that dictators FEARED John Paul. After they saw what John Paul was able to accomplish with Communism, they didn’t want John Paul or the Vatican even talking to people from their countries much less have John Paul come to their country. Because of this, John Paul had a difficult time making diplomatic inroads with countries like China and Cuba later in his Papacy. Benedict on the other hand has appeared less threatening to these dictators as can be seen by the recent talks between the Vatican and China. The result may be very positive for the Church’s ability to make inroads in these countries and ensure that the faithful in the country are protected by civil laws.
Overall I was pleasantly surprised and very glad to have gone to this session as I saw Benedict from a different perspective than I had in the past, one that I’m glad to say only improved my appreciation for Benedict. May God continue to guide Benedict as he leads our Church!