As Pope Benedict XVI concludes his papacy with his remarkable abdication, he leaves the worldwide Church and in Louisiana better than when he ascended into his position.
The great struggle the Church must face in the future is the effects of
the hubris of man, where increasingly many believe their wisdom is greater than
God’s and, from a political perspective, threatens to put into practice public
policy that encourages disordered relations among men and between men and God.
As an accomplished scholar, Benedict illuminated the proper relationship, and
in performing his papal duties he put them into practice – and the American
Church needed this perhaps more than any other.
In matters of faith and doctrine, he initiated a long-overdue review of
the consistency of affiliated organizations and practices, some of which were
drifting in the direction of embracing ephemeral, social causes with views
founded more on human ideology than on Scripture. Louisiana played a
significant role regarding one of the most notorious, when at the 2009
meeting in New Orleans of the Leadership
Conference of Women Religious that group continued on a path of creating
its own, inauthentic version of Catholicism, last year Benedict finally had to appoint
apostolic overseers to begin steering the Vatican organization of nuns back
towards proper understanding and application of doctrine.
In matter of behavior, Benedict’s record was less successful regarding
scandalous activities of a tiny segment of priests who nevertheless caused
outsized damage to the faithful and Church. Still, building on efforts he had
initiated in his previous position heading the Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith, he accelerated
the Church’s painful process of acceptance of guilt for its hesitancy to
deal with immoral and deviant sexual behavior of the clergy, and reconciliation,
even as these actions should have come sooner within the entire Church.
At least in Louisiana, where clergy abuse initially became a matter of national
public outcry after the horrific revelations in 1983 of widespread abuse committed
by a Diocese of Lafayette priest, during Benedict’s reign incidents appear to
have dropped close to zero, with only one
incident allegedly committed in this time frame. And Benedict has installed
a majority of the state’s active bishops, who to date have proven to be excellent
pastors of their dioceses.
Particularly noteworthy has been Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New
Orleans. He has not hesitated openly to criticize politicians and Catholic
institutions when their actions stray from the appropriate, and even where he
does not have the authority to do so, has engaged in symbolic
actions designed to illuminate to the faithful a proper understanding of
the activity in question. As such, he continues the notable
legacy in the Archdiocese of the late Most Rev. Philip Hannan.
The unusual nature of Benedict’s decision launches the Church into an
addressing an interesting, introspective question. Pleading inability to
perform at a high level, this contrasts with his predecessor John Paul II
who spent his last years in office in great suffering as an extended
exploration of Christ’s own suffering on the cross, in effect instructing on
how to die with grace and humility to God’s will. Benedict has chosen a different,
perhaps controversial, message of humility to convey, but one with which Louisiana bishops
have appeared to agree (such as here).
As cardinals enter conclave at the beginning of next month, the
faithful should pray that Peter’s next successor be a servant of the same
caliber, in intellect, wisdom, and understanding of the Church’s true role, as
Benedict.
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