Europe
The new pope has taken the name of the patron saint of Europe, said Hervé Yannou in Paris’ Le Figaro. That choice sends a clear signal that the papacy of Benedict XVI will focus on reestablishing Europe as the vital center of Catholicism. For this pope, the European Union has gone beyond religious tolerance and become a culture “that actively opposes the religious impulse.” The E.U.’s official policy contradicts church teaching on a score of issues: Gay rights and abortion are legally protected, condom use is encouraged, and even euthanasia is permitted. Last year, when then Cardinal Ratzinger was already effectively running things during John Paul II’s illness, he spoke out furiously against the omission of any mention of Christianity in the European Constitution and against plans to invite Muslim Turkey to join the union. Benedict XVI has launched “a mission to save Europe.”
Benedict XVI doesn’t care about popularity, said historian Timothy Garton Ash in the London Guardian. While “John Paul II was a welcoming, ecumenical, big-tent pope,” Benedict XVI is a purist. He will not compromise one iota on what he sees as God’s law. In his view, “if becoming smaller is the price of the Catholic Church remaining true to its basic principles, so be it.” It is a principled and determined position. But unfortunately for Benedict XVI, it “will surely hasten precisely the de-Christianization of Europe that he aims to reverse.”
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Ernesto Galli della Loggia
Corriere della Sera
