Just hours after Pope Benedict XVI’s surprise announcement that
he would abdicate the papacy, New York
Times op-ed columnist Nicholas Kristof tweeted that “at
some point the church will accept contraception and female and
non-celibate priests. Could it be in the next papacy?” For years,
both those within and outside of the Catholic Church have believed
that they are just one pope away from a perfect Church. Similar
sentiments were expressed after the death of John Paul II in 2005
and they are already being touted again in discussions over
Benedict’s successor.
In a 2005 essay, “Liberal Catholicism Reexamined,” journalist
Peter Steinfels wrote that “one definition of liberal Catholicism
is simply papal teaching a hundred years too soon.” Such a
definition is promulgated by dissidents within the Church that
advocate for women’s ordination, reproductive rights, and same-sex
marriage.
Yet, more than a decade ago, Chicago’s Cardinal Francis George
gave a homily that startled many by pronouncing liberal Catholicism
“an exhausted project…parasitical on a substance that no longer
exists.” Declaring that Catholics are at a “turning point” in the
life of the Church in this Country, the Cardinal concluded that
liberal Catholicism had shown itself “unable to pass on the faith
in its integrity and inadequate to foster the joyful self-surrender
called for in Christian marriage, in consecrated life, in ordained
priesthood.” Cardinal George concluded that liberal Catholicism “no
longer gives life.”
The Catholic Church, like all institutions, is constantly being
reshaped. But for faithful Catholics, this must be guided by the
ultimate authority—the Pope, and then the bishops and cardinals,
who are responsible for Church teaching on matters of faith and
morals. In his almost eight year pontificate, Pope Benedict has
appointed 90 cardinals and named many more bishops. These cardinals
and bishops, while reflective of the changing demographics within
the Church, were not just selected based on their geographical
origins, but also because of their courage in defending the
traditional teachings of the Church in areas where they are most
needed.
Here in America this certainly has proven true. Consider, for
instance, his 2009 appointment of charismatic leader Cardinal
Timothy Dolan as Archbishop of New York—the face of the American
Church who understands the power of using the press and news media
to the Church’s benefit. Or the careful appointment of Archbishop
Charles Chaput, known for his capable administrative skills and
firm defense of Catholic identity, to Philadelphia—an archdiocese
devastated by sexual abuses scandals and in desperate financial
straits. And most recently, the appointment of Archbishop
Cordileone to San Francisco, a bishop best known for his defense of
traditional marriage now appointed to city that is least likely to
be receptive to his message.
Rather than bowing to dissident theologians and liberal lay
groups such as Voice of the Faithful and the George Soros funded
Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good who are desperate to
alter Church teaching, Pope Benedict will leave a legacy of a
Church hierarchy that is more united than ever in its commitment to
the truths of Catholicism. This commitment is reciprocated by what
Catholic commentator George Weigel has labeled as “evangelical
Catholicism,”—a faith that is united in its call to lived out
holiness, as is evidenced by the current twenty year high in
ordination rates to the priesthood, a continued growing Catholic
population, and a laity committed to this call. Like his
predecessor John Paul II, Pope Benedict will be remembered for his
contribution to this renewal—one that will continue long after his
papacy comes to a close.
Christopher White and Anne Hendershott are co-authors
of Beyond the Catholic Culture Wars, forthcoming
from Encounter Books in Fall 2013.
