By trying to reassert the primacy of Catholicism, Pope Benedict has done just the opposite

By Matt Zemek

(FRIENDS, IT IS NICE TO KNOW THAT MEMBERS OF GEN X HAVE AS HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR THE CHURCH AS WE DO. RBK)

Here is a piece written recently by 31-year-old Matt Zemek, an open letter of apology to other Christians in Seattle, where he lives as a member of St. James Cathedral Parish. Matt works as a freelance sportswriter, and in a Seattle soup kitchen. He is also the author of a book on U.S. politics, "Liberalism the Right Way" (2003, BookLocker.com, Inc.)

Pope Benedict XVI wrote a truly beautiful papal encyclical on Christmas Day
of 2005, titled "God is Love." In that letter, the pope bathed the world in
sweetness and light, making Catholic thought a beacon of goodness and hope.
The man once nicknamed "God's Rottweiler" showed signs of leaving his old
job (essentially, a doctrinal policeman of sorts) behind and embracing his
new job: gentle pastor for the world.

Sadly, though, the fangs are back, and probably for good.

Last Tuesday, the pope reached into his dusty old files (repeating much of a
document he released seven years ago as a cardinal) to repeat to the world
that there's only one true path to salvation: the Catholic Church.

You know, the one true faith. The one true church. The church with no
"defect," "wound," or any of the other words Benedict used to express
Catholic centrality and primacy over and against Protestant and Orthodox
Christian denominations.

It was something the folks at Trent (that's in the 16th century could have embraced. But now? In the 21st century? On the heels of the sex abuse crisis? In an environment where ecumenical fellowship is needed more than ever? (Seattle Archbishop Alex J. Brunett has given much of his life to ecumenical dialogue. Wonder what he's thinking about now, after many years of reaching out to people of other faiths.)

To all non-Catholics throughout the Puget Sound region, I must apologize as
a Catholic for what the pope has done. At a time in human history when
inclusion and unity are needed more than ever, this pope--for all of his
literary credentials and artistic gifts--has chosen to divide the human
family.

I don't think the pontiff sees things that way, but that's precisely the
problem: when you're a pastor for the world, you need to first listen to
what the world is saying, feeling and longing for. Sure, popes aren't
supposed to tell people what they want to hear, in the same way that Hillary
Clinton will tell Iowans exactly what she thinks they'll gobble up. But
popes and all people in positions of pastoral religious leadership need to
be intimately connected to the pains of the people they're trying to
nourish.

Benedict, simply stated, is speaking like a man who hasn't met a lot of
people since he took over the Barque of Peter over two years ago. It's as
though he made his mind up long ago about the things he wanted to say during
his papacy. And if people are offended, excluded or shut out, too bad.
Purification of the faith (read: reduction in numbers to include only the
perfectly obedient) seems to be Joseph Ratzinger's only goal right now.

That might be good for him, but it's not good for Catholics across the
world, especially in places like Seattle where the ex-Catholic population
rivals the Catholic population, and where secularism seems to be breathed i
more deeply than religious devotion.

Being Catholic has given affirmation to the deepest parts of my being;
anyone who has tasted Catholicism at its best can relate to what I'm saying.
Because of this, I stay awake at night wondering how more people can
experience this same significant taste of life.

But as the years go by, statements such as the ones recently made by Pope
Benedict make it harder for me and other Catholics to muster up the courage
to say something that's becoming a lot more tired and a lot less tenable:
"look at the faith, not the institutional church." When the pope makes
divisive statements that nevertheless tie into longstanding elements of
Catholic ecclesiology--such as the line of apostolic succession--the task of
separating the institution from the faith, the politics from the living
wisdom, becomes that much more complicated. It's such a twisted, tangled
mess that it's not very accessible to most folks. If you're not Catholic and
not a theologian, your discovery of this story (as it appeared in the Times
last Tuesday) likely prompted either a dismissive chuckle or an outraged
yell. In other words, anything but the serious thought and contemplation
Benedict is hoping for.

There is much beauty in Catholicism. Benedict--in trying to reveal that
beauty--is only serving to put ugliness before the world's eyes. For that, I
am deeply sorry.

And completely heartbroken.

E-mail: mzemek@hotmail.com.