Waiting to see what new papacy brings

HUMBERTO CASPA

Joseph Ratzinger’s appointment to the papacy has brought mixed

reactions in the world and in our community.

On Sunday, he officially turned into Pope Benedict XVI. From the

outset, his allegiance to a resurgent conservative faith within the

Catholic tradition has awakened some worries about the future of this

church, not only among Latinos but also with other groups in the

community and the nation.

Pope Benedict XVI has been vocal and highly antagonistic to, among

other things, the liberation theology movement, a philosophy popular

in Latin American countries that combines religion with revolutionary

ideas.

He has identified this form of religious practice as “a source of

many violent actions in the (American) continent.”

Unfortunately, Benedict’s interpretation of the liberation

theology movement isn’t an accurate characterization of some Catholic

clergymen and women as well as parishioners seeking social justice

through political means in places mired with poverty, unemployment,

crime, prostitution and other forms of social pathologies. There is

just more than violence or politics within this religious doctrine.

Put in a modern context, liberation theology can be understood as

a mere form of activism of the Catholic Church in the political

affair of a community. In this context, salvation, which is the

ultimate goal of human existence, besides being a prophetic and

spiritual matter, it is also real and is often ingrained in our

governmental system.

Some people advocating liberation theology don’t just want to wait

until the “beginning of eternal life” to find justice. Their efforts

are concentrated while they live on earth.

For instance, about a month ago, when the Job Center became a

divisive issue in our community, many people representing various

groups began to organize and stop a so-called “injustice move”

against the Latino community. They comprised business owners,

lawyers, people with no affiliation to social groups, workers and

church leaders, including a few individuals from the Catholic Church.

All of them sought cohesively to persuade the Costa Mesa City Council

to rectify its decision to close the Job Center.

At the meeting on April 5, voices of disapproval were heard in the

City Hall throughout the night and parts of the next day. A few

religious advocates, including some Catholics, protested against the

closure of the Job Center by referring to parts of the Bible when

they spoke at the podium. They asked members of the City Council to

be kind, understanding and to act like Christians would act.

In the end, the collective action of these individuals paid off,

as the City Council voted 3-2 to give the Job Center another chance.

According to Benedict XVI’s vision, the Catholic Church or its

members shouldn’t get involved in such political matters as that of

the Job Center. In the past, he pointed out that “one of our

(Catholic Church) goals is to circumvent the politicization of the

Gospel.” And so, politics and religion cannot make a good match, and

should be avoided as much as possible. I wonder if this is a good

recommendation to Latinos in Costa Mesa. Maybe not.

Besides being an opponent to the liberation theology, Benedict XVI

has made remarks other religious organizations may find troubling. He

has said that the only path to “eternal life” is through the Catholic

Church, branding other religions as deficient and inappropriate for

salvation. This could prove troublesome in our community, where many

people practice other forms of religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism,

Islamism, Shintoism, and other branches of Christianity. By making a

tough stand against other beliefs, his leadership might leave too

little room for a dialogue and to shorten the gap of religious

differences.

Moreover, the popular Indian theology, which, among other things,

allows local churches to use the talents of local artists and singers

during church services, might also be in question under the

leadership of Benedict XVI.

In such a case, Aztec dancing, mariachi musicians or any other

cultural features of the local community, wouldn’t be allowed in the

local worship places of the Catholic Church.

Despite all the debate already surrounding his controversial past

and writings, Benedict XVI has already shown a positive side while

officiating a church service during his inauguration as pope. He

showed a more conciliatory stance.

However, he ought to realize that the future of his church depends

on how well he interacts with his parishioners and how much he

understands, not only their religious faith but also their customs

and traditions.

John Paul II was very successful in doing that, and it appears

that Benedict XVI also has that talent.

I can only wish him the best.

* HUMBERTO CASPA is a Costa Mesa resident and bilingual writer. He

can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].