There is a lot of murmuring and grumbling going on about Pope Benedict and what he may or may not do. I am still processing it all and considering my position.
Treppenwitz wrote an interesting post about this that I have been mulling over.
There is a lot of food for thought and as I mentioned I have not jumped one direction or another. I am someone who has strong opinions and often knows how he feels about an issue quickly, so this is a bit of an unusual position for me. I don't normally straddle the fence and will not do so for long,
I am not ignorant of the church's role in antisemitism and its influence of some of the more shameful acts of mankind, such as the Crusades and the Inquisition. They are not highlights or things to be proud of.
But I am not ignorant either of the good things that have been done in the name of the church either.
In some areas I am not surprised or upset. I don't expect the pope to come out and say that people should be anything but Catholic. However, the method and tone of the message is of concern to me. It is one thing to say that you can believe what you want, but it would be better if you were Catholic and another to say that you are going to hell in a haughty and accusatory tone.
Inevitably I come back to a position in which I say that I am going to watch and see what the man does and how he does it because that is of interest to me. Will he promote tolerance of others and goodwill or will he come at us with a less friendly approach.
It remains to be seen.
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