Early in his term Pope Benedict presented himself as someone different than what his past arch conservative views had shown him to be. But now he has made it obvious that he hans’t changed his views at all. In a 131 page document, the Pope has announced the continued adherence to the Vatican’s ban on communion for divorced Catholics who remarry and has delegated to Bishops to decide if Catholic politicians should be denied communion if they support abortion or gay marriage. He also continued the ban of married priests in the Western Rite of the Church.

I find it an extremely offensive idea that a Bishop should be permitted to deny communion to a politician whose views run contrary to the Bishop’s ideas. I have complained before about the Church’s violation of the inherent freedom of conscience all people possess. See post 12/10/06. I continue to object to the George Orwell attempts by the Bishops to control freedom of thought under threat of moral sanction. In my view it is medieval to think that the Vatican or hierarchy can tell people what they must think irrespective of people’s freedom of conscience.

As to married priests, we have an enormous shortage of priests in this country. A large number of priests who have left the priesthood to marry are available to serve again as priests, if permitted. The Vatican refuses to accept them and continues to ban people who want to marry from becoming priests. All the while, the Vatican sees nothing wrong with married priests in non Western rites of the Church  or in allowing married clergy from other religions who convert to Catholicism to serve as priests. I’ve commented about the priest shortage and the Church’s ban of married priests before (see post 2/17/07) but this kind of illogical position makes no sense to me at all.

As to divorced Catholics who have remarried and are denied communion, this Pope continued the Church’s stance such people were "living in sin" if they remarry and have sexual relations. So what does the Pope say they should do? His solution is the couple should attempt to "annul the first marriage" in Church tribunals, but if that fails he insists they must live "as a friends, as brother and sister" without sexual relations. How about that for a rational view of human beings in the real world. But, this is the same position his predecessor and close friend John Paul insisted upon. What kind of a dilemma is the Vatican stance? Good Catholic people often divorce for very good reasons. Should their options be to stay married to an abusive husband or to stay married and live alone or to remarry someone they fall in love with and attempt to annul the marriage in some Church tribunal, but if that fails live as brother and sister?. What a totally unrealistic stance in the real world of normal human beings.

But, this stubborn adherence to traditional policy is hardly surprising coming from this Pope. Before his election, former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith – known in the past as the Holy Office of the Inquisition. Yes, that Office. Think Index of Forbidden Books and other restrictive measures. This former member of the Bavarian Hitler Youth served in that capacity from 1981 until his election as pope. As head of the Congregation he saw "liberation theology" as an evil movement within the Church. He was totally intolerant of those who practiced homosexuality. He advocated denial of communion to politicians who were pro choice. In his capacity as head of the Congregation he was very close to Pope John Paul II who followed Ratzinger’s conservative views. Ratzinger silenced theologians who wanted dialog about issues that were of current interest in theology. Ritzinger and John Paul took the position that it was immoral to provide condoms in Africa to prevent AIDS. In his role as head of the Congregation he became a legend for his arch conservative traditionalist views and his intolerance of any dissenting views. Let’s not forget that this is the same man who seventeen months into his papacy quoted the emperor as saying the Prophet Muhammad had brought the world only "evil and inhuman things" which caused an international uproar.

His selection as Pope was viewed with skepticism given his previous actions and stands by Catholic commentators who had hoped for a liberalization of Vatican positions on critical issues. However, for his first months in office he was careful about his public statements which gave rise to the hope that perhaps his views had been modified by becoming pope. Now we see nothing has changed. Not surprising, but disappointing.