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A Skeleton in God's Closet- a novel by Paul Maier- I saw this book at the thrift shop on half price day, and I passed by it a couple times, and then I picked it up and flipped through it and it looked more interesting to me at third glance than at first- the archeological drawings, I think, were what interested me first.
Then I got it home and read this paragraph where the main character (a protestant) has gone to Rome because the Pope has called him to consult him on an issue about an ancient manuscript. So he meets the Pope, and it turns out this Pope is a liberal American protestant's dream, go figure:
Benedict XV- Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal church, Patriarch of the West, Soveriegn of Vatican City, and Servant of the Servants of God- wa the sort wh would have winced had his official titles (and there were more) been formally announced. Like his saintly predecessor, John XXIII, and the angaging John Paul II, the 265th incumbent of Peter's chair was determined to maintain a broad outreach to the world while charming it in the process. however, unlike his immediate predecessor, Benedict ws a traditional Italian once again, but with a very untraditional openness on some of the thorny issues pricking the consciences of Catholics across the world. Jon had been delighted to find that this poe, at last, was encouraging fresh discussion on such matters as birth control, Holy Communion for divorced Catholics, adn teh role of women in the church. Some thought Benedict XVI- the former Ricardo Cardinal Albergo, Archbishop of Naples- might even review the issue of clerical celibacy.
In short, the sort of Pope Newsweek's Kathleen Kennedy Townsend thinks Obama would make:
In truth, though, Obama’s pragmatic approach to divisive policy (his notion that we should acknowledge the good faith underlying opposing viewpoints) and his social-justice agenda reflect the views of American Catholic laity much more closely than those vocal bishops and pro-life activists. When Obama meets the pope tomorrow, they’ll politely disagree about reproductive freedoms and homosexuality, but Catholics back home won’t care, because they know Obama’s on their side. In fact, Obama’s agenda is closer to their views than even the pope’s. …
Notre Dame awarded the president an honorary degree because it saw the need to highlight the best of Catholic teaching as applied to politics: the ability to open the eyes of those who would prefer to keep them closed, and to open the hearts of those who would prefer not to know the pain that their actions cause. The pope has a lot to learn about Catholic politics in America. Barack Obama can teach him.
More at Hot Air where Ed kindly explains the finer points of Catholoicism to the likes of Townsend:
Townsend makes the same mistake about religion that many other Catholics (and not just Catholics) make about it. A church isn’t a democracy, nor is it a nation. The Catholic Church serves what its sees as eternal truths about God, Jesus Christ, and the world, and invites those who believe similarly to join. No one is forced to remain a Catholic anywhere in the world, nor are Lutherans, Episcopalians, and so on. Certainly one can disagree on policy and practices, as many Catholics do, but on doctrine, the church does not take polls.
