SEEING THE LIGHT

Are liberals warming to Benedict?
Minutes after Pope Benedict XVI bounded out on to the papal balcony on April 19, pundits began to ask whether his election would split the Church. To be honest, it seemed a fair question to observers in St Peter’s Square. Members of the conservative Legionaries of Christ punched the air in joy at the news; Left-wing nuns could not have looked more horrified if George W Bush himself had appeared in a white soutane. Few commentators were insightful enough to predict that, within a few months, giants of liberal Catholicism would be competing to compose the most eloquent paean to his pontificate.
But, half a year on, this is exactly what is happening. Prominent liberal Catholics – Hans Küng, Ute Ranke-Heinemann, and now Leonardo Boff – have recovered from the shock of Pope Benedict’s election, and are rather liking what they see.
Fr Küng, who once accused Cardinal Ratzinger of running the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith like a branch of the KGB, has had a friendly meeting with the Holy Father. Ute RankeHeinemann has praised Benedict’s “humble intelligence” (while, admittedly, continuing to hurl insults at his beloved predecessor). Boff has hailed the Pope for his “strong defence of the values of the Second Vatican Council”. Add to this benevolent editorials in the Tablet and the National Catholic Reporter – the house journals of liberal Catholicism in Britain and America – and we have what appears to be a shift in liberal Catholic opinion.
The key question is: will it last? Those with long enough memories will recall that the election of Pope John Paul II was greeted with enthusiasm in liberal quarters. John Paul was, after all, a champion of the workers and a fierce defender of human rights – and, mirabile dictu, he played the guitar. It took several years before liberals realised that, while the Pope shared some of their social concerns, he had no time for their ecclesiastical agenda.
While it is probably too early to compare the two pontificates, with Pope Benedict liberal opinion is proceeding in precisely the opposite direction. Before his election, he was seen as an archconservative; now, he is portrayed as more tolerant and openminded than his predecessor.
No doubt there is an element of wishful thinking in the liberal reinterpretation of Pope Benedict. But no one is suggesting that Joseph Ratzinger has become a liberal since his election. What they are saying, rather, is that – to their own surprise – Benedict XVI is also their pope. We must pray that he remains so.