great expectations

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Aug 26, 2005

The current Tablet features not one but two opinion pieces arguing that Benedict XVI showed his true liberal colors in Cologne.

The Pope did not do or say anything "wrong". And in spite of his lament that "the influence of Catholic ethics and morals is in constant decline" and that "many people abandon the Church or … accept only a part of Catholic teaching", he never once mentioned abortion, birth control, or sex -- all burning issues for the so-called "theo-cons" and hard-line dogmatists who were elated by his election to the papacy. And in a homily for seminarians he never even whispered the word "celibacy". Was this really Pope Benedict? Or did he lose those pages?

Pretty weak, even as arguments from silence go. Even us hard-line dogmatists are capable of speaking about Epiphany without mention of celibacy or abortion. Still, if it impresses the tableteers enough to wipe the nonoxynol-9 out of their eyes and actually read Ratzinger, it's all to the good.