“So, el Papa is coming…”

Sam Rocha, a friend of mine from Franciscan University, wrote down some of his thoughts in anticipation of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit. I thought I’d post them here to generate a discussion:

So, el Papa is coming to town. I decided to write this note as a preface of sorts. Not to attempt to predict his message, but, instead, as a preemptive reminder to pay attention. This, of course, might seem a bit odd. The media world is already paying attention and in a few days they will begin to use and abuse Benedict XVI’s visit in predictable and unoriginal ways.

One of the biggest abuses, I think, will be committed by Catholics – even those of the Franciscan University of Steubenville genre. This generalization is unfair in some cases and points an FUS gun directly at myself (as an FUS alumnus), but it is not entirely misguided.

Over the years of John Paul II’s pontificate Catholic American conservatives gave an increasingly selective interpretation of the late Pope’s message. On his rebuke of Liberation Theology and opposition to abortion and euthanasia he was praised and loved. On his opposition to capitalism, capital punishment, and war he was ignored or rebutted (especially by the First Things editorial staff).

In short, his legacy is widely loved by Catholic American conservatives, but his positions are sadly ignored or reduced to fit their own political ideologies of black and white partisanship found in the binary politics of Democrat vs. Republican parties. In this case, of course, the binary of choice is the elephant.

Now we have Benedict XVI. He has and will address us once again on a series of things including his continuity of JPII’s positions on life. During an election season, many will try and manipulate his message to fit their own decided partisanship. We should expect, however, at the very least, that Catholics – especially of the FUS variety – would use the Pope’s message to inform and challenge their own political assumptions.

By Benedict’s standards, neither party nor candidate is “pro-life” if what we mean by “life” is the list of things JPII noted in his encyclical Evangelium Vitae. Hillary/Obama’s positions are approximately as far from and as close to the Pope’s position as John McCain’s. In fact, if we look closely the Pope’s positions he is much further right on abortion and the family than McCain and similarly further left on war, poverty, capital punishment, and the environment than Clinton or Obama.

Benedict offers us a wonderfully gray look at American politics. The reductions into the black and white politics that oppress us are highlighted in his radically party-free perspective that, whether right or wrong, is both free and Catholic. Those who try to fit his views into one side or another, or who ignore the disharmony of his positions from the partisan ones of our American polyarchy only do themselves and their “Catholic” identity a disservice.

To put it simply, if you are one of those “FUS Catholics” and Benedict’s visit simply becomes an endorsement of your previous political (and, of course, spiritual) assumptions – you’re not listening. Let those who have ears…