Commentary about who Pope Benedict XVI is — and
will be — diverged sharply following his April 19 election. But one
concern — relativism — consistently emerged as an enduring concern.
As
prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for
a quarter century, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger developed an
authoritarian reputation as "God's Rottweiler" as he enforced
conformity with church doctrine, policing the thought of Catholic
theologians and bishops alike.
The Jesuit journal America estimates
more than 100 Catholic theologians were silenced or reprimanded by the
congregation in recent years, suggesting that "too many issues have
been taken off the discussion table."
But to use such images to
predict how the pope will act is "completely ludicrous," says Augustine
Di Noia, Ratzinger's undersecretary at the congregation, who engaged in
dialogue with ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson during a 2003 visit
to the Vatican. Di Noia describes the new pope as a "soft-spoken,
self-effacing professor ... a saintly and spiritual man ... [who is]
decisive, fearless."
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