2008 Woodie Awards
Letter to the Editor: "New Pope a Former Fascist?"
Issue date: 4/29/05 Section: Opinions
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Dear Editor,
I would like to comment on the misguided article written by Mr. Stolzenbach concerning the outrageous assertion that Pope Benedict XVI is in any way a fascist who is going to ruin the Catholic faith. It is unfortunate that the unfounded stories the news media has been reporting, about the newly elected pope's past as a Hitler Youth, are now starting to adversely affect the opinions of many. There are several points on which I would like to contend Mr. Stolzenbach's assertions.
I would first off like to state that I am a practicing Catholic, and I do not attempt to hide my bias in defending my faith. Because I am a practicing Catholic and one who takes interest in the faith to which I belong, I believe that some aspects of this article are obviously wrong to one who understands the Catholic religion. I do not contest the fact that many Catholics in the United States are upset about the newly elected pope, yet the US claims only 4% of the world's Catholics. This means that the US, while important in global politics, is only an extremely small contributor to the Catholic faith. And, as a US citizen, I find it extremely undemocratic that so many believe the will of such a small minority should way more heavily in the operations of the Church.
Another misconception about the Catholic Church, easily found through brief research, is that what is happening to the Catholic faith in the US is found throughout the world. The simple fact is that the highly publicized scandals that have plagued the American Church over the past several years are largely an American anomaly. The sexual abuse scandal in the United States is exactly that, in the United States. And another issue that has come up lately is the lack of priests, and this lack is located in the US and only a handful of European nations. The troubles we face in the United States, as Catholics, are not too wide-spread a phenomenon as some like to think.
Though it is true that most of the Cardinals who voted for Joseph Ratzinger are European, Europe only claims 25% of the world'ss Catholics. Therefore, it would be folly to suppose that the Cardinals are only concerned with Europe, and disregard the other 75%.
I would like to comment on the misguided article written by Mr. Stolzenbach concerning the outrageous assertion that Pope Benedict XVI is in any way a fascist who is going to ruin the Catholic faith. It is unfortunate that the unfounded stories the news media has been reporting, about the newly elected pope's past as a Hitler Youth, are now starting to adversely affect the opinions of many. There are several points on which I would like to contend Mr. Stolzenbach's assertions.
I would first off like to state that I am a practicing Catholic, and I do not attempt to hide my bias in defending my faith. Because I am a practicing Catholic and one who takes interest in the faith to which I belong, I believe that some aspects of this article are obviously wrong to one who understands the Catholic religion. I do not contest the fact that many Catholics in the United States are upset about the newly elected pope, yet the US claims only 4% of the world's Catholics. This means that the US, while important in global politics, is only an extremely small contributor to the Catholic faith. And, as a US citizen, I find it extremely undemocratic that so many believe the will of such a small minority should way more heavily in the operations of the Church.
Another misconception about the Catholic Church, easily found through brief research, is that what is happening to the Catholic faith in the US is found throughout the world. The simple fact is that the highly publicized scandals that have plagued the American Church over the past several years are largely an American anomaly. The sexual abuse scandal in the United States is exactly that, in the United States. And another issue that has come up lately is the lack of priests, and this lack is located in the US and only a handful of European nations. The troubles we face in the United States, as Catholics, are not too wide-spread a phenomenon as some like to think.
Though it is true that most of the Cardinals who voted for Joseph Ratzinger are European, Europe only claims 25% of the world'ss Catholics. Therefore, it would be folly to suppose that the Cardinals are only concerned with Europe, and disregard the other 75%.