“It has served us well, this myth of Christ” — Pope Leo X, 16th century.
February 13, 2013 marked the first time in 600 years a Pope has resigned and stepped down, giving for reasons his age and weakening health. The highest office in the Vatican is now empty until the Conclave, the secret meeting in which the Cardinals choose the next Pope, has finished, due sometime in mid-March.
Pope Benedict’s retirement comes at a time when the Catholic Church is deep in turmoil on issues that go against the very purpose the Church stands for. Cardinals are under fire for scandals of sexual abuse; there are political struggles in many predominantly Catholic countries; a declining number of practising Catholics around the world, and scandals of bribery. In the light of such events, it would seem that the very fate and direction of the Catholic Church is uncertain.
The Catholic Church is in no way new to scandals historically. However, the role and positive influences of the Catholic Church of the 21st century are very sadly on shaky ground morally. The retirement of Pope Benedict can thus be seen and felt by the 1.2 billion Catholics around the world as a void, a symbolic move, which like many of the negative aspects that have tainted the name and reputation of the Church in recent times may be felt by its followers as an utter lack of leadership, going against its very purpose.
The institution of the Church may be viewed as more corrupt than it has ever been historically but that may only seem so because of the times we live in. The Church’s previous self-preservation techniques from the past hardly function any longer. Scandals can no longer be swept away and kept hidden in this modern day of investigative journalism, citizen reporting, general openness and online media.
The Catholic Church in today’s world seems more and more detached from reality and un- uncompromising. In denying significant basic human existence such as human sexuality, it has created the spiral of a relentlessly male chauvinistic ideology for which it has time and again paid the price.
The obvious question one is obliged to ask therefore is: is this the church that Christ intended for his followers? If Pope Leo X’s statement, “It has served us well, this myth of Christ,” holds any substance, is the value system of the Catholic Church one that is even based on the life of Christ? Or is the Church based solely on a painted picture of what seemed to be righteous and profitable for its members throughout history, a picture that is so far removed from reality that the very sins it preaches against are occurring rampantly within its walls, perhaps to a greater extent than outside the church.
In recent years, we have heard, read and seen much of the doubts cast on the Catholic Church and its ideology. The seeds of doubt have been planted for a while now. However, it would be highly unfair to point fingers solely at the Catholic Church for its archaic, patriarchal beliefs and practices.
A large population of the Muslim clergy can also be defined in exactly the same terms, clearly demonstrating that a lack of ability and or willingness for religious institutions to modernise and keep up with the times will no doubt begin to instil doubts in the public. These doubts are not necessarily those related to the existence or goodness of God. Rather, they are those that are reflected in the practices, rituals and institutions that are supposed to provide the peace and solace in finding the path to God and are perhaps failing to do so. It is amazingly difficult to fathom why it would be considered acceptable to blindly follow scriptures written hundreds or thousands of years ago without seeking any adjustments and fine tuning to the times we live in. ‘Modern’ does not necessarily have an evil connotation!
Denying people their basic and natural rights to marry and procreate, denying women equal rights in society, just to name a couple of not so brilliant ideas that stem from religious doctrines, have had absolutely no positive impact on society historically or in the present time. How religious institutions such as the Catholic Church intend to attempt to preserve any hold on their followers today and in the future is difficult to see. When religious institutions such as the church and the mosque are the ones that engage in sexual abuse of children or of corrupting and robbing children’s lives in teaching them to kill, it is high time to rethink what the meaning of ‘religious institutions’ really is and what it has to do with God, peace or spirituality, if anything.
The writer is an English and French professor and columnist residing in the USA and France. She can be reached at [email protected]