Changes
in The
death of Pope John Paul II must in many ways mark the end
of an era however similar his views are to those of his
close collaborator, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, elected
Pope Benedict XVI. The
long papacy of John Paul II will I am sure go down in
history as one of the most significant of all papacies.
His influence is felt in so many varied areas of life.
What he achieved and what he attempted to achieve are
most important to discern, ponder, evaluate and use as
assistance to the future. First of all he was undoubtedly
a major force in the ending of communism in It
will take time, prayer and though to sift through some of
what he did and determine how appropriate it is for the
world emerging. He polarized Christian living with living
without God, secular living. Would a more gentle,
conversational relationship be more helpful to gospel
values in the future or not? Would a more collegial style
of church government be more creative in the future or
not? These are the sort of questions all Christians are
called to ponder and decide. Pope
Benedict XVI has had a rich and diverse experience of
life. Coming from a deeply devout rural Bavarian Catholic
family; he had a first class education and became a
Professor of Theology. As a student of theology I was
deeply impressed with his lectures at Historical
experience shows that popes are unpredictable; some
differ from their previous approach in one way, others in
another way. We must wait and see. He is said to have
taken the name Benedict for three reasons. Firstly St
Benedict is the patron of All
of this should, I believe, give rise to long and hard
thought and prayer on the part of the Church of England.
We need to ask ourselves whether our church today is
sufficiently assisting the growth of its members in
holiness. Are there issues about our spirituality, our
liturgy, our doctrine, our belief that need revision? We
are, I believe, assisted in our wrestling with these
issues as we enter a conversation with our Roman Catholic
sisters and brothers to sharpen what it is that divides
us, what moves can help us grow closer, where exactly do
our presently irreconcilable differences lie? In all of
this may God guide his whole church so his people follow
more closely his ways. Christopher
Morgan-Jones |