[Marxism] Rabbi Lerner: "Ratzinger is Bad News for the World and for Jews"

["Fred Feldman" <ffeldman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Personally, I think the greatest danger Ratzinger represents to Jews is
that he may move the papacy closer to pro-Israel "Zionism is fulfillment
of prophecy" politics, a view pushed aggressively by a pro-settlement
Austrian cardinal who was also a contender for the position.
Fred Feldman




The Selection of Cardinal Ratzinger Is Bad News for the World and for
the Jews

Rabbi Michael Lerner, editor of the world's largest circulation
progressive Jewish magazine, TIKKUN, and rabbi of Beyt Tikkun Synagogue
in San Francisco, took the unusual step of criticizing the choice made
by the Catholic Church for its new Pope, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.
Lerner was careful to make clear that he was NOT speaking as leader of
The Tikkun Community, the interfaith organization whch he co-chairs,
which has NOT taken a stand on these issues, but only as editor of
TIKKUN magazine. Moreover, Lerner started with the following: "I want to
bless the New pope and pray that he transcends his views on gays, women,
secularists, the lack of validity of other religious paths, etc. I also
pray that all the good people in the Church who do not share his views
and want to preserve the social justice orientation of Jesus' teachings
will join with us in creating an interfaith Network of Progressive
Spiritual Activism--now more than ever such a context both for secular
and for progressive religious and spiritual peole is badly needed."

Rabbi Lerner issued the following statement: "Since the days in which he
served in the Hitler Youth and Nazi army in Germany (apparently against
his will, but nevertheless apparently absorbing the deep patriarchal and
authoritarian character structure that the fascists did so much to
foster in younth) to his role as the leader of the forces that
suppressed the liberatory aspects of Vatican II and purged or silenced
the Church of its most creative leadership (including German Catholic
theologians Eugene Drewermann and Hans Kung, Brazilian theologian
Leonardo Boff, and several prominent American Catholic thinkers), to the
present moment in which he is recognized as the leader most identified
with the forces of reaction and suppression of dissent within the
Church, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger has distinguished himself as a man who
can be counted on to side with the most anti-humane and repressive
forces, in opposition to those who seek to give primacy to a world of
peace and justice.

"Although normally Jews would welcome any choice of leadership by our
sister religion, we have particular reason to comment on this choice.

"Jews have a powerful stake and commitment in ending global poverty and
oppression. We fully well understand that in a world filled with pain
and cruelty, the resulting anger is often channeled in racist, sexist,
anti-Semitic, and homophobic directions. Both as a matter of principle,
based on our commitment to a prophetic vision, and as a matter of
self-interest, Jews have disproportionately supported liberal and
progressive social change movements seeking to end war and poverty.

"So it was with great distress that we watched as Cardinal Ratzinger led
the Vatican in the past twenty-five years on a path that opposed
providing birth control information to the poor of the world, thereby
ensuring that AIDS would spread and kill millions in Africa.

"And we watched with even greater distress as this Cardinal supported
efforts to involve the Church in distancing itself from political
candidates or leaders who did not agree with the Church's teachings on
abortion and gay rights, prioritizing these issues over whether that
candidate agreed with the Church on issues of peace and social justice.
As a result, Cardinal Ratzinger has led the Church away from its natural
alliance with Jews in fighting for peace and social justice and toward a
stance which in effect allies the Church with the most reactionary
politicians whose policies are militaristic and offer a preferential
option for the rich.

"We can't help noticing that under Cardinal Ratzinger's tutelage the
Church began moves to elevate the infamous Pope Pius XII to the status
of saint. Instead of repenting for the failure of the Church to give
unequivocal messages telling all Catholics that they would be prevented
from receiving communion for collaborating or cooperating in any way
with Nazi rule, or for failing to hide and protect Jews who were marked
for extermination, Ratzinger has sought to whitewash this disgraceful
moment in Church history. Many Jews are outraged at a Church that denies
communion to those who have remarried or those who oppose making
abortion illegal but that did not similarly deny communion to those who
participate in crimes against humanity.

"In fact, Cardinal Ratzinger publicly praised the fascist movement in
the Church known as Opus Dei and supported canonization of Josemaria
Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, an open fascist who served in the
government of Spain's dictator Franco, and who publicly praised Hitler.

" While many of us agree with Ratzinger's critique of moral relativism,
he extends that critique in illegitimate and dangerous ways, equating
secularism with moral relativism and suggesting that secularism is now
repressing religion. Since many, many Jews are secular, we have much
concern about the way that this assault can quickly turn in anti-Semtiic
directions (some of us remember the Nazi-supporting priest Father
Coughlin of the 1930s whose US radio show always insisted that he was
only agaisnt the secular Jews and hence wasn't "really" anti-Semitic).
But whether or not he turns against Jews, those of us who are religious
Jews or people of faith in other religions should rally against the
attempt to demean all secular people and blame on them the problems of
selfishness actually rooted in the dynamics of the the global capitalist
market.

Ratzinger also publicly critiques all those inside the Church who are
tolerant enough to think that other religions may have equal validity as
a path to God. This is a slippery slope toward anti-Semitism and a
return to the chauvinistic and triumphalist views that led the Church,
when it had the power to do so, to develop its infamous crusades and
inquisitions.

In 1997 Ratzinger said that Europeans attracted to Buddhism were
actually seeking an "autoerotic spirituality" that offers "transcendence
without imposing concrete religious obligations." Hindusim, he said,
offers "false hope," in that it guarantees "purification" based on a
"morally cruel" concept of reincarnation resembling "a continuous circle
of hell." At the time, Cardinal Ratzinger predicted that Buddhism would
replace Marxism as the Catholic church's main enemy.

"Ratzinger is being falsely described as a conservative, when in fact
he, despite his publicly genteel manner, is a raging reactionary. Unlike
many American conservatives who oppose gay sexual practices but not
their legal rights, Ratzinger in 1992 argued against human rights for
gays, stressing that their civil liberties could be "legitimately
limited."

"Those of us in the Jewish world who have enormous respect for
Christianity and for the wisdom and beauty of the Catholic tradition are
in mourning today that the Church has confirmed for itself a destructive
direction that will hurt not only Catholics but all those who seek peace
and justice in the world.

"We remain hopeful that the new pope may return to his original more
progressive positions (pre-1968) and realize that the world needs a
church that can respond compassionately and wisely to what is needed
rather than remain wedded to dogma that is so destructive. In a
statement that Ratzinger made a few years ago, he seemed deeply aligned
with TIKKUN's ciritque of the selfishness and materialism of the
contemporary world. We hope that he stops blaming that on secularists
and comes to understand that secularists too, as well as people from
other faiths, can be allies in the struggle for a new ethos of love and
generosity. We pray that he may find a way to bring a better, kinder,
more loving and compassionate agenda to the Catholic Church.

It is precisely because we continue to feel allied with the Church and
see it as an important ally in the struggle for social justice and peace
that we are so dismayed at this misdirection. Meanwhile, we reaffirm our
solidarity with the many millions of Catholics who had hoped for a very
different kind of Pope who would make the Church more open to women's
leadership, to prioritizing social justice, to rethinking its opposition
to promoting birth control, and to returning to the hopeful spirit of
Vatican II. We can say publicly what many of you can only say
privately-that this new Pope does not represent what is most beautiful
and sacred in the teachings of Jesus."

Late this evening, Rabbi Lerner was interviewed on a national call-in
radio show on the issues discussed here, and he mentioned the problem
that Catholics have of speaking out on these issues, given Cardinal
Ratzinger's tendency to take retributive actions to purge from positions
in the church those who disagreed with his views. A retired catholic
priest called in, said he agreed 100% with Rabbi Lerner's position, and
said that he wouldn't dare say these things under his own name for fear
that his retirement pension would be cut off, so he thanked Rabbi Lerner
for saying for progressive Catholics what many do not dare say for
themselves.

Rabbi Michael Lerner is editor of TIKKUN and author of ten books,
including Healing Israel/Palestine (North Atlantic Books, 2003) and
Jewish Renewal (Harper Perennial, 1995).


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