Howard Thurman felt that “Christianity has betrayed Jesus.” Gandhi agreed and Albert Schweitzer offered this observation: What has been passing for Christianity during these nineteen centuries is merely a beginning, full of weaknesses and mistakes, not a full-grown Christianity springing from the spirit of Jesus.
2000 years of religion in Jesus’ name has not always lived up to its best intentions. Ask the indigenous victims of so-called “Christian empires” and the Doctrine of Discovery and other victims of religious aggression.
The Holy Spirit can make good things out of bad.
Maybe the Holy Spirit gave us 34 years of Popes JP II and Benedict in order to kill the church as we know it. Why?
So Christianity can start over and travel lighter and be more attuned to the real message in the Gospels—to recovering a sense of the Sacred Earth so that the Earth can survive, so that deep ecumenism can thrive and world spiritualities can work together to solve human problems and more.
Maybe to put a vital spirituality ahead of tired religion?
Ratzinger called Creation Spirituality “dangerous and deviant,” but maybe his reign of homophobia, misogyny, religious one-up-manship, approval of fascism, “killing of theology” and avoiding the signs of the times whether science, women or gay rights qualifies as “dangerous and deviant.”
I think this is the historic role that Ratzinger played: By slaying theology and condemning both liberation theology and creation spirituality, by failing to interfere with priestly pedophilia and its hierarchical cover-up and instead elevating people like Cardinal Law, who passed pedophile priests from parish to parish, to head the Maria Maggiore basilica in Rome, by turning his back on the signs of the time, he so deconstructed the church that he made room for a more authentic spirituality in Jesus’ name to grow from the ashes he left behind.
He encouraged people wittingly or unwittingly to move from religion to spirituality.
Maybe now a new thing can happen. Mystics and prophets can flourish. This can happen outside as well as hopefully inside institutional religion. Those who follow Jesus are freer to do so now. Something far closer to Jesus’s message of the presence of the Kingdom/queendom of God among us can flourish.
See Matthew Fox, “Section Four: The End of the Catholic Church as We Know It and the Birth of a Truly Catholic Christianity” in The Pope’s War: Why Ratzinger’s Secret Crusade Has Imperiled the Church and How It Can Be Saved, pp.171-237.
To read a transcript of Matthew Fox’s video teaching, click HERE.
Banner Image: Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI greets audience. Originally posted to Flickr by manhhai
Queries for Contemplation
Do you believe that the Holy Spirit used two recent popes to kill the church as we know it and render spirituality more important than religion? What follows from that?
Recommended Reading
Christian Mystics: 365 Readings & Meditations
As Matthew Fox notes, when an aging Albert Einstein was asked if he had any regrets, he replied, “I wish I had read more of the mystics earlier in my life.” The 365 writings in Christian Mystics represent a wide-ranging sampling of these readings for modern-day seekers of all faiths — or no faith. The visionaries quoted range from Julian of Norwich to Martin Luther King, Jr., from Thomas Merton to Dorothee Soelle and Thomas Berry.
“Our world is in crisis, and we need road maps that can ground us in wisdom, inspire us to action, and help us gather our talents in service of compassion and justice. This revolutionary book does just that. Matthew Fox takes some of the most profound spiritual teachings of the West and translates them into practical daily mediations. Study and practice these teachings. Take what’s in this book and teach it to the youth because the new generation cannot afford to suffer the spirit and ethical illiteracy of the past.” — Adam Bucko, spiritual activist and co-founder of the Reciprocity Foundation for Homeless Youth.
The Pope’s War: Why Ratzinger’s Secret Crusade Has Imperiled the Church and How It Can Be Saved
The Pope’s War offers a provocative look at three decades of corruption in the Catholic Church, focusing on Josef Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI. The final section in the book focuses on birthing a truly catholic Christianity.
“This book should be read by everybody, not only for its ferocious courage, but also for its vision for what needs to be saved from the destructive forces that threaten authentic Christianity.” ~ Andrew Harvey, author of The Hope.
“In the gripping The Pope’s War, Matthew Fox takes an unwavering look at the layers of corruption in the Catholic Church, holding moral truth against power.” — Jason Berry, author of Vows of Silence: The Abuse of Power in the Papacy of John Paul II
20 thoughts on “The Historic Role that Pope Benedict Played”
Matthew, It is said that “The Holy Spirit can make good things out of bad”–This comes from Romans 8:28 where it says: “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” After a litany of what Ratzinger/Benedict XVI was not doing good, you suggest that “maybe the Holy Spirit gave us 34 years of Popes JP II and Benedict in order to kill the church as we know it.” The after asking Why? You answer with: “So Christianity can start over and travel lighter and be more attuned to the real message in the Gospels—to recovering a sense of the Sacred Earth so that the Earth can survive, so that deep ecumenism can thrive and world spiritualities can work together to solve human problems and more.”
I think this is the historic role that Ratzinger played in this: By slaying theology–condemning both liberation theology and creation spirituality, by failing to interfere with priestly pedophilia and its hierarchical cover-up and instead elevating people like Cardinal Law, who passed pedophile priests from parish to parish, to head the Maria Maggiore basilica in Rome, by turning his back on the signs of the time, he so deconstructed the church that he made room for a more authentic spirituality in Jesus’ name to grow from the ashes he left behind. Maybe now a new thing can happen. Mystics and prophets can flourish. This can happen outside as well as hopefully inside institutional religion. Those who follow Jesus are freer to do so now. Something far closer to Jesus’s message of the presence of the Kingdom/Queendom of God can flourish among us.
Then you ask us: “Do you believe that the Holy Spirit used two recent popes to kill the church as we know it and render spirituality more important than religion?” It sure seems that way, BUT there are still plenty of “fundamentalist” Catholics who loved Ratzinger and believe he will be made a saint and a Doctor of the Church.
What follows from that? The Church will only change when it gets some strong priests and bishops who will push the implications of Vatican II within the Church and churches.
If Matthew and others like him don’t believe that the two popes mentioned were ‘the rocks on which Christ builds His church’, then why go back to that same dry well? Why do we continue to believe that Christ’s Spirit and Christianity itself reside in the Vatican and with supposed newly ‘enlightened priest and bishops’?
Is not all the change then to come from outside the ‘formal church’ that is beset with problems and inertia? Were the Rabbis, Pharisees and other religious leaders of Jesus day, not surprised as well that they were not the answer, when up to then the entire faith revolved around everything they said and did?
To be like Jesus then is to walk like Jesus then is it not. When did we start to think that we would not be given the opportunity to ‘walk in HIs shoes’ and experience His Life and Cross? Is that opportunity not now? — BB.
“A rigid tree breaks in the wind” Chinese Proverb
Yes, I sense that the “unwitting” deconstruction of the Roman Catholic Church is guiding us to “get real.” Most of the time when we hear the saying “don’t go there” there are inhibitions involved. Inhibitions block our individual and collective (universal) Spirit from rising in us. We are in the process of waking up to our natural uninhibited spirituality. The Paraclete is becoming unblocked. We are now feeling “what is.”
A prophetic woman shared a dream, in which she saw the Holy Spirit sitting outside the steps of the Church weeping. She asked the Holy Spirit why such tears and She responded, saying that She was no longer welcome to move in the Spirit of her essence and presence within the Church and that religion and it’s dogma and doctrine had closed the door of the people’s minds, hearts and souls.
Religion has demonstrated throughout it’s history, that it does not care about justice, through the working out of the theology of Liberation, Feminist, Creation, or Cosmic Christ spirituality, taught through the wisdom teachings of the mystics and prophets.
Religion continues to adhere rigidly to its immutable world of heirarchal and patriarchal power and control, demonstrating its unwillingness and incapabilities of changing its draconian judicial and political doctrines and dogma. This is comprehensible, as nothing can unfold, evolve and emerge without the workings of the Holy Spirit, whom they have rejected and denied entry to, within not only their manmade institutions, but also their own hearts, minds and souls.
The Holy Spirit however, will continue to move within and through those whom welcome, accept and respond to Her prompting, comfort, consolation and wisdom counsel offered to all, to be acknowledged and responded to in faith, hope and trust in the power of Her love, compassion and mercy toward all.
Jeanette, Two things I want to highlight today in your comments are: “Religion has demonstrated throughout it’s history, that it does not care about justice, through the working out of the theology of Liberation, Feminist, Creation, or Cosmic Christ spirituality, taught through the wisdom teachings of the mystics and prophets.” And then you also write: “Religion continues to adhere rigidly to its immutable world of hierarchal and patriarchal power and control, demonstrating its unwillingness and incapability of changing its draconian judicial and political doctrines and dogma.” In both of these comments I think you mean by “Religion” specifically the Roman Catholic Church. I point this out because there are a lot of religions in this world, and Matthew speaks favorably of many in his book, ONE RIVER, MANY WELLS. Though I agree with what you are saying in both comments !!!
I was not only referring to the Roman Catholic religion, but also the Islamic religion of Iran and other countries of the middle East and what’s taking place there now. Last night I watched on the Fifth Estate an interview with activist Masih Alinejad about her prophetic journey of speaking truth to the religious, judicial and political powers that be, regarding this countries draconian heirarchal and patriarchal religious dogma and doctrines and the revolutionary conflicts she is deeply involved with, in their fight for justice, love and peace especially regarding the liberation of women.
In short, no. I’m sure there have been as bad if not worse popes in the past. But I do think that it has presented an opportunity for every Christian to discern whether the doctrine coming out of Rome aligns with their own innate sense of Christ’s teaching. The Voice of Conscience is all.
Paul, Today you write that we need to: “discern whether the doctrine coming out of Rome aligns with their own innate sense of Christ’s teaching. The Voice of Conscience is all.” I don’t know if my sense is innate, but it is certainly how I intuit it or sense things in my guts. And on the “Voice of Conscience”–the strange thing is that, the Vatican “State” assures freedom of conscience in terms of religion, but they do not assure the same freedom of their theologians in the Church. You are free to differ with the theology of the Church, but you’ll be kicked out!
Yes, I also believe that the Holy Spirit of Love~Wisdom~Truth~Peace~Justice~Healing~Transformation~Creativity~Compassion~LovingDiverse Oneness… guides our personal and societal lives with one another, and Sacred Mother Earth and All Her graceful abundance and creatures/beings, in the co-Creation~Evolution of our human and eternal souls in our sacred multidimensional/multiverse Cosmos….
🔥💜🌎🙏
I share completely the assessment about Ratzinger, Pope Benedict.
Nevertheless I cannot go along completely with the last contributionin 09/01 showing there a headshot of the young Ratzinger during World War II as a member of the Nazi youth.
This suggests to me a sort of over-simplification indicating there is a compelling one way from a 14 or 15 years old boy as an ardent Nazi follower to the later Pope. Even or also for Ratzinger I assume that life runs a little bit more complex.
And finally you and I know that a picture placed in such a way is very open or even inviting for misinterpretation.
Thank you for reaching out, Ludwig. We replaced the image within a few hours of its being published (of course, we cannot do anything about emails already sent, but the image is changed on the website).
Appreciation,
Phila Hoopes
Blog Coordinator
Wow! Thank you Matthew and Responders- I can’t put into words how much your insights challenge and give me hope. Thank you!
You are certainly welcome Theresa !!! And thank you for you comment !!!
Dear Rev, I do agree that those two popes have contributed to the implosion of institutional Christianity in the Global north. The movement towards spirituality is powerful outside of the R.C. Church too. The Anglican Church of Canada has lost many members over recent years while becoming more open. Likewise, I think the Episcopal Church. I wonder what your thoughts are about the divide between “north” and “south”. As you know at the last Synod of Anglicans, bishops from Africa, the Caribbean and Asian held back any institutional progress on including LGBTQ+ persons. This is a direct consequence of decolonizing the Church which of course was absolutely necessary. But the majority of leaders and members of institutional “Christian” churches in those parts of the world tend to reject the influence of indigenous or Eastern philosophy (which has helped many of us to grow) and the humanity of LGBTQ+ people. I don’t expect to see an immediate response but I offer this as significant in the development of institutional churches both catholic and Protestant. Blessings for the New Year. Michele
Michele, Today you write: “I wonder what your thoughts are about the divide between ‘north’ and ‘south’. As you know at the last Synod of Anglicans, bishops from Africa, the Caribbean and Asian held back any institutional progress on including LGBTQ+ persons.” This has been happening with most progressive denominations. If they are to the point where they are speaking about ordaining women, or welcoming LGBT people into the Church–or even the ministry, what drags the whole thing down for Euro-American churches, is that our southern churches vote down, what the north wants to vote in (because they now number more than the north) and they come from cultures who see women as being inferior to men, and they see LGBTs as sick, sinful, and lost. It makes it hard to move forward the bigger you are, and the Roman Catholic Church is the biggest. And some of the smaller ones like the Lutherans, Presbyterians and Reformed Church have split over these issues…
Somebody wrote that God writes straight with crooked pens or something like that. Any institution develops a bureaucracy and is always in danger of losing the mission and dynamism that produced it and simply reverting to self protection and self perpetuation. This is sociology 101 and applies to religious organizations as well as all others. The Roman Catholic church has developed the hierarchy of all hierarchies, which in itself is against all that Jesus taught, but there are many other churches that have also become static and insular. Mystics like Matthew help us to realize that God can never be captured in any place or time. It can be scary and very risky, as he and so many others have found as they have been persecuted, driven out, and even killed. And they teach us to be brave, to persist, and to have faith and joy and to live in the love that conquers all.
Sue, Today you write: “The Roman Catholic church has developed the hierarchy of all hierarchies, which in itself is against all that Jesus taught, but there are many other churches that have also become static and insular. Mystics like Matthew help us to realize that God can never be captured in any place or time.” All I have to say to that is “AMEN” !!!
Organized Christianity in the U.S. has been in decline for years, but has accelerated within the last decade. I’ve seen a number of factors involved, including:
The decline in the belief in “Hell” (which coerced people into religion out of fear, rather than positive endorsement of teachings); Capitalism that, for example, pushed for businesses to open on Sundays, meaning huge numbers of employees in low-paying jobs such as retail either put food on their table or put their jobs on the line to attend worship, and then people deciding that churches weren’t all that important or interesting after all (and shopping on Sundays was essential); Disgust with cover-ups, especially of pedophilia that spanned decades of lies while promoting perpetrators as long as they were good at “selling their religion’s product” ; Growing interest in other types of spirituality, which became easily available in books and even faster when online; and Lack of time. Religion has to be fit in between all the other compelling time-grabs. To do that, it has to fill a deep need that makes people WANT to make the time for it. And in a world of consumerism, it usually also has to sell.
What types of spirituality will survive in this environment?
Melinda, Today you write: “Organized Christianity in the U.S. has been in decline for years, but has accelerated within the last decade. I’ve seen a number of factors involved, including:” You then list decline in the belief in Hell which coerced through fear to “be good.” Then you mention Capitalism through keeping stores open on Sunday, and consumerism. Disgust with cover-ups, especially of pedophilia, and growing interest in other types of spirituality. Then you end by asking the question: “What types of spirituality will survive in this environment?” There are already alternatives which have survived: Unity, the Unitarian-Universalists, and the United Church of Christ. And for the less “churchy” there are things like the Order of the Sacred Earth, or Creation Spirituality Communities…
And Quakers and Amish and Mennonites.