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June 05, 2005

Bigger fish to fry

One of the consequences of Pope John Paul II's death that was never really given much attention, but which always seemed inevitable to me, was that the position would simply lose influence in the secular world. JPII was widely respected not just because he was Pope — indeed, that might have had remarkably little to do with it — but because his personal integrity was so unassailable and because he was around for so long. The Vatican's position on any world event increased in relevance simply by virtue of the man who was articulating it.

Benedict 1416 (Cripes. Well, I didn't like Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini much either –ed.), who shares none of JP2's charisma and warm-fuzziness, has a big hill to climb in that regard, and going after Harry Potter won't help. I've come out in defence of the Church's stand on birth control and abortion in the past on grounds that it's morally transparent and focuses on personal responsibility, but talking about the "subtle seduction" of sorcery and witchcraft in popular children's books? Come on, man — that's Southern Baptist turf. The world needs another Pope who articulates a clear set of moral principles that at least acknowledge the existence of modern society; the world does not need another James Dobson.

Posted by Chris Selley at June 5, 2005 12:21 PM