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	Is the Pope Catholic? By Frank J. Douglas Voice from the Desert June 26, 2010 http://reform-network.net/?p=5878 Yes, the Pope is Catholic. Everybody knows the Pope is the Number One Catholic in the world. In fact the force and direction of Roman Catholic Church history over the last century and a half have resulted in an Imperial Papacy that is so strong in the minds and hearts of many Catholics that being Catholic means, to them, being mindlessly loyal to the Pope—no matter what. But the ban on artificial birth control by Pope Paul VI and the seemingly endless clergy sex abuse and cover up scandal under Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI have resulted in even some of the most loyal Catholics to begin thinking for themselves rather than just swallowing every word spewed forth by the Vatican spin machine. In addition millions of Catholics have left the church and disavowed their heritage because of these and other key issues. Rather than ask is the Pope Catholic, more meaningful questions might be: 1) Is the Pope a Christian; and 2) Does the pope embrace Gospel values? To me, being a Christian means being a follower of Jesus and trying to act like he would. In other words asking the question (again and again): What Would Jesus Do (WWJD)? For example, as a statement of dissatisfaction with Pope Benedict's performance to date on the clergy sex abuse and cover up scandal, would Jesus drop a penny into the Peter's Pence collection plate this weekend? Would Jesus mail a penny to the Papal Nuncio at the Vatican Embassy on Massachusetts Avenue in our nation's capitol to resister the same dissatisfaction? My guess (my hope) is that he would. As for the Pope embracing gospel values, I refer you to two Scriptures: Matthew 18:1-6 and Luke 10: 25-37. Here is the one from Matthew: 1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 2He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5"And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. 6But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7"Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! 8If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. If the Pope embraces gospel values, if the Pope really wants to keep kids safe, rather than just announce through the Vatican spin machine that he wants to do everything possible to safeguard children, shouldn't he develop–and promulgate in a very public way–ironclad policies that every bishop and religious superior must implement, to keep kids safe from known and potential sexual predators? Given that strong evidence exists that child rapists and molesters rarely offend just once, doesn't common sense tell you that it is prudent to publicize worldwide on the Internet the names and last known whereabouts of priests, deacons, members of religious orders, and church lay employees who are known child molesters—and those credibly accused of such crimes? Isn't it just good common sense to make this publication requirement for every bishop and religious superior one of the ironclad policies? Once such policies are in place, shouldn't the Pope call for effective, independent non-church oversight of each bishop and religious order throughout the world to make sure the spirit of the policies are being implemented day in, day out? In other words if the Pope embraces gospel values, shouldn't he put his money where his mouth is? Now let's turn our attention to one of the world's most famous short stories from Luke. 25On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 26"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" 27He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'[a]; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[b]" 28"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." 29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 30In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two silver coins[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' 36"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" 37The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise." Haven't the Pope and the vast majority of bishops, priests, and Catholic lay people passed by on the other side? Haven't groups like SNAP and Road to Recovery and many others acted like the Good Samaritan? Because of the life-long effects of childhood abuse, don't water and wine have to be poured out onto abuse victims/survivors for their entire lives? If BP must compensate those who have been harmed by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, shouldn't the Universal Church—Pope, bishops, priests, all of us—compensate abuse victims/survivors?
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