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	Charles Lewis: Stereotyping of Church Leaders Is the Lazy Way out By Charles Lewis National Post May 6, 2011 http://life.nationalpost.com/2011/05/06/charles-lewis-stereotyping-of-church-leaders-is-the-lazy-way-out/ This week I wrote a story about how Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the former Archbishop of Quebec City, was listed in a prominent Catholic publication as a likely candidate for the papacy should the need arise soon. John L. Allen Jr., of the National Catholic Reporter, one of the sharpest people writing about the Church today, put Cardinal Ouellet on a short list of three likely successors. That was quite a compliment to Cardinal Ouellet, who now works at a senior position in the Vatican. As Mr. Allen noted, Pope Benedict XVI is in good health and could reign for years so his top-three list was less a prediction than a thought exercise. Still, it was an appealing story because Cardinal Ouellet is a Canadian and even Catholics are allowed to cheer for their home team. I do not think it would be easy to describe what it would mean to have a Canadian pope. As one priest said: it could almost shock people back to Church. At the very least, it would force people in Canada to see the Church in a far deeper way. Or perhaps that is a naive view. Cardinal Ouellet was unfairly pilloried in the media last year when, in response to a question, he said abortion was always wrong, even in the case of rape. Predictably, many in the media jumped all over him for what they saw as a hard-hearted and reactionary position. That story got huge attention, as is to be expected in a society that wants to avoid anything approaching religious nuance. It was also revealing in what it said about how people today think about abortion as a procedure rather than a tragic choice. Brighter lights pointed out that Cardinal Ouellet was simply saying what the Church teaches and no one is forced to be a Catholic. But I doubt that argument impressed many. Shortly after those comments, Cardinal Ouellet held a press conference with Archbishop Terrence Prendergast of Ottawa to talk about the abortion issue in a different way. They called on people of good will — pro-choice, pro-life — to work together to reduce the number of abortions in Canada. The two men did not suggest a legal solution, acknowledging that the laws in this country are unlikely to change anytime soon. Rather, they were speaking as citizens to other citizens about taking responsibility to help women who wanted to have their babies but were facing what seemed insurmountable hurdles. Despite sex education and easily available birth control methods there are still 100,000 abortions a year in Canada. No matter what anyone's position might be, no one can shrug this off as insignificant. Unfortunately that story drew no media attention. I wrote a piece for this site but that's as far as it went. So for many outside the Church, Cardinal Ouellet will forever be remembered as that bad man who talked about rape and abortion. This often happens to Catholic leaders; they are quickly labelled by the most dramatic headlines and unfair assertions. When Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI six years ago he was portrayed as a cold German professor who grew up under the Nazis. Two years ago, Maureen Dowd, in the New York Times, categorized Benedict as a closet-Nazi by referring to his time in the Hitler Youth as an indication of the kind of man Church chooses to run things. The truth was that Pope Benedict, as young Joseph Ratzinger, grew up in a home that was vocally anti-Nazi. The elder Joseph Ratzinger, a police officer, was so vocally critical of the Nazis that he was forced to keep moving his family to new locations. The young Joseph was forced to join the Hitler Youth but a sympathetic adult got him a phony attendance certificate so he would not have to attend meetings. Then there were the longings for John Paul II, who many people outside the Church began to believe was a liberal to Benedict's orthodoxy. It did not help, of course, that Benedict did not have John Paul's personality. But John Paul II was no liberal and if truth be known Pope Benedict has done far more to deal decisively with the abuse scandal than his predecessor. One would only have to read Pope Benedict's his two-part bestselling Jesus of Nazareth to grasp how bright and compassionate this man is. The books, just twp of many he has written, are informative and challenging. Moreover, his books have made many Catholics understand the profound importance of the connection between the Old and New testaments and Jews and Christians. But I fear that would be a lot to ask. And who wants to change their minds when it is already made up?
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