What could be behind the resignation of Pope Benedict
The day has dawned the alienated world behind a news that only shows us the participation that the Catholic Church has in the global context.
Today it would have been common Monday 11 of February with ephemeris that would not have gone beyond the villages whose patroness is the Virgin of Lourdes, to the heat of a fair that today begins, with local gastronomy in champas around a place, rodeo the Thursday , Afternoon soccer championship and visitors coming from other villages to leave some foreign exchange and look for girls with difficult smiles in the park.
But to give an example, in Twitter of Venezuelan context, 6 of the 10 hashtags revolve around this event:
So, the news has taken the media by surprise at dawn on the American continent; from the most conservative notices to the extreme conspiracies, they are to be expected because lately with the Internet they have become popular. Movies like Angels and Demons stir that feeling that nothing happens in this life without something hidden behind it.
This, and the leisure that produces an opening event of my son's classes have forced me to invest 755 words on a topic that will have us occupied the next 45.7 days, although for now the question is only one and just the title of the article, Which leaves our technological focus, but not our cultural context.
It was expected, because of his age
This is the most conservative answer. An 85-year-old person has many physical limitations for the agenda that requires distant trips, long meetings, and being behind an itinerary that rather than solving problems implies defining policies around a faith that last year had 1,196 million baptized; no less than 17% of the world's population.
What takes away credit from this first answer is the surprise of the news; without preamble, without prior notice, and just 18 days in advance; leaving headless the position just at the time of greatest fervor in the year. Although there have been 3 resignations before, the last one happened almost 600 years ago and it was in the middle of a conflict of recognition or not of conflicts, antipopes and other difficulties that after 40 years almost ended with his resignation.
The pressures of the present times.
We live in an age where social, moral and ethical pressures strongly debate positions that Benedict had been very radical; Although his first thesis writing on St. Bonaventure was returned in 1954 with a severe criticism of Professor Michael Schmaus; With positions that began to break traditional schemes of the time.
Abortion, gay marriage, birth control, euthanasia, genetic manipulation, organ donation, to name a few issues that have strong lobbying groups globally. And these are aspects in which it will be difficult to agree. Above all, if we consider what could be individual positions against collective positions from a dogmatic approach.
It could be that we individually believe that abstinence is the best way to prevent pregnancy ... but to believe that this is the best for my two children, and consider that that solves the problem of pregnancy between teenagers and single mothers in my country ... there is A great distance.
Their positions are evidenced in the Letter addressed to Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Archbishop of Washington DC
There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion among Catholics about going to war and applying the death penalty, but not, however, with respect to abortion and euthanasia.
So, while the pressures of these times might not be the reason for his resignation; Surely the pressure will be on whoever happens to him.
The next question is more complex.
While this week the media will rotate around this first question, the spin will go behind a second
Who will be the new pope?
It would not be strange if the Latin American scenario becomes interesting in this regard. There is a big difference between the fervor that this faith represents in America and the traditionalist level that Europe has after its historical implications and the wear and tear produced by a generation where intellectuality and development leave the spiritual aspect in a "particular" perspective. Apart from being a worthy gesture for an emerging context in religious aspects, it would also be interesting considering the challenges for policies that join forces in favor of social development, with which Stand out figures In Argentina, Brazil, Honduras and Mexico.
So it would not be strange, that candidates from this continent were mentioned ... that by the way there is a moment of transition in many aspects, among them a socialism that wants to get out of cave populism to an attractive proposal in the face of the challenges of the worn right.
In any case, we all hope that whoever comes will take into account the challenge that represents a religious denomination that has a high percentage of the world population ... hopeful of transformations that lead to better living conditions in the most here ... while it is prepared For the beyond.
