Frei Betto: "Benedict XVI was never sensitive to social issues." Credit: Official web site for Frei Betto

By Fabiana Frayssinet
RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb 15 2013 (IPS)

The only difference the resignation of Benedict XVI as head of the Catholic Church will make in Brazil will be the name changes needed on posters advertising his coming to this city in July for World Youth Day, jokes Frei Betto.

German prelate Joseph Ratzinger, who will retire on Feb. 28 after nearly eight years as Pope Benedict XVI, will have considerable influence on the election of his successor, said the Brazilian friar in an interview with IPS.

Carlos Alberto Libânio Christo, better known as Frei Betto, and other distinguished thinkers, priests and bishops who embrace liberation theology, a progressive form of Catholicism originated in Latin America in the 1960s, have been targeted by critics and were even censured by the outgoing Pope.We are experiencing a change of epoch, from modernity to postmodernity. However, the Catholic Church is still loaded down with mediaeval baggage...

Ratzinger was a hardline opponent of this movement, which emphasises the need to confront social injustice based on the Christian commitment to the “preferential option for the poor”, and used his previous post as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith – the successor to the Inquisition – to ban people like Hans Küng, of Switzerland, and Leonardo Boff, of Brazil, from teaching theology.

“I am very pessimistic” about the new Pope being able to change the conservative nature of the Catholic Church and modernise it, said Betto, the author of “Fidel and Religion”, among other books, and a friend and former special adviser early in the government of left-wing Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (2003-2011), for programmes like Zero Hunger.

Q: What will the repercussions be for the Catholic Church, especially in Brazil and the rest of Latin America, of Pope Benedict XVI’s announcement of his resignation on Monday Feb. 11?

A: I think that for Brazil, in particular, the only consequence will be having to redo all the publicity for World Youth Day, to be held Jul. 23-28 in Rio de Janeiro, and replacing images of Benedict XVI with those of his successor, who will be elected in March.

The abdication itself will have no major effects. The election of a new Pope could do, depending on the direction in which he steers the Catholic Church.

Q: In that sense, can we look forward to a modernisation of the Church?

A: I am not optimistic, for the following reasons: Benedict XVI will have a major role in the election of the next Pope. And he has decided to continue to live at the Vatican. It appears that the Church is at risk of having, for a time, dual power.

The new Pope will never do anything to displease his predecessor. Therefore he will maintain the Church’s ban on debating issues like abortion, ending priestly celibacy, the ordination of women to the priesthood, condom use, stem cell research, gay unions, etcetera.

Only after Benedict XVI dies will we really know what the new Pope thinks and wants.

Q: How did Joseph Ratzinger imprint his conservatism on Latin America and Brazil?

A: I do not say that Benedict XVI continued the policies of John Paul II (1978-2005) because, in fact, it was Ratzinger who inspired and provided the theoretical background to the conservative measures taken by Karol Wojtyla, the Polish Pope.

They both refused to implement the decisions of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) – a conference held 50 years ago! They both ruled out progressive bishops and appointed conservatives; they gave more importance to movements like the (ultra-conservative) Opus Dei than to pastoral ministry to the poor or basic Christian communities. And they both held Eurocentric worldviews.

The difference is that John Paul II’s head was on the right but his heart was on the left, that is, he was doctrinally conservative but progressive on social issues, to the point of criticising neoliberalism and praising the Cuban revolution. Benedict XVI, on the other hand, was never sensitive to social issues.

Q: What course will progressive approaches within the Church be able to take after his resignation, such as liberation theology, which attained great weight in Latin America?

A: The progressive approach persists at the base of the Catholic Church, in the basic Christian communities and the pastoral ministries (for workers, indigenous people, the elderly and others), and in the writings of liberation theologians. However, this progressive structure has lost the support of bishops and cardinals in the last few decades.

Q: The last Brazilian census indicated that the Catholic Church lost 1.7 million adherents between 2000 and 2010. Now, 64.6 percent of the country’s 192 million people declare themselves Catholics, whereas in 1970 the proportion was 90 percent. How do you explain this steep decline, which is evident also in the rest of Latin America?

A: We are experiencing a change of epoch, from modernity to postmodernity. However, the Catholic Church is still loaded down with mediaeval baggage, such as the division of territories into parishes, and it barely enters into dialogue with modernity.

Hence its difficulty with understanding and entering modernity. The Catholic Church does not even know how to cope with the new digital technologies that are essential for the task of evangelising. This is where the Neo-Pentecostal churches shine, although their content is alienating.

Q: Given this context, what potential for reversing the decline in numbers of the faithful in Brazil does the Catholic Church have with a new Pope?

A: The Catholic Church in Brazil has become increasingly Vaticanised. The national Conference of Bishops, which had a prophetic voice during the 1964-1985 military dictatorship * and up to the 1990s, has now withdrawn into the sacristy, and has ceased to be the voice of the voiceless.

* Because of his political action for the opposition, Frei Betto was imprisoned by the dictatorship on two occasions.

Excerpt:

By Dalia Acosta
HAVANA, Feb 21 2008 (IPS)

Eighty-two-year-old Alba Osorio feels as though she were 50 again. A true survivor, 10 years after the late Pope John Paul II’s visit to Cuba, she is now running back and forth from her house to the parish church, getting ready for what she regards as a new “festival of the spirit.”

“I never thought I’d get close to a pope, and I stood close to John Paul II. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. Now I’m preparing for an open-air mass all over again, in the same Cathedral Square,” Osorio, who still teaches catechism to the children of her parish, told IPS.

The mass, expectantly awaited by Catholics in Cuba, will be celebrated by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican’s secretary of state, who arrived in Cuba Wednesday night for a pastoral and official visit, at the invitation of the Cuban government and the Cuban Catholic Bishops Conference (COCC).

Organised to commemorate Pope John Paul’s (1920-2005) January 1998 visit to this socialist Caribbean island nation, Bertone’s visit is the first by a high-level foreign dignitary since President Fidel Castro, who temporarily stepped aside for health reasons on Jul. 31, 2006, announced Tuesday that he was permanently resigning as president.

Cardinal Bertone will not only be the first representative of a foreign state to meet with acting president Raúl Castro and other high-ranking Cuban officials under the present circumstances, but will also be celebrating open-air masses for all comers, which are expected to attract thousands of people.

“It won’t be the same as when the pope came, but it’s still very important to us. Celebrating mass in the streets is in itself a great event,” said Gustavo Ramírez, a 38-year-old Catholic, in whose view the most important aspect is “the opportunity to gain new ground for the Church’s work in the community.”

“May Cuba open itself up to the world, and may the world open itself up to Cuba,” were John Paul II’s words of greeting when he arrived in Havana on Jan. 21, 1998. According to Ramírez, his words “have the rare virtue of remaining alive among the people; they are still remembered, and repeated, with longing.”

Bertone’s official agenda includes masses in the cities of Havana, Santa Clara and Guantánamo, in an attempt to cover the west, centre and east of the island, respectively. His tour will not duplicate that of John Paul, who 10 years ago celebrated masses in Havana, Santa Clara, and Camagüey and Santiago de Cuba in the east of the country.

On the pastoral side, Cardinal Bertone plans to hold meetings at the COCC headquarters, the San Carlos and San Ambrosio Seminary, and the Convent of Discalced Carmelite nuns, as well as with the presidency of the Cuban Conference of Religious Orders, the Salesian family and the Catholic press.

In Santa Clara the cardinal will bless sculptures dedicated to John Paul, the first such monument to be erected on the island “in a public place that is not the property of the Church,” according to an article on the official web site of the COCC.

He will also visit the sanctuary of Our Lady of Charity in El Cobre, in the province of Santiago de Cuba, where the 10th anniversary of the coronation of the island’s patroness by John Paul will be commemorated in the Antonio Maceo Plaza of the Revolution, in the provincial capital of the same name.

“We will crown the image of the Queen and Mother of all Cubans, regardless of race, political allegiance or ideology,” said the pope on that day. “For many of the political and economic systems operative today, the greatest challenge is still that of combining freedom and social justice, freedom and solidarity.”

“Remembering Pope John Paul’s visit is important for Catholics, but also for the country as a whole. If one re-reads the pope’s words, one discovers messages that were important at the time, as well as now, when Cuba needs to make changes in order to safeguard our social achievements,” said Ramón García, a 32-year-old historian.

In addition to his pastoral agenda, Bertone will devote the last two days of his trip, Feb. 25 and 26, to an official programme with Cuban authorities, which is to include a lecture at the University of Havana, a visit to the Latin American School of Medicine, a working session at the Foreign Ministry and a formal dinner at the Apostolic Nunciature.

Catholic Church sources had not ruled out a meeting with Fidel Castro, until this week’s announcement cast a different nuance on the situation.

Fidel Castro and Bertone met each other in Havana in October 2005, when the then archbishop of Genoa made a pastoral visit to the island. On that occasion, the Cuban president asked the cardinal to convey an invitation to visit Cuba to Pope Benedict XVI, Bertone told the press.

All topics are up for discussion in the bilateral talks, and “we will discuss with respect and cordiality even those points on which we may not agree,” Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque said on Feb. 13, at a special press conference devoted to the cardinal’s upcoming visit.

Subjects that may cause friction include the issue of political prisoners, 10 years after John Paul secured the release, by means of a pardon or for “humanitarian reasons,” of 295 women imprisoned for various reasons, out of an initial list of 302 cases presented by the Vatican.

Martha Beatriz Roque, one of the group of 75 dissidents arrested in a crackdown in 2003, and who is on conditional release, wrote a letter to Cardinal Bertone asking him to include the issue of “freedom for political prisoners” on his working agenda for his meetings with the Cuban authorities.

In addition to the broad agreement between the two states on international politics, the talks will probably address topics of interest to the Catholic Church in Cuba, such as the opportunity to build new churches, entry permits for priests and nuns from abroad, access to the media, and participation in the educational system.

The Church has expanded its media presence, but it is still insufficient “in a world that is increasingly interconnected by the media,” and it is clear that participation in the Cuban educational system “is not, for the moment, part of the government’s plans,” Orlando Márquez, editor of the Catholic magazine Palabra Nueva, told IPS.

Excerpt:

By IPS Correspondents
JOHANNESBURG, Nov 23 2005 (IPS)

In the dingy halls of the hotel, one of the staff is talking on the phone. “Tau has been killed,” he says. “I cannot tell you who did it, but Memo discovered the corpse.”

The deceased woman was a prostitute who can be spotted in the room she used, barely covered by a quilt, a telephone cord wound around her neck. She appears to have been stabbed several times, as fresh blood is staining her blouse. From what your correspondent can tell, there are signs of a struggle.

Soon five women dressed in tight, faded jeans saunter into the hotel and ask what has happened. “Who has killed her?” enquires one, matter-of-factly. “We want to know whether she is a member of our group or not.”

When it emerges that this is not the case, the women seem relieved and speak in Ndebele, one of the languages used in Zimbabwe: “Girls, she is not one of us. She is not from Bulawayo.” Bulawayo is Zimbabwe’s second-largest city.

The episode is a reminder not only of the dangers which lurk in this area of Johannesburg – the high-density, somewhat infamous suburb of Hillbrow – but also of the extent to which Zimbabweans have made neighbouring South Africa their home, for the most part illegally.

An estimated 2.5 million have crossed the border, sometimes bringing ethnic tensions along with their luggage.

A Zimbabwean prostitute interviewed by IPS said certain Ndebele migrants accused their Shona counterparts of ruining Zimbabwe by perpetually voting for President Robert Mugabe and his ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front.

A Ndebele man who lives in Hillbrow had similar observations: “I hate Shonas. We cannot work together…Not at all!” he exclaimed.

Certain Ndebele remember all too well the “Gukurahundi”. This Shona term means “the early rain which washes away the chaff before the spring rains”; but it is also a euphemism for the actions of the president’s fifth brigade and other forces in the Ndebele provinces of Matabeleland and the Midlands in the 1980s. During this period, the brigade engaged in the indiscriminate killing of thousands.

The massacres caused some to leave Zimbabwe for South Africa. Since then, many more have followed – prompted by political persecution and economic decline.

However, just 8,000 applications for political asylum have been filed by Zimbabweans to date, according to the Department of Home Affairs – while only about 90 people have actually received political asylum in South Africa.

Home Affairs official Richard Sikakane told IPS that the application process had been slowed by a 130,000-strong backlog of cases. An amendment to the Refugees Act is said to be in the pipeline to speed up asylum applications.

Often, Zimbabweans have found their new home scarcely more hospitable than the old. Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula admits that refugees and asylum seekers are frequently mistreated by the police. In the country as a whole, high levels of unemployment have also led to increasing xenophobia.

Some migrants claim they are paying bribes to officers to avoid being taken to the Lindela Repatriation Centre. According to immigration official Mantshele Tau, about 300,000 Zimbabweans have been deported in recent years.

And so, says Julie Ncube* as she sits cross-legged, lighting a cigarette – one of many: “We’re on the horns of a dilemma – to go and face starvation in Zimbabwe or face abuse by the police.”

She told IPS that many of her friends staying in Johannesburg had become “unofficial wives” for policemen here (police spokesperson Ronnie Naidoo could not confirm the allegation).

“In the end, it’s either you pay them or submit to sex or both. Life in Jozi (a nickname for Johannesburg) is hell on earth; it is not that rosy as we were meant to believe.”

Nonetheless, says Ncube, people who remain in Zimbabwe have high expectations of those who leave, many to support their families.

“It would help if my fellow countrymen, if people back home, appreciated the difficulties we have to endure here,” she adds. “For anyone to send home 500 rand a month, for instance, is a very big achievement.”

In other instances, the South African experience has been more positive.

Jeremiah Gwaze is better off than many of his peers. Unlike those who continue to battle for existence on the streets of Jozi, Gwaze – a graduate of Harare Polytechnic in Zimbabwe – works for an electrical company in the northern Gauteng province.

The tall, vivacious man sits in the well-decorated living room of his Yeoville apartment, smiling has he recalls the harrowing years of starting a new life in Johannesburg.

“I had no money when arrived here. I used to sleep on the streets and most of the Sundays I sat outsides churches begging,” he told IPS.

Zimbabwe is currently in its sixth year of a bitter economic recession that has seen fuel, food, electricity, essential medicines and other basic commodities become in short supply because there is little foreign currency to pay suppliers from abroad.

Critics blame the economic meltdown on mismanagement and repressive rule by veteran President Robert Mugabe.

However, the aging head of state ascribes Zimbabwe’s woes to sabotage by Britain and its Western allies; this, he says, was in return for his campaign started in 2000 to seize land from whites – allegedly for distribution to black Zimbabweans who were deprived of land during colonialism and its aftermath.

* Certain names have been changed to protect the privacy of those concerned.

Excerpt:

By IPS Correspondents
MEXICO CITY, May 6 2005 (IPS)

Indigenous communities throughout Latin America are facing the loss of their cultural traditions, divisive conflicts, and in some cases even bloodshed, all in the name of God.

Many of the frictions stem from the hundreds of religions and sects that have taken root in these communities, ranging from large, established denominations like the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Adventist, Baptist and Mormon to newer, lesser-known groups like the Church of the Word, the Fountain of Life, Alpha Omega and the Guardians of the Holy Sepulchre.

"Whatever religion they try to inculcate us with, it will have an impact in spiritual terms, which is in a way our Achilles heel, since most of us indigenous peoples approach life from a spiritual level," Luis Macas, a Saragura Indian and president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, remarked to IPS.

Among the 40 million indigenous people who live in Latin America today, the most prevalent religion is still Roman Catholicism, forcibly and often violently imposed by the European "conquerors" in the 15th and 16th centuries through the complete annihilation or partial assimilation of pre-Columbian religious beliefs and practices.

But over the years, other religions have come to compete for the "souls" of the region’s aboriginal peoples, especially during the 20th century, in an often rocky coexistence with the Catholic Church.

In the last 30 years, the Tzotzil Mayan indigenous community of Chamula in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas has been shaken by 100 deaths resulting from religious conflicts.

Another 30,000 community members have been expelled for professing Protestant beliefs and thus incurring the wrath of local authorities, who practice a particularly orthodox brand of Catholicism that rejects the reforms of the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s, which promoted greater openness to other religions.

Expulsion, imprisonment, physical beatings and the denial of educational and medical services are among the manifestations of the religious sectarianism that has emerged in recent years in large areas of the southern Mexican states of Chiapas, Oaxaca and Guerrero, where the majority of the population is indigenous.

In Ecuador, a powerful and organised indigenous movement capable of leading massive social protests, overthrowing presidents and reaching government leadership positions earlier in the decade is now fragmented, and some observers say it is because one sector, allied with Protestant religions, continued to support President Lucio Gutiérrez, who was removed from office by Congress in late April after over a week of street protests.

In Guatemala and Bolivia, which along with Mexico, Ecuador and Peru are the Latin American countries with the largest indigenous populations, divisions have also been wrought by differences of religious affiliation, which often merges with support for particular political parties and local authorities.

"There are clearly internal problems in our communities provoked by religion, because some churches address social concerns, while others merely focus on spiritual matters and foster conformity, which has an obvious impact on the struggles of the indigenous people," noted Rafael González Roc, spokesman for the Committee for Campesino Unity in Guatemala.

"Many religions have destroyed what we are, and it is sad to see the contempt that the new generations have for what we once were. They think that the traditional beliefs of the Mayans (the main indigenous ethnic group in Central America) are witchcraft, or satanic," he commented to IPS.

According to González Yoc, the Church of the Word and Assembly of God, both of which are evangelical Protestant denominations based in the United States, were implanted in indigenous communities in Guatemala to collaborate with the military dictatorships of the 1970s and 1980s.

Sociologist and journalist Roger Pascual of the Spanish non-governmental group Agencia de Información Solidaria maintains that these two churches were backed by the U.S. government to combat anything that appeared somehow linked to communism in Guatemala.

It was during this same period that the Liberation Theology movement within the Catholic Church had come to exercise a major influence in Central America.

Liberation Theology is based on a "preferential option for the poor", and its proponents’ involvement in the struggles of the poor and marginalised sectors of the population gave them common cause with the leftist revolutionary movements active in the region at the time. As a result, the Catholic Church came to be viewed by some as a dangerously "Marxist" institution.

In his "Analysis of the Incursion of Sects into the Political Spheres of Latin America", Pascual states, "The U.S. government contributed to building up the Assembly of God Pentecostal sect to such an extent that it came to control 1,500 houses of worship, in addition to numerous television and radio stations" in Guatemala.

In addition, he notes, "The (Ronald) Reagan administration (1981-1989) was also behind the establishment of the Church of the Word, which collaborated in the coup d’état led by General José Efraín Ríos Montt en 1982."

Guatemala was engulfed in a civil war from 1960 until 1996. Of the roughly 200,000 people who were killed (including 45,000 "disappeared") by the government security forces, the majority were Mayan Indians. The war also led to the internal displacement of one million people and the exodus of 500,000 refugees to Mexico alone, while 250,000 children were orphaned.

"Religions have an impact on our collective behaviour, and change the essence of the way in which we are organised in communities and families. Because of religion, the traditionally collective nature of indigenous peoples has given way to individualism, and is dividing us," said Macas.

"There are a huge number of sects in Ecuador, I believe over 300, whose role is to pacify, divide and tame the people, subordinating them to the interests of the dominant powers or big corporations, like the oil companies," he added.

When critics talk about "sects", they are referring to more recently founded Protestant denominations and churches, as opposed to established religions like the Baptist, Episcopalian, Lutheran or Presbyterian churches.

The Roman Catholic hierarchy, together with some anthropologists and civil society organisations, accuse these new sects of recruiting indigenous followers with money and the offer of "salvation", while promoting beliefs that break with their cultural traditions and way of life.

Some Catholic leaders have used highly confrontational language in referring to these upstart Protestant churches. "You have to be shameless to be a Protestant," declared the cardinal of Guadalajara, Mexico, Juan Sandoval Iñiguez, while the former papal nuncio to Mexico, Girolamo Prigione, commented that "these sects are like flies that ought to be swatted with a newspaper."

Mexican writer Carlos Monsiváis has criticised this Catholic religious intolerance, claiming that it breeds persecution and denies indigenous people the right to change their beliefs, as if Catholicism were the only religion that should be practised in these communities, an attitude he calls "absurd".

But many critics of these new Protestant denominations, including followers of Liberation Theology – who have a long tradition of demanding respect for the rights of indigenous peoples and fighting against the oppression they suffer – believe that they distort the message of God, and in some cases merely serve to foster ideological control by the United States.

"These sects create individuals who are mindless and alienated. They kill the soul of the people," said Spanish-born Bishop Pedro Casaldáliga, a leading exponent of Liberation Theology who devoted almost 40 years of his life to working with the poor in Brazil.

For his part, Pope John Paul II issued a number of documents and declarations condemning these sects during his 1978-2005 papacy, while he promoted dialogue with established Protestant churches, Judaism and Islam.

Sects that use healing, exorcism and promises of prosperity to attract followers are "a danger to Christians" and should be condemned in the same way as drug trafficking and birth control campaigns, the late pope stated during a visit to Brazil in 1991.

One denomination in particular, the U.S.-based Jehovah’s Witnesses, has clashed with authorities in the region because of the fact that its members refuse to pay tribute to national flags and other patriotic symbols. They also cannot give blood or receive transfusions.

Eugenio Poma, a Bolivian Aymara Indian, Methodist bishop and coordinator of the Indigenous Pastoral Committee of the Latin American Council of Churches (CLAI), which represents over 150 established denominations, told IPS that these new religious groups "that are growing like mushrooms" respond to "dark" interests.

"There are churches that only pursue spiritual indoctrination, like many of these sects, and then there are others among us who go into communities to learn and to help. Obviously, we are guided by very different interests, and this separates us," said Poma.

Nevertheless, he added, the "indigenous heart, which strives for a life as part of a community and fights for its rights" will eventually prevail.

"In the end we will struggle together, even though we belong to different faiths. I believe we should come together and listen to each other, because when it comes down to it, all of us indigenous peoples want the same thing," he concluded.

Excerpt:

By Diana Cariboni
MONTEVIDEO, May 4 2005 (IPS)

Catholic women waiting for the day when they too can be ordained as priests will undoubtedly have a longer wait ahead of them following the recent designation of conservative Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI.

Some believe that the ordination of women is only a matter of time, because the Roman Catholic Church will need to turn to women to compensate for the dwindling number of men entering the priesthood, a phenomenon that is threatening the very survival of the Church in some parts of the world.

During the pontificate of John Paul II (1978-2005), the number of Catholics in the world rose from 758 million to just over 1.07 billion, as measured by the number of baptisms, reflecting a rate of growth similar to that of the world’s population in general.

During the same period, however, the number of priests fell by 3.7 percent, and that of nuns by 20.9 percent, according to the Pontifical Yearbook.

But some women do not care much for this reasoning.

"This is the first time I’ve heard that we who are in favour of the ordination of women are doing it for the survival of the Church," said Uruguayan theologian Gladys Parentelli, coordinator of the Venezuelan branch of the international movement We Are Church (IMWAC), and a member of its international council.

Founded in Rome in 1996 with the goal of promoting Catholic Church reform, IMWAC describes itself as representing the "voice of the people in the pews."

"That would be an argument that could be raised with the Church hierarchy, because it is deeply worried about the lack of a vocation to the priesthood among boys and men. However, we women who are fighting for ordination are doing so because we have a calling, and since we have been baptised, we have every right to it, despite what the Vatican says," Parentelli told IPS.

Popes Paul VI (1963-1978) and John Paul II effectively shut the door on this demand, alleging reasons of theology and tradition and insisting that women have other areas in which to pursue their religious vocation.

Why is being a nun or a catechist not enough? IPS posed this question to Ivelisse Colón Nevárez, a Puerto Rican designer and active aspirant to the Catholic priesthood.

"Because it’s something you feel as a call from God. If I had received a call to become a nun, believe me, I would have been in a convent long ago, instead of writing this," she responded by e-mail.

"The callings of priests and nuns are different. A priest is ordained for numerous purposes: to celebrate the Eucharist, which is at the core of the Catholic faith, to minister to people’s souls, to ensure the spiritual welfare of the faithful, to hear confession and give absolution, to provide spiritual guidance, counsel and consolation," she noted.

"The life of a nun is one of service, but from a different perspective," she explained.

"The priest is like the head, monks and nuns are the heart, and lay brothers and sisters are the hands and feet of the Church," added Colón Nevárez, who is a member of Women Priests, an international network that campaigns for the ordination of women, and of the Secular Franciscan Order.

This order was founded in the early 13th century by St. Francis of Assisi, and is defined as secular because its members live "in the world" and are not bound by public vows like members of orders who live in religious communities.

For some women, however, it is not enough to be the heart, hands or feet.

In 2002, Argentine Archbishop Rómulo Braschi, who belongs to a "breakaway" Catholic Church not recognised by the Vatican, ordained seven women – four from Germany, two from Austria and one from the United States – on board a boat on the Danube River in Austria.

The seven women were ordered by the Vatican to "repent" and renounce their ordination, and when they refused, they were excommunicated.

They subsequently appealed the decision, and sent open letters to the Vatican reporting that they were exercising such priestly duties as celebrating mass and performing marriage ceremonies.

Their appeal, however, was rejected by the Vatican watchdog, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, because of the "gravity of the offences committed" by the women in "rejecting formally and with obstinacy" the Church doctrine on women priests.

In 2004, the ban on the ordination of women was reiterated in a Vatican letter, "On the Collaboration of Men and Women in the Church and the World", signed by the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the time, who was none other than Cardinal Ratzinger, the man now leading the Catholic Church.

For some theologians and Catholic movements, however, allowing women to become priests and revoking the requirement of mandatory celibacy could help to remedy the significant drop in the number of men entering the priesthood today.

"We tend to think that this problem is even more serious in Latin America (home to almost half of the world’s Catholics), because poverty and the lack of roads and communications make contact between priests and the faithful even more difficult," commented Colón Nevárez.

In Mexico, there is one priest for ever 7,200 Catholics, and the average age of parish priests is 65.

In Brazil, the country with the largest number of Catholics in the world, the ratio of Church members to priests is 7,300 to one, despite the fact that the number of priests has grown in the last decade from 14,000 to 17,000 thanks to a national policy of actively encouraging young men to enter the priesthood.

There are also 37,000 nuns in Brazil, although their numbers have failed to grow like those of priests, according to researcher Silvia Regina Fernandes of the Centre for Religious Statistics and Social Research.

It is unusual for nuns to pursue higher studies, like priests do, which places them in a position of "intellectual inferiority," added Fernandes.

This lack of growth in the number of nuns is the result of a difference in treatment, activist Regina Soares of Catholics for the Right to Decide told IPS.

Women in the Catholic Church are not only denied a role in decision-making. In addition, seminarians are supported by the Church and can devote themselves to study, while women must study and work to support themselves at the same time.

Once they are ordained, priests are assigned to a parish where they earn a salary and enjoy comfortable living conditions, which sometimes include "a cell phone and even a car," noted Soares.

In the meantime, Brazilian nuns and lay sisters have become responsible for an even wider range of duties than their traditional work in hospitals and schools, following the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965).

In fact, these women became the mainstay of the ecclesiastic base communities in the shantytowns on the outskirts of large cities and in isolated rural settlements, said Soares.

A prime example is Dorothy Stang, a U.S.-born Catholic missionary who was murdered Feb. 12 for her efforts to defend the peasant farmers of the Brazilian Amazon region.

In Brazil, there is no organised movement of women fighting for the right to ordination, only isolated demands spurred by the discrimination that women face, said Soares.

Colón Nevárez believes that poverty and isolation make it more difficult to organise movements like these. "I myself don’t know of a single group in Latin America devoted to the ordination of women. Most of the people who have contacted me have done it on their own, without any kind of group to back them," she remarked.

Parentelli said she knows "a legion of women who would have liked to be priests, but they never even really considered it, because they realised it was a lost battle."

Moreover, "most of the women theologians I know, in all of the countries of Latin America, got their degrees in Protestant universities, like the Latin American Biblical University in Costa Rica, or else they studied in Europe or the United States," she added.

In Venezuela, "the number of young men entering seminaries has grown so much that they are turning applicants away because of a lack of space," she added. However, "it’s been said that a significant proportion of them have no way of going to a university," noted Parentelli.

In the rural areas of Venezuela, she noted, baptisms were traditionally carried out by lay members of the Church, because there were a limited number of priests.

Given this shortage, the Church hierarchy "decided to ordain married lay brothers as deacons, and to call on women to take on the duties of priests," she said.

"In marginalised communities in the countryside and the cities, the role of the parish priest has been taken over by nuns and lay sisters who carry out almost all of the functions involved (except for conducting ceremonies like mass, consecrations and marriages). They also organise Bible study groups and provide spiritual guidance to the community," she added.

For their part, priests "devote themselves to more intellectual activities like being the rector of a university, directing research centres, serving as military chaplains, supporting the government or the opposition, writing books, or serving as experts on legal or technical matters," said Parentelli.

Some claim that in the first centuries of the Christian era, both women and men performed the duties of priests. As evidence of this, they point to frescoes and mosaics, sacred writings, and the very fact that the ordination of women was officially prohibited in the 10th century.

"In the early church, women served as deacons, and there may be evidence they even presided at what we now call celebrations of the Mass. Tradition does not stop at a designated point in history; it embraces the present also," U.S. priest John J. Egan wrote in a letter shortly before his death in 2001 at the age of 84.

But the Vatican does not share this view. In a 1976 declaration, "Inter insigniores", the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith stated that "the Church, in fidelity to the example of the Lord, does not consider herself authorised to admit women to priestly ordination."

Pope Paul VI, in his 1977 "Address on the Role of Women in the Plan of Salvation", alluded to the fact that Jesus Christ chose only men as his apostles, and as a result, "in giving the Church her fundamental constitution, her theological anthropology – thereafter always followed by the Church’s Tradition – Christ established things in this way."

These dictates were staunchly upheld by Karol Wojtyla during his pontificate as John Paul II.

"Very little or nothing can be expected of the new pope," said Colón Nevárez, given his promotion of the idea that the impossibility of ordaining women "is an ‘infallible teaching,’ which is incorrect," she added.

Mercedes Carrizosa, a Catholic from Spain who aspires to the priesthood, told the Madrid newspaper El País in 2002 that "when it’s left with no other choice, the Church will turn to women or to married men or whoever it can."

Carrizosa, who has a degree in theology, said that her frustration is "not only mine, but of the people of God." She described a visit to Peru, where small isolated communities are attended to by nuns, and have to make due with taped masses. "They have to travel by river for six hours to bring back a canned version of Jesus," she remarked.

* With additional reporting by Mario Osava in Brazil.

Excerpt:

By IPS Correspondents
PENANG, Malaysia, Apr 24 2005 (IPS)

While Pope Benedict XVI, previously the Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, formally begins his pontificate on Sunday after being inaugurated in an open-air mass celebrated in Rome’s St. Peter’s Square, certain Malaysian Catholic activists and clergy are worried that the church under the new pope would become more insular and clamp down on movements working with the poor.

”My initial reaction was one of shock, rather than exclaiming ‘Thanks be to God’,” said Catherine, a church worker involved in poverty issues who only wanted to be identified by her first name.

”I fear the church has become polarised. On the one hand, you have all these Christians working among the poor and who need the support of the church. And on the other, you are trying to return to orthodoxy,” she told IPS referring to Ratzinger’s formal inauguration three weeks after the death of his predecessor, John Paul II.

The church in Asia needs to develop the themes that Pope John Paul II had spoken about such as the impact of globalisation on Third World countries, she said. ”I hope the new pope realises that the church needs to move in the direction of acting in solidarity with the poor and the marginalised.”

Ratzinger, chief of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, is unpopular with large sections of the Church for his anti-modernist positions and for methodically persecuting and silencing dissenters. He is also firmly opposed to birth control, supports the celibacy of the priesthood, and is against the ordination of women.

The new pope has said that anyone who supports the ”grave sins” of abortion and euthanasia should be denied Communion.

But despite her concern, Catherine said she accepted the decision of the church to elect Ratzinger ”in faith.”

University lecturer and political scientist Andrew Aeria, a Catholic, feels that the choice of Ratzinger as pope was an indication of how out of touch the cardinals, bishops and clergy of the Catholic Church are from the realities of a suffering Third World.

In choosing Ratzinger, ”they have chosen to ignore the reality of how divisive he has been in the church to ordinary struggling Catholics let alone liberal progressive Catholics – who, despite what the Vatican says about them, cannot be denied their baptismal rights.”

He said in an interview it appeared that the cardinals had not paid much heed to the reality of the Third World such as deep poverty and socio-economic inequalities, political suppression of human rights and the denial of democracy, AIDS and the high levels of transmission of HIV. He also pointed to the growing threat of fundamentalism from all religions (including Catholicism) to the detriment of genuine and respectful inter-religious dialogue.

”Nor were the Cardinals cognizant of the fact of Catholic demographics, which shows the majority of Catholics (and practising ones at that) as being resident in the Third World,” said the university lecturer. Aeria regards Pope John XXIII, who convened Vatican II, which ushered in sweeping church reforms, as a greater pope than John Paul II.

The Second Vatican Council, or Vatican II, was an Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church opened under Pope John XXIII in 1962 and closed under Pope Paul VI in 1965.

For Catholics, the most visible results were changes in how church sacraments were practiced, the use of vernacular languages for the mass, and a new attitude towards non-Catholics.

However, the London-based Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, which does extensive aid work in developing countries, welcomed Ratzinger’s election and said it hoped the new pope would work tirelessly to fight for the poorest of the poor, the sick and the stigmatised.

”We must be ready to listen to the needs of the developing world and realise that our faith challenges us to work for a world in which the dignity of every individual is respected and the voice of the poor is heard and listened to,” said its director Chris Bain in a statement. The challenge of solidarity with the poor is at the heart of the Christian faith, he asserted.

One Catholic aid worker said she hopes Pope Benedict XVI remembers the words of his namesake in the Church, Saint Benedict of Nursia, Italy, (480-543 AD), the founder of Western monasticism.

In his portrayal of the ideal abbot or leader in a monastery, St Benedict, who was known for his moderation and concern for the poor, had said: "Let him know that his duty is rather to profit his brethren than to preside over them … Let him exalt mercy above judgment…”

St Benedict had also warned: ”And even in his corrections, he should act prudently and not go to excess, lest in seeking too eagerly to scrape off the rust he breaks the vessel.”

Nonetheless, the new pope has also an enigmatic side to him.

Malaysian Jerald Joseph, who is on the advisory team of the International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs (Pax Romana ICMICA) recalls the removal in 1997 of Sri Lankan priest-theologian, Father Tissa Balasuriya. Balasuriya had produced a text ‘Mary and Human Liberation’, which was deemed to have distorted the Church’s traditional teaching on Jesus’ mother.

The removal prompted participants at a human rights meeting in Bangkok to send a legal challenge to the Vatican asking the pope to review the order.

”It was Ratzinger who was instrumental in removing and, after one year, reinstating Tissa,” recalls Joseph. ‘That was for me the mark of what is even now more possible under Ratzinger as the pope.”

One Catholic priest in the diocese of Penang told IPS that the election of Ratzinger reflects the present state of the church: opting to remain in a safe, conservative position while knocking any hope of dialogue on controversial matters.

”Pope Benedict would be unwavering in the stands that maintain the integrity of the church. He would be a very strong leader in that sense,” he said. ”But I would rather he chart his own course in taking into consideration the present state of the church, reading the signs of the times, rather than to just carry on with what Pope John Paul II has already started.”

Some of these Catholics draw comfort from history in the election of Oscar Romero, regarded as a bookish, conservative, compromise candidate, as archbishop of San Salvador in 1977. But when confronted with military-ruled El Salvador’s oppressive socio-political realities, Romero was transformed into an outspoken defender of the poor and the brutalized who would only be stopped by an assassin’s bullet three years later.

Activists here hope that Ratzinger himself may be similarly transformed.

”The Holy Spirit always works in strange and mysterious ways,” said Joseph. ”Ratzinger doesn’t seem to be in the flow (towards reforms) right now but I hope he proves me wrong.”

Excerpt:

By IPS Correspondents
BRUSSELS, Apr 20 2005 (IPS)

Europe has cautiously welcomed the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as the new pope, but there are also concerns over his view of Turkey’s bid to join the European Union.

Joy and jubilation were mixed with reactions of surprise and disappointment when the 78-year-old Cardinal Ratzinger, the dean of the College of Cardinals and defender of conservative orthodoxy for 24 years, was named Apr. 19 as Pope Jean Paul II’s successor.

The new pope, who will be known as Benedict XVI, is reckoned as a tough- minded enforcer of the ‘true faith’ and is firmly opposed to birth control and the ordination of women.

By choosing German-born Cardinal Ratzinger, the Vatican’s 115 cardinals opted for a strong Catholic conservative insider, but also a potentially controversial figure and an opponent of Turkey’s European Union (EU) membership bid.

Previously, Cardinal Ratzinger had stated that Turkey’s membership of the 25-nation bloc would cause a ”loss of wealth and culture”: He advises Muslim Turkey to seek alliance with other Islamic nations rather than the traditionally Christian EU.

European leaders and officials were swift to welcome Ratzinger’s appointment saying his election had a ”special significance” for Europe.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said the nomination was ”a great honour” for his country, while European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso ”rejoiced” at his choice.

”Personally, I rejoice at the conclave’s choice and remain convinced that your Holiness will pursue with determination and strength the work of (your) illustrious predecessor John Paul II in favour of understanding and peace in the world,” Barroso said shortly after Ratzinger’s election.

Wilfried Martens, president of the Christian Democrat European People’s Party in the European Parliament, said his group believed Ratzinger’s nomination would strengthen European unity.

”Your choice of the name Benedict is of very special significance for those of us who are working for reconciliation and cooperation among the peoples of Europe,” Martens said in a statement Wednesday.

”We see in your pontificate the potential to strengthen the European Union as a zone for peace and solidarity radiating a light of hope for the whole world”, he added.

However, reaction in Turkey has been far from warm as the country fears that the new pope’s opposition to Ankara joining the EU could raise fresh obstacles to its membership.

Outspoken Ratzinger has argued in the past that allowing Turkey to join the EU would be ”a huge mistake” that would run ”counter to history”.

”Turkey has always represented a different continent, in permanent contrast to Europe,” Ratzinger said during an interview with the French newspaper Le Figaro last year.

Instead, he believes Turkey should seek its future in an association of Islamic nations rather than the EU, which has Christian roots.

He also called demands for European ”multiculturalism” as ”fleeing from what is one’s own”.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that he hopes the new pope will soften his stiff opposition to Turkey’s bid to join the bloc. The Turkish media declared him a foe of this predominantly Muslim nation.

”He has voiced such views (against Turkey’s EU membership) as his personal opinion in the past, but his rhetoric may change from now on,” Erdogan told reporters in Ankara.

”Responsibilities make for different situations. I hope to see such a change in the future because this post, this responsibility requires it,” he added.

The Turkish press also gave a cold welcome to the new head of the Catholic Church.

”The new pope is an opponent of Turkey,” the mass-selling daily Sabah said on its front-page, while the liberal daily Radikal said in a headline: ”He was Turkey’s last choice.”

”It would be bad news if Cardinal Ratzinger continues to hold his views as Pope Benedict XVI,” said commentator Selcuk Gultasli in the pro- government Zaman daily.

However Daniel Gros, director of the Brussels-based Centre for European Policy Studies think-tank, said that as a Pope, Ratzinger’s views should not hamper Turkey’s bid to join the bloc.

”Ratzinger’s opposition to Turkey’s membership of the EU should not have an effect on the country’s bid to join the bloc. As a German cardinal he might have commented on such political issues. But as Pope he should be even more distant from politics,” he told IPS Wednesday.

Talks on Turkey’s membership of the EU are scheduled to start on Oct. 3. Turkey hopes to join the EU in 10 to 15 years.

Turkey, with a population of some 70 million Muslims, first applied for EU membership in 1963. Although it is widely acknowledged that it has made huge progress in political reforms in recent years, concerns remain about its commitment to implement laws banning torture and ensuring freedom of religion, and about consequences for the EU labour market.

Excerpt:

By IPS Correspondents
BERLIN, Apr 20 2005 (IPS)

Though most Germans seem to be proud that a compatriot has been elected pope, those who are reform-minded raise concerns over the ability of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger – now known as Pope Benedict XVI – to alter the course from his staunch conservatism.

German President Horst Koehler said the fact ”that a fellow countryman became pope fills us with great joy and also a little pride.”

According to a poll for the public television station ARD, 76 percent of German respondents were pleased that a German was elected pope, but only 63 percent considered Ratzinger a good choice, while 23 percent objected. The polling institute Infratest dimap surveyed around 500 Germans.

The Bavarian-born Ratzinger, 78, was chosen as the Roman Catholic Church’s 265th leader on Tuesday by the 155 cardinals of the papal conclave. He is the first German pope in nearly a thousand years.

Many politicians honoured the theologian Ratzinger as one of the most important Catholic thinkers in the world, but avoided addressing the contents of his writings and his actions.

The Central Committee of German Catholics (ZDK), an organisation of Catholic laity, congratulated the new pope. ”We hope he will fill his papacy with the spirit of the Second Vatican Council,” said Theodor Bolzenius, ZDK spokesman, referring to the 1960s meetings’ call for openness to the world and a strengthening of local churches.

Father Wolfgang Seibel, a Jesuit priest, told IPS that he was surprised by the election of Ratzinger. ”It is very uncommon that a conclave selects someone who has been the head of one of the most important church departments (the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith) for over twenty years in the previous papacy,” he said.

Seibel also did not expect a German to be elected due to the country’s Nazi past. Furthermore, he said, Germany was associated with discipline and bureaucracy – characteristics he thought were not greatly esteemed in the world.

Once a chief editor of a theology review, Seibel said it was very unlikely that Ratzinger would go beyond the limits established by John Paul II on topics such as participation of women in the church, celibacy, acceptance of homosexuality and the treatment of divorce.

”Most people are not very flexible at the age of 78 anymore,” he added.

Priest Bernd Klaschka, executive director of the Catholic aid organisation for Latin America, Adveniat, told IPS that he did not expect reforms from the new pope. He hoped that Benedict XVI would allow the churches around the world to continue in diversity and that he would be different as a pope than as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

”I hope he will be able to accept his new role and function,” Klaschka said.

His wish for the new pope was that the Church in Latin America, which ”opted to work with the poor and to stand up for human dignity”, could continue in that field. ”We want to have a continued solidarity through the Church,” Klaschka said, adding that he did not foresee any problems in that regard.

In his work for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Ratzinger had effectively silenced several priests who followed the Liberation Theology movement in Latin America, including Brazil’s Leonardo Boff. The movement called for the Church to be more politically and socially involved.

Klaschka pointed out that Ratzinger’s vision of the Church was a purely transcendental. ”He clearly said that the nature of the Church was neither political nor social.” None of the cardinal’s nearly 200 books were about social pastoral, said the priest.

”I hope he will also continue the option of John Paul II to be the voice of the voiceless and to be the lawyer of those have no lawyer,” said Klaschka, who worked several years in Mexico.

Before entering the conclave, Ratzinger – still being cardinal – delivered a sermon in which he criticised ”radical individualism” and ”the dictatorship of pluralism”. If that was a sign for the new pope’s direction, said Jesuit priest Seibel, ”his aim would then be a clear differentiation from the modern world – not a dialogue.”

Seibel also pointed out that Ratzinger had focussed exclusively on problems of the Western world and that the choice of his papal name seemed to point in the same direction. Saint Benedict founded the first Catholic monastery in the 6th century and played a crucial role in spreading Christianity throughout Europe.

Excerpt:

By Mario Osava
RIO DE JANEIRO, Apr 19 2005 (IPS)

“Today was a sad day,” Maria José Rosado Nunes, head of the Brazilian branch of Catholics for the Right to Decide, said in response to the selection of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as the new pope, a decision that in Latin America also disappointed progressive members of the clergy and married priests.

Ratzinger “inspired the most hard-line documents against women produced by the Catholic Church,” and was “the soul of the papacy of John Paul II,” while “logic indicates that changes with regard to women should not be expected” during the new pontificate, said Rosado Nunes, a sociologist by profession.

But his selection “came as no surprise” because John Paul built “a College of Cardinals in his own image and likeness,” thus ensuring that his successor would maintain his “conservative orientation in terms of sexual morality, reproductive rights, and, to some extent, social issues,” she told IPS.

She predicted a “deepening of the abyss between the Church hierarchy and the people of God,” while expressing the hope of a strengthening of movements like the International Movement We Are Church (IMWAC) and a renewal of the process that began with the Second Vatican Council, or Vatican II, held from 1962 to 1965.

The tension between the leadership of the Church and the grassroots movements will grow, agreed Luiz Alberto Gomez de Souza, director of the Centre of Religious Statistics and Social Research (CERIS).

Pressure is growing for the Church to face up to issues that have been “held in deep freeze”, like violence, sexuality, reproductive rights, and the ordaining of women priests, while the cardinals “were incapable of promoting changes, and chose instead continuity and Roman centralism,” he argued.

“What is occurring in the Catholic communities is important,” Gomez told IPS, saying he did not rule out hope for change in the future, although not for now, because “the Church is surprising.”

For the Movement of Married Priests, the choice of Ratzinger was “a short-term disaster” that will postpone any debate on celibacy, said Francisco Salatiel, a theologian and former priest who left the priesthood to get married in 1978.

But the name adopted by the new pope, Benedict XVI, awakened expectations of a possible “rupture with the previous pontificate,” he added.

The name is significant, and came as a surprise, he said, because Benedicto XV “broke with the prior pontificate of Pius X” and stood out in his efforts for peace during World War I.

He said it is possible that Benedict XVI will assume a “global vision” of peace, and that he will be “less rigid” than he was at the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. But he added that “we cannot predict how he will act, as pope.”

Ratzinger, who Salatiel met as “a young priest, who was shy and modest,” became an important figure in the Vatican as a defender of “hard-line, fundamentalist stances,” said the former priest, who criticised the new pope’s “dogmatism and absolute certainties, because faith is an ongoing historical search,” as the Bible demonstrates.

But many in Latin America welcomed the selection of the new pope. Referring to the decision reached by the 115 elector cardinals, Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said that a choice “inspired by the Holy Spirit can only be good.”

Leonardo Boff, one of the leaders of the liberation theology movement, which calls for the Church to be more politically and social active on behalf of the poor, suffered at Ratzinger’s hands.

In 1985 he was silenced, and when the punishments continued, he finally left the priesthood in 1992.

Boff said that as a Christian, he “respected the decision, despite the difficulties in loving this pope.”

“I hope he thinks more about humanity than about the Church,” and holds a dialogue with other churches and with the world of science, he said.

Popes have an influence in one direction or another, but the Church remains, because it is “a system, an institution,” said Guatemalan indigenous human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize-winner Rigoberta Menchú, who added that she hoped to have “the same close relationship” with Benedict XVI as she enjoyed with his predecessor.

Yet the selection made for the new pope was “lamentable” in the eyes of Chilean theologian Alvaro Ramis of the Diego Medellín Centre, who is also an organiser of the Chilean Social Forum.

As far as he is concerned, Ratzinger is the cardinal whose performance has shown him to be the “most conservative, most anti-ecumenical, and most opposed to opening the Church up to the world,” he told IPS.

The Catholic Church is clearly “regressing” to the stances held prior to Vatican II, “with its back turned on the world and totally closed in upon itself,” said Ramis, recalling that Ratzinger said divorced people and politicians who consistently promote legal abortion should be denied communion, and that he condemned other religions, proclaiming Catholicism the only valid faith.

Argentine priest Eduardo de la Serna, member of a progressive priests movement, commented to IPS that Ratzinger’s election will represent “very difficult times for the church of the poor in Latin America.” It is unlikely that he will be any different “from when he condemned liberation theology without even having studied it properly,” he added.

“Ratzinger does not grasp the reality of the poor,” unlike John Paul II, who came from a poor country, de la Serna said. At the same time, however, he said he did not rule out the possibility of surprises in the future, since Ratzinger was once progressive, and could “return to his roots.”

In Cuba, there is fear that the conservatism of the new pope could lead the Catholic Church to lose more followers to other religions and sects, as well as exacerbating the dependence of local Catholic churches on the Vatican, according to journalist and historian Enrique López Oliva, a former professor of the history of religion at the University of Havana.

The Cuban Catholic Church is already “one of the most dependent on Rome,” as a consequence of confronting the “all-powerful socialist state that adopted atheism as an official policy for three decades,” said López Oliva. “Many fear that this could lead to a new schism.”

Yet there are still some who cling to the slim possibility of change. As pope, “Ratzinger could change and understand that he is not only a representative of a conservative (leader), but that he now belongs to the Catholic people as a whole, who will be listening to him,” said Nilton Giese, a spokesman for the Latin American Council of Churches, based in Quito, Ecuador, with a membership of over 150 churches.

“CLAI’s mission is to promote the unity of all churches, which is why the first thing we must do is congratulate the Catholics on this decision,” said Giese. He added that this was not the time to judge what the new pope will do, although it is well-known that “he supports the staunchest and most conservative stances.”

If Ratzinger sticks to the hard line that led him to oppose the ordination of women and punish the proponents of liberation theology, “the consequences for the Catholic Church are unpredictable,” noted Giese, a Brazilian minister.

In the meantime, the newly elected pope received a vote of confidence from the president of the Venezuelan Bishops Conference, Baltazar Porras, the Archbishop of Mérida. “More than conservative, Ratzinger is a man who is very clear in his way of thinking… with very definite ideas and a great capacity to translate them into reality,” he declared.

* With additional reporting by Marcela Valente in Argentina, Gustavo Gonzalez in Chile, Patricia Grogg in Cuba, Diego Cevallos in Mexico and Humberto Márquez in Venezuela.

Excerpt:

By Sanjay Suri
LONDON, Apr 19 2005 (IPS)

The election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as the new pope Tuesday has dismayed progressive groups within the Catholic Church. They had hoped a new pope would bring a change from the conservative traditions of John Paul II.

But the selection of Ratzinger, Pope John Paul II’s right-hand man and enforcer of strict orthodoxy through the powerful Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that he headed, points to more of the same – if not even more strict orthodoxy.

This could open up more differences within the Church, many Catholic groups say.

"This will definitely widen the rift within the Church," Frances Kissling, from the group Catholics for a Free Choice, told IPS. "Very conservative people will be happy that this marks a continuation of the papacy of John Paul II. The rest will be unhappy because this will mean a continuation of that papacy."

Rea Howarth from the Quixote Centre, a U.S.-based Catholic group, said the appointment of Ratzinger as pope is "terribly disappointing." The need was for a pope from the developing world, "and we are very concerned that the Church will maintain its focus on orthodoxy and not address the horrific challenges facing developing countries," she told IPS.

Ratzinger does not comprehend cultural differences within the Church, she said. "It is not a good thing for the poor, it is not a good thing for women, and it is not a good thing for priests."

People who ask hard questions "are going to be told to shut up," she said. "In fact they are already being told to shut up."

A statement from the Quixote Centre later said that with the election of Ratzinger, ”the cardinals have set their compass directly toward widening the chasm between the hierarchy, the laity, and the best and the brightest of the church’s theologians. They are sailing the ship right over the chasm."

Catholics for a Free Choice said in a statement that it is "deeply concerned that the election of Cardinal Josef Ratzinger as pope is a strong indication of continued internal dissension within the Church. The cardinal’s historic role as a disciplinarian means the tradition of the punitive father is maintained within the Roman Catholic Church."

Pope Benedict XVI, the group said, has both an opportunity and a mandate to set a tone for the future of his papacy and to redress wrongs done in the name of the Vatican. "Simultaneously, he must span the divide widened during the last papacy between clergy and laity, men and women, north and south, right and left, gay and straight."

As Pope John Paul II exemplified the spirit of reconciliation and relationship when he sat face to face with the man who shot him, "the new pope should extend the same courtesies, coupled with a genuine spirit of invitation, to those who have been most hurt by church policies over the last years," it said.

Catholics for a Free Choice has laid out a schedule for what the new pope could do in the next 100 days.

The new pontiff should immediately meet with survivors of sexual abuse by the clergy, it said. He must also form a commission to study the current church policy on condoms to prevent HIV/AIDS. The group has asked for the pope to establish a pontifical academy on women’s rights in the Church, and to open a dialogue on opening priesthood to married men.

Few expect the new pope to take such steps, and that could set progressive Catholic groups on a new path of confrontation with the Church establishment.

As recently as 2001, Ratzinger issued a notification asking Spanish theologian Marciano Vidal to retract his thesis on contraception, abortion and homosexuality which departed from the official Vatican position.

The day before he was elected pope, Ratzinger spoke out against what he called modernity. The differences between the Vatican and progressive Catholic groups look set to widen more than ever before.

Excerpt:

By IPS Correspondents
ROME, Apr 19 2005 (IPS)

All the bells in Rome were pealing as cardinals elected Joseph Ratzinger the 265th leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

Ratzinger, who will be known as Pope Benedict XVI, turned 78 three days back. It was quite a week for him as he appeared at the main balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and gave his first blessing, the Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world).

“After the great Pope John Paul II the cardinals elected me, a simple, humble worker in the vineyards of the Lord,” said the new Pope. “It consoles me that the Lord is able to work with inadequate instruments, and above all I entrust myself to your prayers,” he said, speaking in Italian. The Pope is the Bishop of Rome.

On this date, April 19, the Church honours St. Leo IX who was pope from the year 1049 to 1054. That pope was a standard bearer of the great Papal Revolution that helped refashion the Church and the West at the beginning of the second millennium.

Like the new Pope who has taken over the Church at the beginning of the third millennium, he was a German. The Catholic world and many outside it will be watching to see what changes the new Pope brings.

Joseph Ratzinger was born on April 16, 1927 to a family of traditional farmers in Lower Bavaria in Germany. He studied theology and philosophy at the University of Munich and at the higher school in Freising from 1946 to 1951.

He was ordained priest on June 29, 1951. Four years later he qualified as a university teacher in theology. In 1969 he became professor of theology and of the history of dogma at the University of Regensburg. He became also vice-president of the university.

He joined the Vatican Council II in 1962 at the age of 35. The Vatican Council II was set up to democratise and decentralise the Vatican, and Ratzinger was considered one of the progressive members. Some dubbed him a ‘council teenager’ along with theologian Hans Kueng.

After the Council ended in 1965 he turned to more conservative positions, and the friendship with Kueng ended.

In March 1977 Pope Paul VI appointed him Archbishop of Munich and Freising, and later that year he was proclaimed cardinal.

He was already considered a frontrunner in both conclaves held in 1978 after the death of Paul VI and then of John Paul I who died after just 34 days in office. But he supported John Paul II, who returned the favour by appointing him Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), the doctrinal watchdog of the Church. He led this powerful body until the death of John Paul II.

Ratzinger was always likely to become Pope. This is one time that the old saying ‘who enters the conclave a pope comes out a cardinal’ proved false. His rapid selection as Pope meant he received considerable support from cardinals in a more international Church.

But many among the faithful were astonished at the selection. They had thought John Paul II would be the last anti-modern pope. Ratzinger was John Paul II’s inspirer, or at least his right-hand man.

There could be something in a name as Ratzinger took on the name Benedict XVI. Pope Benedict XV who reigned from September 1914 to January 1922 had reaffirmed the condemnation of modernism in the Church. He promulgated the Canon Law, which imposes rules based on religious principles in family matters.

Pope Benedict XVI is known as nothing if not a man of the most firmly conservative views. He was the driving force behind the crackdown on liberation theology, ordination of women and any moves towards accepting homosexuality during the papacy of John Paul II.

In 2000 he published ‘Dominus Jesus’ (Lord Jesus) in which he said that “eternal salvation is only in the Catholic church”, and attacked any dialogue with other Christian churches.

On Monday morning before the conclave began he presided over the ‘missa pro eligendo romano pontifice’ (for electing the pope) and delivered a sermon in which he condemned modernity.

But he is known to be worried about the state of the Church. On Good Friday he spoke of “dirt” and the “arrogance” within the Church. Despite his reputation as a fierce enforcer of orthodoxy, and nicknames such as Der Panzerkardinal (Panzer was a German tank in World War II), he also has considerable charisma. And he has spoken of more autonomy for the clergy despite his record of putting down dissent.

There is much disappointment over his election, but through that some hope too. “Undoubtedly this is a demonstration of great consent inside the ecclesiastical hierarchy,” Sergio Marelli, president of the Catholic NGOs Federation told IPS. “I think his election is a sign of continuity with the last papacy.”

Enzo Mazzi, a priest who leads the progressive Christian community L’Isolotto in Florence said the new Pope might surprise his critics. “Now he has reached his goal,” he told IPS, and “freed by any conditioning, hopefully he will return to his original progressive thoughts.” Ratzinger’s harsh words against modernity, however, do not seem to point that way.

Excerpt:

By IPS Correspondents
MEXICO CITY, Apr 18 2005 (IPS)

If the Catholic Church worked like a democracy, the chances that the next pope would be from Latin America would be high. Around 45 percent of the world’s Catholics live in this region, and at least nine of the cardinals whose names are mentioned as possible candidates are Latin American.

But the only thing the faithful in this region can do is pray for their favourites – or bet.

Students from a Mexican university affiliated with the Catholic Church have chosen the latter, and one of them told IPS that in the betting, the region’s candidates are “on the heels” of the European cardinals.

A survey conducted early this month in Mexico by IPSOS-Bimsa, a private polling firm, found that 41 percent of respondents want the successor to Pope John Paul II to come from Latin America or Africa.

The Polish-born Pope died on Apr. 2, after a 26-year pontificate.

An online poll by the Argentine daily La Nación found that the favourite among Catholics in the region was German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, closely followed by Argentine Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio.

Despite the large proportion of the world’s Catholics living in Latin America, this region only produced 17.3 percent of the 115 members of the College of Cardinals who began to meet Monday in the Vatican to choose the successor to Pope John Paul II.

And Brazil and Mexico, the two countries in the world with the largest Catholic populations, only have seven votes in the conclave.

In the Church, “the size of the flock is not the important thing when it comes to choosing a pope, although it will have some influence,” Rodolfo Casillas, a Mexican academic who specialises in religion, told IPS.

“The Church is more like a monarchy, and the cardinals who come from countries with power and wealth apparently have a greater chance of becoming pope. But we’ll see if that’s true this week,” said Casillas, who is also a researcher at the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences.

Among the Latin American cardinals who have a chance, according to observers, are Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodríguez Maradiaga, Argentina’s Bergoglio, Darío Castrillón and Alfonso López Trujillo from Colombia, Javier Errázuriz from Chile, Brazil’s Claudio Hummes, Mexico’s Norberto Rivera, Jaime Ortega from Cuba and Juan Luis Cipriani from Peru.

The most talked-about is Rodríguez Maradiaga, a 62-year-old Salesian with impressive academic credentials and some ideas that go over well with “progressive” factions within the Church.

For example, he has called for the cancellation of the developing world’s foreign debt, has defended the environment, and advocates a preferential option for the poor (the idea that underlies liberation theology).

Bergoglio, 68, is a Jesuit who some see as espousing the Church’s social causes, while others say he collaborated with Argentina’s 1976-1983 military dictatorship.

The third most widely mentioned is 70-year-old Hummes from Brazil. As a bishop, he opposed the military dictatorship (1964-1985) in his country and backed several labour strikes. However, some analysts say that with the passage of time, he has become more and more conservative, and point out that he has reprimanded priests who have recommended the use of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

But observers both within and outside the Church say the three stand little chance of being selected.

The next pope will undoubtedly be a European, because the cardinals from that region “have a superiority complex that they cannot hide” and form “a majority in the conclave,” said Brazilian Cardinal Aloísio Lorscheider, who does not have the right to vote because he is over 80.

A similar view was expressed by Paulo Evaristo Arns, archbishop emeritus of the southern Brazilian city of Sao Paulo. The possibility of the next pope being Latin American “is very small because we are still on the fringes of the world…history is made in Europe, Asia and North America,” he said.

Although there are 117 cardinals eligible to vote, two are not present in the conclave due to illness. Of the 115 who are meeting, 58 are European, 20 are Latin American, 14 are from the United States and Canada, 11 hail from Africa, 10 from Asia and two from Oceania.

But it is not only a question of influence.

Brazilian priest José Oscar Beozzo, a theologian and former chairman of the Commission for Studies of the History of the Church in Latin America, said in an interview that “there could be surprises in the conclave, as history has shown, because of the methodology used.”

“Prior to the vote, the cardinals discuss the situation of the Church around the world, its needs and challenges, based on reports received from countries or regions. Later the kind of pope needed to address these requirements is decided,” he said.

“That process would, in general, run counter to the speculations and bets based on the positions or influences attributed to a possible new pope,” argued Beozzo.

On the web site www.votefornextpope.com, created by two Mexicans living in the United States, 35 percent of the slightly more than 2,300 people who have voted so far said they would prefer a Latin American pope while 22 percent would like to seen an African cardinal selected.

In Chile, the online edition of the newspaper La Cuarta organised a forum to discuss the possibility of the new pope being black.

One of the participants in the discussion, who identified himself as Carlos Llano, said “blacks have always been discriminated against” and said “a white pope with light-coloured eyes” would emerge from the conclave.

Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze is the African candidate with the strongest chances.

The web site Terra in Brazil is carrying out an on-line poll, asking whether the next pope will be German, Brazilian or Italian.

The responses by Monday afternoon indicated that a Brazilian was in the lead with 36.65 percent of the votes (15,423), followed by an Italian (29.34 percent, or 12,346 votes). Only 11.48 percent said the new pontiff would be German, while 22.53 percent said “I don’t know”.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who governs the country with the largest number of Catholics in the world (73 percent of the population of 182 million), said early this month that he would like to see a Latin American pope, who “would obviously be much closer to us, and would be more familiar with our problems.”

But “It would be even better if he were Brazilian,” he added.

The president has openly led the campaign for Hummes, who has been a personal friend since serving as bishop of Sao Bernardo do Campo, near Sao Paulo, when Lula was the head of the metalworkers union and led labour strikes against the dictatorship.

The bishop protected him as far as possible from repression, and offered churches as refuges for persecuted trade unionists.

In Bolivia, President Mesa said it was possible that the new pope “could come from Latin America, which has the greatest number of Catholics in the world, and high-quality cardinals who can aspire to succeeding John Paul II.”

For the Venezuelan government’s business attaché in the Vatican, Abraham Quintero, the selection of a Latin American pope “would be a blessing.”

José, one of the Mexican students who set up a betting ring among his classmates on who would be the next pope, said he and his friends were surprised at the large number of people who have participated. “Some have put as much as 200 pesos (around 20 dollars) on the Honduran bishop (Rodríguez), but the favourite has been Ratzinger,” he said.

As in other religious educational institutions, where some of the faculty members are priests, the students have been advised to meditate and pray for the College of Cardinals to choose the best pope.

But José, who did not want either his real name or the name of his university to be mentioned, in order to avoid possible reprisals from his professors, said it was clear that some of his classmates have been more attracted to betting than to prayers.

*With additional reporting by Marcela Valente in Argentina, Mario Osava in Brazil, Gustavo González in Chile, Patricia Grogg in Cuba and Humberto Márquez in Venezuela.

Excerpt:

By IPS Correspondents
ROME, Apr 18 2005 (IPS)

A new pope will have to reconsider the position of the ‘other half of the faithful’, women leaders in the Catholic Church say.

All key positions in the Roman Curia as the Vatican administration is called, have remained in the hands of males. The apostolic letter ‘Ordinatio Sacerdotalis’ (‘retaining priestly ordination for men alone’) of 1994 had affirmed that the ban on women priests is definitive and not open to debate among Catholics.

Pope John Paul II’s stand on women has been controversial. He defended women’s "equal dignity", but said men and women have complementary natures and that their role in church, family and society must reflect their true natures.

This view of complementary roles became the basis of a ‘Letter to the bishops about collaboration between men and women’ published in October last year by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith within the Church. The letter strongly reaffirmed traditional church positions on women such as opposition to feminism, and a ban on ordination of women.

The document says differences between the sexes are a part of God’s plan for creation, and not social constructs. The document denounces what it calls the gender ideology of feminism of United Nations policies on women and the family.

But differences have arisen over this position within the Church, and these have often been silenced. "The atmosphere of silence and threat in church institutions has increased to such an extent that it has stifled freedom of thought and research, and made dialogue impossible," Adriana Valerio, president of the European Society for Women in Theological Research (ESWTR) told IPS.

Bishops and male theologians too have expressed strong doubts about the Church position. Many among them say the Church has failed to keep pace with the times, and that the young have begun to question traditional Church views on morality. The number of the faithful going to Mass in western nations is declining, they say.

Women theologians say the 2004 apostolic letter does not even mention the work of Catholic women scholars.

They are looking for a radical shift in the Church view of women. "Women’s bodies and sexuality cannot be seen any more as sources of sin and temptation," Valerio said.

In response to such charges John Paul II sent Mary Ann Glendon, president of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences to lead the Vatican delegation to the conference of women in New York last month. Glendon maintained the position of the Church against making the right to reproductive health a human right.

But despite the papal decree that ordination of women is not open to debate, and a warning in 1998 to "excommunicate every dissenter" on this issue, debate has spread within the Church. In 2002 a renegade bishop in Austria ordained seven women. Supporters of women priests went on to launch a website of their own.

The 2004 letter from the Vatican had sought to put down such demands. It stressed that even minor offices within the Church such as deacon (an ordained member below the rank of priest) must be "strictly reserved for men." Another order said that women must not be involved in celebration of Mass even as altar servers or pastoral assistants unless authorised by bishops.

Two European groups, the Women’s Ordination Conference and the European Women Theologians Synod have openly urged the Church to revise such positions.

Concern is rising also over the decline in the number of men entering priesthood. According to the Vatican, the number of Catholics has risen 40 percent between 1975 and 2002, but the number of priests has remained the same. About half of all parishes and missions do not have a resident priest.

Informal women ministers are already working to hold the Church together. About 783,000 women are serving the Church compared to 405,000 male priests. The Catholic Church has a following of about 1.07 billion.

A 1997 survey found 58 to 70 percent support in Spain, Ireland, Italy and the United States for the ordination of women. Later surveys by Gallup, Newsweek and the National Catholic Reporter produced similar figures.

A stronger role for women could alter the basic tenets of religious belief because many women theologians find traditional explanations inadequate. "It is right to grant more space to women, not just to fill up for the lack of male priests but to give new impulse to the Church’s pastoral life," Valerio said.

The decrees of Pope John Paul II could be tombstones over any demand for a new role for women in Church. But Valerio is still optimistic, because every Pope has his own views, and because the Church simply needs women.

Excerpt:

By IPS Correspondents
ROME, Apr 15 2005 (IPS)

Cardinal Josef Ratzinger is emerging as the most talked about, and the most controversial candidate in the selection of a new pope.

One senior Vatican correspondent says the selection of Josef Ratzinger, the German cardinal who was the right hand man of Pope John Paul II is as good as done. That would mean the Catholic church becomes even more centralist and conservative than it was under John Paul II.

Some of the most popular acts of John Paul II such as the interreligious meetings and the “mea culpa (acknowledging the guilt of the Church) would be set aside. The Church would begin a struggle against “Western evil”, Vatican expert Sandro Magister told IPS.

Ratzinger has said that the real conflict will not come between the Church and Islam, but between the Church and “the radical emancipation of man from God and from the roots of life” that characterizes contemporary Western culture and “leads in the end to the destruction of freedom.”

Ratzinger, who is being supported strongly by Camillo Ruini being presented by the Ratzinger group as the next secretary of state of the Vatican government (the Vatican is in many respects like a state) has said that the culture of Europe today “is absolutely the most radical contradiction of Christianity, but also of the religious and moral traditions of the entire humanity.”

Ratzinger wants to cleanse the Church of “filthiness”, reinforce the doctrinal and moral formation of the clergy, and bring a new missionary campaign. Moves in this direction have already brought a reconciliation with the U.S. administration.

But Cardinal Ratzinger, chief of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, is unpopular with large sections of the Church for his antimodernist positions and for methodically persecuting and silencing dissenters.

His neoconservative thrust has run into resistance within the Church. The reportedly harsh discussions at the conclave to select a new pope have been testimony to that, Vatican sources say.

Ratzinger is being opposed by several U.S. and Northern European cardinals. Europe has 58 of the 117 cardinals. The United States and Africa have 11 each, and Latin America 21. But voting will not necessarily take place along national or regional lines.

Many voices within the Church have spoken of the need for a pope from the South. “The South has large support from some European cardinals too,” Gianni Avena, editor-in-chief of the news agency Adista that specialises in religious issues told IPS. “But no Asian cardinal will vote for an African one, an African for a Latin American, and so on.”

The move to select a pope with more progressive views has been led by the former popable cardinal Carlo Maria Martini. The former archbishop of Milan, now living in retirement in Jerusalem seems to be building an alliance between the Southern cardinals and the Italians, to seek a clear change.

Many cardinals in this group will look for less “Wojtylism” (after the name of John Paul II), Avena said. That means a pope who will not be the only leading actor, and who will go for more collegiality in the decision-making processes.

They would also want to cut down the power of the ecclesiastical movements. Some of these, like Opus Dei, grew more powerful under the papacy of Wojtyla, monopolised many spaces and church structures, and reduced the role of the bishops.

An announcement of a new pope is expected Apr. 18 or shortly after.

Excerpt:

By IPS Correspondents
ISTANBUL, Apr 8 2005 (IPS)

Whether Latin American, African, Asian or European, the successor to Pope John Paul II will be elected through a uniquely secret gathering of the electoral College of Cardinals. The Pope will be elected at a conclave, which in Latin means locked up ‘with key’.

Precautions are in place after turbulence and intrigues plagued some past ones. This one beginning Apr. 18 will have strict norms laid out, some put in place by the deceased Pontiff, to allow for an orderly and unimpeded transition.

Pope John Paul II altered the election process. It is not known how long this conclave could last, but it is unlikely to last as long as some have.

In the past, a two-thirds majority of voting Cardinals was needed to elect a Pope. That still stands, but if electors cannot come up with a Pope with a two-thirds majority after voting 34 times, then a simple majority will do. Cardinals can also decide in a kind of run-off between the top two vote getters.

What goes on in the conclave and how the election process proceeds will be secret. The outside world will not know who was proposed, and who seconded, and by whom.

The last three popes were elected within less than a week – a far cry from the election begun in the year 1268 after the death of Pope Clement IV, when 17 Cardinals could not come up with a Pope for almost three years. That prompted the faithful to finally lock them in ‘with key’, tear down the roof of the building where deliberations were taking place, and feed them just bread and water to hasten their decision.

Election was entrusted to just cardinals from the year 1059 after a history of assassinations, and infighting among rival groups over the selection of a Pope.. But even so, nobles, emperors and kings interfered in papal elections for centuries.

Some early conclaves were openly raided by those trying to influence the outcome. Some popes were subject to the veto of emperors. The conclave as late as in 1903 was attacked by troops of the Austrian Empire.

This conclave is expected to maintain strict secrecy from the moment the order is given “Extra omnes” (“Everybody out”), except of course for the 117 Cardinals eligible to vote. In the 1922 conclave, a photographer and a journalist are said to have made their way in. In yet another one before, servants were suspected of passing on information on the status of voting.

This time the Sistine Chapel where the conclave will be held, with Michelangelo’s ‘Last Judgment’ adorning the back wall, will be screened for any electronic device for eavesdropping. Voting cardinals will have no means of communication with people outside, such as mobile phones. They cannot watch television or read any publication.

But the Cardinals will not be housed in Spartan cell-like rooms at the Sistine Chapel as they used to be. They will have more comfortable lodging in the nearby Domus Sanctae Marthae. They will also have access to all of the Vatican City.

Once sequestered, the electors will have two rounds of voting in the morning and two in the afternoon. They will write the name of their choice in disguised handwriting that cannot be traced to them.

Three Cardinals will count the ballots. They are scheduled to burn the slips once around noon and once in the afternoon in an urn, with the help of a chemical mixture that emits either black smoke (stalemate) or white smoke (election over) from the chimney of the Chapel.

Last time the smoke appeared grey, and no one could tell what had happened. So this time additionally the church bells will toll when the cardinals have found a new Pope.

Three different sizes of Papal outfit are being prepared so that the new Pontiff can discard his red Cardinal robes and immediately put on the white Papal one to face the Romans. The Pope is the Bishop of Rome and heads the world’s one billion Roman Catholics through that title.

Popes cannot designate a successor. Nor is there any open campaigning. The Roman Catholic Church believes the Holy Spirit guides Cardinal electors.

As cardinals head for Vatican City from far-flung corners of the world, attention is focusing on the composition of this particular Sacred College of Cardinals. The College is more international than ever before; some Vatican observers joked that cardinals will need name tags to recognise one another. Not a single Cardinal is a native of Rome in the election for the Bishop of Rome.

The percentage of Italian cardinals has dwindled from 23.7 in 1978 to 16.9 now. But Europe, with Italian Cardinals counted in, still represents the largest group with 58.

The Cardinals representing a region are disproportionate to the Roman Catholic population. The Latin American bloc has 21 of 117 electors, but the region has half of all Roman Catholics.

The changing composition of the College of Cardinals could play a role in choosing the next Pope, giving more credence to another non-Italian pontiff. Another view is that the papacy may revert to an Italian after the 26-year reign of the first non-Italian pope in 455 years.

*Hilmi Toros, currently reporting from Istanbul, covered the Vatican for a decade during the papacies of Paul VI, and John Paul I and II.

Excerpt:

By IPS Correspondents
BEIJING, Apr 7 2005 (IPS)

The death of Pope John Paul II, a lifetime crusader against communism, has sparked speculation of an imminent diplomatic thaw between the Vatican and mainland China – more than 50 years after the communist government expelled all foreign priests and severed links with the Holy See.

But hopes for the restoration of diplomatic ties might still be derailed by Beijing’s rigid insistence that the Communist Party, instead of Rome, appoint all Catholic bishops in the country.

News that Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian would be attending the pope’s funeral on Friday could further complicate the already delicate situation between Beijing and Vatican. The Vatican is Taiwan’s only diplomatic ally in Europe.

Expectations that John Paul II’s successor would normalise ties with China were boosted this week when the head of the church in Hong Kong told his congregation and local media that the Vatican was ready to sacrifice diplomatic relations with China’s rival, Taiwan, to win Beijing’s blessing.

”The Holy See has been thinking of giving up Taiwan. This is a difficult (decision) but it has decided to do it,” Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-kiun was quoted as saying after a Requiem Mass in Hong Kong to mourn the late Pope.

Bishop Zen hinted that the Vatican might be prepared to sever ties with Taipei in return for greater freedom for the Catholic church to operate inside China. ”But the bishop in Taiwan understands this. If the Holy See does not establish (diplomatic) ties with China, Catholics there will have no real freedom,” he said.

According to the Holy See press office, all major diplomatic activity and initiatives of the Vatican were suspended until a conclave later this month to elect a new pope.

But two days before the pope’s death, Cardinal Godfried Daneels of Belgium went to Beijing to meet Ye Xiaowen, director-general of the State Administration of Religious Affairs, and was later received by vice-premier Hui Liangyu.

Regarded as one of the prime candidates to succeed the late Pope, Cardinal Daneels sparked talks of a thaw between Beijing and the Vatican. The meeting between the Belgian cardinal and the Chinese vice-premier was one of the highest-level meetings held in mainland China between a prominent Catholic clergyman and Beijing officials in years.

The Vatican has several times been on the point of switching recognition from Taiwan – most recently in 2001, when the Pope apologised on behalf of the Catholic Church for the mistakes it had made and the pain caused to the Chinese during its colonial past.

The pope’s act of contrition was contained in a message to a conference on Matteo Ricci, the Jesuit priest who introduced Catholicism to the Chinese imperial court more than 500 years ago. The pope said the protection of European political powers had limited the freedom of action of Christian missionaries and prevented them from accomplishing their mission of service to the Chinese people.

The delicate negotiations however collapsed when Beijing shrugged the pontiff’s appeal for reconciliation, saying the apology didn’t go far enough because the pope didn’t say sorry for canonising Catholic martyrs in 2000.

The Vatican canonised 120 martyrs on China’s Oct. 1 National Day, saying they were killed during the 1900 Boxer Rebellion out of loyalty to their faith. But Beijing insists most were traitors executed for breaking laws when foreign forces invaded China in the aftermath of the uprising.

About five million Chinese Catholics are recorded as belonging to the state-controlled China Patriotic Church, while another eight million allegedly belong to an underground church that recognises the pope.

China has imprisoned some priests for decades for refusing to renounce their loyalty to the pope and has persecuted their followers and demolished churches. The state also severely limits the number of seminaries where priests can be trained.

The Communist Party insists it – not the pope – has the sole right to appoint priests and bishops inside China. Even as Cardinal Daneels was visiting Beijing, the Vatican announced that two elderly Roman Catholic bishops, a priest and a Catholic layman, had been arrested in China.

For years, China has insisted on two conditions for normalising ties with the Holy See. First, Beijing says the Vatican must stop recognising Taiwan and secondly it must promise not to interfere in China’s internal affairs, including religious matters.

Responding to questions about a possible rapprochement, Chinese officials so far have stuck to their guns – without giving any indication that Beijing is eager to reconsider its demands.

”We are ready to improve our relations with the Vatican provided it severs diplomatic ties with Taiwan and that it does not interfere in the internal affairs of China in the name of religion,” Qin Gang, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tuesday.

Despite speculations that appointments of bishops in China might follow the examples of Vietnam and Cuba where the government consults the Vatican on the candidates put forward, Qin stressed that Beijing will not allow the pope to appoint Chinese Catholic bishops.

Reports of possible change in Vatican policy were refuted by Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. ”Relations between the Holy See and Taiwan will remain unchanged,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Michael Lu Ching-lung said.

He noted that to establish ties with China, the Vatican would first have to break off ties with Taipei, which he said was unprecedented.

Meanwhile, Taiwan’s President Chen has secured an entry permit from Italy to attend the funeral of the pope on Friday.

The entry permit is considered a diplomatic coup for the island as the Italian government had previously refused to issue Chen and his predecessor, Lee Teng-hui, visas for them to visit the Vatican.

Excerpt:

By IPS Correspondents
NEW YORK, Apr 6 2005 (IPS)

Reform-minded Catholic groups in the United States are praying the successor to John Paul II will prove more receptive to softening church doctrine on contraception, abortion, homosexuality and women’s equality, although they acknowledge that these issues are probably not high on the Vatican agenda.

”Being a Catholic, I’m always open to miracles,” said Jon O’Brien, vice president of the Washington-based Catholics for a Free Choice. ”But as a realist, I also think the decks have been stacked on these issues.”

Noting that all but three of the 117 cardinals voting for the next pope were appointed by John Paul II, whose tenure saw the replacement of liberal bishops from the school of liberation theology with younger men without much pastoral experience, O’Brien said it was unlikely that radical change would be forthcoming anytime soon.

”However, if a conservative of similar ilk gets in, that might be the push too far,” he added. ”In the wake of the sex abuse scandal (in the Catholic church), the tolerance level for a dominant hierarchy telling people what to do is very thin. It might be just what reformers in the church need.”

The Vatican estimates that about two million pilgrims have paid their respects at St. Peter’s Basilica, where the pope’s body now lies in state. John Paul II has been widely praised as a champion of human freedom and dignity who worked tirelessly to make the church truly global in character and ethnicity.

But many Catholics also say they felt alienated by his unwavering stance on birth control (forbidden, even for married couples) and condom use to prevent disease transmission, and his intolerance of any discussion of women entering the priesthood.

On Mar. 11, shortly before his death, the pope told a group of Tanzanian bishops that ”fidelity within marriage and abstinence outside are the only sure ways to limit the further spread of AIDS infection.”

He had previously declared the use of birth control to be ”intrinsically illicit”.

”In the global North, most Catholics already use contraception, so to a large extent Rome’s stance is irrelevant,” O’Brien said. ”But in developing countries, people are actually dying, and the reality is they have to speak out on the issue.”

Today, two in three Catholics are from Asia, Africa and Latin America, regions that suffer tragically high rates of infant and maternal mortality. The United Nations estimates that more than 200 million women have an unmet need for safe and effective contraception, and that family planning alone could reduce maternal deaths by 25 percent.

”The pope wrote quite a lot about women’s dignity and women’s equality,” said Aisha Taylor of the Women’s Ordination Conference in Virginia, which lobbies for women to be allowed into the priesthood. ”Which is ironic because then he turned around and barred them from governing structures in the church.”

Under John Paul II’s leadership, the Code of Canon Law was revised in 1983 to encourage women to take a wider role, especially at the diocesan level, where they were allowed to serve as eucharistic ministers and on parish committees.

However, he was rigid on the subject of women’s ordination, issuing an apostolic letter in 1994 declaring that ”the church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women, and that this judgment is to be definitively held for all the church’s faithful.”

Still, in opening doors to women to assume new roles and responsibilities, Taylor believes that the pope may have unwittingly advanced the cause of women’s ordination – a position now supported by 70 percent of U.S. Catholics.

”These writings are now in the church canons and can’t be taken back,” she said. ”It’s like Thomas Jefferson (the third U.S. president) writing that ‘all men are created equal’. Of course, he meant ‘all white, landowning men’, but his words ultimately helped inspire the abolitionist movement.”

While the field of front-runners for the next pope is largely conservative, not all share John Paul’s positions, and some say the College of Cardinals, which elects the successor, could make a surprising choice.

‘National Catholic Reporter’ Vatican correspondent John Allen, Jr. points out that, ”Colleges of cardinals appointed entirely by one pope do not elect a reproduction of that pope as his successor.”

He cited the example of Pope Pius XII, who appointed all but two of the 51 cardinals who elected his successor – the ”strikingly” different Pope John XXIII.

”There is some surprising diversity among the cardinals,” agreed Taylor. ”Of the four main groups, two are involved with church reform and social justice.”

Vatican watchers say the social justice contingent, which focuses on such worldly problems as globalisation, racial relations and the fight against AIDS, is the largest current, and represents many cardinals from developing nations, including Cardinal Juan Sandoval from Mexico, Cardinal Claudio Hummes from Brazil, and Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga from Honduras.

At the other end of the ideological spectrum is a grouping dubbed the ”cultural warriors”, who want to see the church’s conservative teachings on issues like abortion, gay marriage and stem cell research incorporated into civil law.

”From the beginning of his papacy right up to his deathbed, John Paul had appointed cardinals in his own image, which is the right-wing current of the church,” said O’Brien.

Of all the potential successors, O’Brien singled out Cardinal Godfried Danneels of Belgium as the most moderate.

”He did say that using condoms to prevent HIV/AIDS is about stopping the transmission of death, not stopping the transmission of life,” O’Brien noted. ”And in this airless environment, saying something like that is a fresh breeze.”

Excerpt:

By IPS Correspondents
PENANG, Malaysia, Apr 5 2005 (IPS)

Tributes for the late Pope John Paul II in this Muslim-majority nation have cut across the political and religious spectrum. Many have recalled the pontiff’s opposition to the invasion of Iraq, his defence of Palestinian rights and openness to inter- religious dialogue.

At the same time, there is also reflection in certain local Catholic circles that the church in developing nations has to play a more prominent role in defending the rights of the poor and speak out against human rights violations.

Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi led the way in paying tribute to John Paul II who died late Saturday aged 84.

”His message of religious tolerance, dialogue and reconciliation has contributed significantly in promoting better understanding between Christians and believers of other religions,” said the premier.

Malaysia, a multi-religious nation where just over half the population is Muslim, is the current chair of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference.

Former premier Mahathir Mohamad also had glowing words for the late pontiff. “He (John Paul II) supported the Palestinians and condemned their victimisation. He also wanted to see a settlement to the West Asian conflict and opposed the occupation of Iraq,” he said.

Mahathir, who was known for his scathing criticism of the United States and the West, added that the pope was an effective and influential voice, especially in applying pressure on whatever that was done by the superpowers. ”It was a voice that could lessen the strain being brought about now by the major powers.”

Although no pope has ever set foot on Malaysian shores, Mahathir became the first Malaysian premier to visit the Vatican on Jun. 7, 2002. At the Vatican, the Malaysian premier had a 10- minute private conversation with the pontiff. Fifteen days later, a tearful Mahathir, who faced severe criticism at home for his authoritarian rule during which corruption and abuse of power flourished, stunned Malaysians, when he announced on ‘live’ television that he was stepping down after 22 years in power.

On the other side of the political divide, Mahathir’s former deputy-turned-leading critic, Anwar Ibrahim, described the pope as a voice of humanity and compassionate defender of human dignity. A former Islamic youth leader before he entered politics, Anwar is now regarded in some circles as a ‘moderate Muslim’ who could play a role in bridging the Islamic world and the West.

He noted that the pope had inspired the marginalised and oppressed and ”courageously and unambiguously blessed the struggles for justice, liberation and human rights”. He added that John Paul II had strived hard to bridge the gap that divides different faiths on Earth. ”Therefore not surprisingly his death is mourned by peoples of all nationalities and faiths, including many Muslims.”

Nik Aziz Nik Mat, the spiritual advisor to the conservative Islamic Party, PAS, added an unexpected tribute to the pontiff, describing his demise as an obvious loss. ”Religious people are those who try to connect the ‘sky’ (the spiritual) to the ‘earth’ (worldly concerns) as opposed to ‘free-thinkers’ who are only concerned with life in this world. Whoever replaces Pope John Paul II must be someone who is able to connect the sky to the earth.”

Nik Aziz said he had been awed by the pope’s courage and tenacity when he was alive, especially in opposing the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

John Paul II had strongly opposed George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq in 2003 and sharply criticized Bush senior’s earlier Desert Storm invasion of Iraq in 1991. Although the pontiff established diplomatic relations with Israel, he later criticized it for building a massive wall encircling and slicing through Palestinian territories in the West Bank, saying the Middle East ”does not need walls but bridges.”

He also supported the Palestinians’ right to self-determination, visiting the Palestinian refugee camp of Dahisha during a visit to the Holy Land. In Damacus in 2001, he became the first pope to enter a mosque in a highly symbolic gesture. These developments did not go unnoticed in the Muslim world and, some say, diffused talk of a ‘clash of civilisations’.

Meanwhile, some local Catholics concerned about social issues are reflecting on the church’s approach in expressing its ‘preferential option for the poor’ and hope that the next pope will build on what John Paul II and others had begun.

Last month, a group of Catholics here organised a special Mass to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the assassination of the Archbishop of El Salvador, Oscar Romero, who was shot dead on Mar. 24, 1980 after his stirring defence of the poor and victims of oppression under a military dictatorship.

The Mass in Penang was celebrated by the state’s Bishop, Anthony Selvanayagam, who paid tribute to Romero and criticised the ‘culture of silence’ in society today. The process to beatify Romero, the first step to sainthood, is already underway.

Asia already has the example of Mother Teresa, who worked among the poorest of the poor in Kolkata and who has been fast-tracked along the path to sainthood after her death. But some Catholics feel more is needed than just soup kitchens and old folks homes if the church is to live up to its professed ‘preferential option for the poor’ in Asia today.

As Asia’s developing countries succumb to neo-liberal globalisation, which John Paul II has criticised, the chasm between the rich and the poor is widening in many countries. Some countries have resorted to repressive laws to keep the masses in check as the poor try to articulate their grievances and protest.

”The church needs to follow the example of Romero to be more vocal and to denounce the root injustices that contribute or cause poverty,” said Martin Jalleh, a popular church facilitator. ”In fact this is what John Paul II did too.”

Jalleh said this option for the poor has to go beyond annual church campaigns held before Easter to raise funds for work among the poor.

”Society in Asia needs to hear a loud and clear voice from the church in Asia – a voice that does not hesitate to speak out against ‘institutionalised sin’,” he told IPS. ”May the church’s “preferential option for the poor” be given renewed emphasis by the new pope and may such an option be lived with the same boldness and breath of Oscar Romero.”

Excerpt:

By IPS Correspondents
ROME, Apr 4 2005 (IPS)

Pope John Paul II was a towering figure; but under his long shadow concern arose whether he could have stood too tall over the Church itself.

The dissenting voices on the sidelines seemed to have grown stronger towards the end of his 26-year reign. The Pope faced growing criticism over the concentration of the authority of the Catholic Church in his hands.

Disputes over the authority of the Pope are as old as the Church itself; and they are likely to rise again with the appointment of a new Pope. At the heart of this new debate are two models: the first Vatican Council, and Vatican Council II.

In the late 19th century, Pope Pius IX had promulgated the doctrine of the primacy of the Pope in what came to be known as Vatican Council I. That followed the loss of Church authority in temporal affairs in Italy.

Under this doctrine the Pontiff exercises full and direct authority over the entire Church. Every papal decision is considered infallible and immutable, and does not require the prior consent of the Church.

Almost a century later, Pope John XXIII sought to undo some of this through a reformist Vatican Council II set up in the early sixties. Vatican Council II did not aim to present any doctrine as infallible; it aimed only to offer guidance..

The Council also gave voice to members of the Church at all levels, from the College of Cardinals to the ‘last’ of the priests. It asked for national synods (church assemblies) and for the local faithful to be involved in taking up issues for the church and in appointing church officials.

Vatican Council II had come after a widespread reformist movement within the Church. Open-minded priests had begun to gather communities of the faithful in what took shape as a Catholic civil society.

Pope John Paul II quashed this movement when he became Pope in 1978. Since the beginning of his papacy he concentrated decisions in his hands. The reforms sought through Vatican Council II were given up for the return of the old ways of Vatican Council I.

"The figure of Pope (John Paul II) became a media phenomenon, it almost wiped out the autonomy of every other faithful reality, and it created the image of a Catholic Church totally identified with the Pontiff," Don Enzo Mazzi, leading spirit of the L’Isolotto community, an influential Catholic group in Florence told IPS.

Hundreds of such groups remained marginalised and silenced for long. But as the end of the papacy of Pope John Paul II neared, members of these groups became more insistent in their demands for democracy within the Church.

They are demanding a voice also for the ‘borderline priests’ who have dedicated their lives to working with the ‘last ones’ – drug addicts, prostitutes, the homeless, and unwanted immigrants. It is these priests who say they test the dogmas of the Roman Curia (the Vatican administration) in the life of struggling people. They want to build a church that returns to the Gospel and works more to help the poor.

"The only way is collegiality," the widely respected priest Don Andrea Gallo, founder of the Community of St. Benedetto al Porto in Genova told IPS. "The Church must consider people as experts for achieving the real spirit of the Gospels."

Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, former archbishop of Milan who has now returned to Biblical studies in Jerusalem has long sought a role for the local clergy in linking the faithful to the Roman Curia. The progressive group wants him to succeed John Paul II, but this is more a symbolic demand than actual likelihood.

Cardinal Martini revealed his "dream" in 1999 of a Vatican Council III for a synodal reform of Church governance. The struggle for ‘another possible Church’ is likely now at meetings to appoint a new Pope.

Followers of Giuseppe Dossetti, the inspiration behind Vatican Council II who died in 1996, have renewed reform proposals that had proved unsuccessful at the 1978 conclaves when Pope John Paul II was elected.

A recent book ‘The Bologna Workshop’ set out an agenda for reform of the Catholic church. Its publishers say the message of the book should be considered at the conclave to elect a new Pope. The agenda provides for a new Pope to move from a monarchical to a more collegiate form of management during the first 100 days of the papacy.

It asks the Pope to acknowledge the "legislative capacity of the synod of bishops" and for the Roman Curia to take on the subordinate role of "preparing and implementing the decisions of the synod." It also wants the Pope to "free himself from the fear" of socialism and the sexual revolution.

But the legacy of Pope John Paul II will not be easy to erase. His predecessor Paul VI had appointed 26 cardinals in 15 years; Pope john Paul II appointed 230, and most of them will have a say in choosing his successor. About 70 percent of all bishops today were appointed by John Paul II, 17 of them as he lay on his deathbed last week.

Excerpt:

By Mario Osava
RIO DE JANEIRO, Apr 4 2005 (IPS)

In Brazil, the legacy of Pope John Paul II’s lengthy papacy is a Church led by bishops who are "less independent, and less capable of thinking for themselves," according to priest Oscar Beozzo, a theologian specialising in the history of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Pope who led the world’s Catholics from 1978 until his death on Saturday appointed over 300 bishops in Brazil, close to three-quarters of all those active today, Beozzo told IPS. Around the globe, it is estimated that two-thirds of the roughly 4,500 bishops currently serving the Church were designated by John Paul.

The generation that lived through the experience of the Second Vatican Council, or Vatican II, has practically disappeared, said Beozzo. There is not a single bishop in active service in Brazil who personally participated in this "major revolution in the Catholic Church," he noted.

Beozzo described Vatican II as "an experience that questioned everything, that encouraged participants to rethink everything, and to look for new directions." As a result, it fostered a new generation of independent bishops, a phenomenon "that is no longer part of the Church today," he said.

The Council, which was opened in 1962 by Pope John XXIII (1958-1963) and closed in 1965 under Paul VI (1963-1978), is considered the most important event in the Catholic Church in the 20th century.

Through the 16 documents produced, Vatican II aimed to bring the Church into the modern era, with wide-reaching changes in the way the religion is practised and a greater opening to the world and its current problems.

There has always been a struggle "between Rome and the Council," Beozzo said. The leaders of the Curia, or Vatican administration, strove to impose their own will on the process, despite constituting a minority, but John XXIII made it clear that the work of the Council was to be primarily the responsibility of the bishops.

Under John Paul II, however, it was the line followed by the "losing side" that gained force, and gradually undermined the stances held by the majority, he noted.

This fact is clearly reflected in the new generation of Brazilian bishops, Beozzo said. As the years passed, the more independent bishops, who promoted pastoral work "with a local face," inevitably reached the retirement age of 75, and were replaced with successors more closely aligned with the Vatican.

As a result, the "number one question" with regard to a bishop’s work was no longer "what needs to be done to respond to local problems," but rather, "what does Rome want, what does the Vatican say," Beozzo maintained.

This transition took the form of open confrontation in some cases. The most striking example is that of Hélder Câmara, the archbishop of Recife and Olinda in northeastern Brazil – the poorest region of the country – from 1964 to 1985, renowned around the world as a champion of the poor and a pioneer of liberation theology.

The first blow dealt to Câmara was the refusal to promote him to the position of cardinal, which was interpreted as the Vatican’s punishment for his independent stance and outspoken defence of the rights of the poor and marginalised.

This was followed by further affronts, like the shutting down of a seminary whose orientation was opposed by the Vatican, and Câmara replacement with a successor chosen against his will. "It was traumatic," said Beozzo.

Sometimes these conflicts descended into petty cruelty, as in the case of Pedro Casaldáliga, the former bishop of Sao Felix do Araguaia, in central-western Brazil.

Upon his retirement, the Church leadership tried to force him to move out of the municipality he had served for so many years, so as not to "constrain" his successor through his continued presence. In the end, the order was withdrawn in the face of the fierce opposition of local residents, Casaldáliga’s former flock.

The popular image of "Joâo de Deus", as John Paul was known in Brazil, arose from his first visit to this country, in July 1980, when he drew crowds of millions during a tour of 13 state capitals in 12 days.

On that first visit, the Pope "really listened" to the Brazilian clergy, even to the followers of liberation theology, the progressive current that gained strength in the Latin American church in the 1960s and 1970s, said Beozzo.

Brazilians feel "orphaned" by the Pope’s death, said Cardinal Claudio Hummes, archbishop of Sao Paulo, and Cardinal Geraldo Majella of Salvador, summing up the grief shared not only by Catholics but by Brazilians from other religions as well, who welcomed John Paul’s ecumenism.

For the first time, Brazilians felt close to a Pope, who returned to this country in 1991 and 1997. He was "a symbol of peace" who won the affection of the Brazilian people, said President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

But his words during his 1991 visit to seven cities were very different from what he said in 1980, said Beozzo, who pointed out that by his third journey to Brazil, in 1997, he only visited Rio de Janeiro.

Despite the size of Brazil’s Catholic population, there are only four Brazilian cardinals in the College of Cardinals with the right to vote for a new pope. Although there are four other Brazilian cardinals, they are over 80, which means they can participate, but cannot cast votes.

There is a clear imbalance in the College of Cardinals, said Beozzo. Latin America, which is home to nearly half of the world’s Roman Catholics, accounts for only 18 percent of the voting cardinals, among whom Europeans comprise an absolute majority.

But "it used to be worse," said Beozzo, who noted that the Italians, who made up half of all the cardinals at the time of Pope Pious XII (1939-1958), now account for 18 percent – although that is still "a huge proportion" for one single country, he added.

In the last two decades, under John Paul’s papacy, the Roman Catholic Church has lost ground in Brazil. While Catholics represented 89 percent of the population in 1980, that proportion has now dropped to 73 percent of the country’s 182 million people.

Protestant churches have been growing fast. But the "most spectacular" growth has been seen among those who identify themselves as having "no religion," who now make up seven percent of the population, Beozzo added.

Excerpt:

By IPS Correspondents
MEXICO CITY, Apr 4 2005 (IPS)

Latin America’s indigenous communities and downtrodden poor are a vivid reminder for the Roman Catholic Church that Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero’s steadfast commitment to the poor must be kept alive, said Peruvian priest Gustavo Gutiérrez, one of the founders of Liberation Theology.

The 77-year-old Gutiérrez, who was interviewed by IPS by telephone from El Salvador, also said the process of beatification and canonisation of Romero should continue to move ahead, regardless of Pope John Paul’s death.

Romero, archbishop of San Salvador, the capital of the Central American country of El Salvador, was cut down by a sniper’s bullet while celebrating mass on Mar. 24, 1980.

A champion of the poor, the archbishop regularly spoke out against the growing violence and violations of human rights perpetrated by the armed forces and paramilitary death squads in his country.

The day before he was killed, he directly addressed the country’s soldiers in his weekly homily, pleading, “In the name of God, in the name of these suffering people whose cries rise to heaven more loudly each day, I implore you, I beg you, I order you: Stop the repression.”

Twenty-five years on, those who planned and carried out his assassination remain unpunished.

Romero, who was formally proposed by the Salvadoran Church for sainthood in 1994, became one of the leading symbols of progressive catholicism.

Church leaders in the Vatican recently announced that they had begun the process of beatification for Romero, the last step before sainthood.

But Salvadoran President Antonio Saca once again repeated that there is no chance of reopening the investigation into Romero’s murder, which occurred less than a year before the start of a 12-year civil war, which claimed around 80,000 – mainly civilian – lives.

Gutiérrez took part in “Theology Week” at the José Simeón Cañas Central American University last week in San Salvador, which was held to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Romero’s death.

The theologian said that “Here in El Salvador, I have found a lot of optimism that the (beatification) process will be completed soon.”

“I attended Romero’s funeral 25 years ago. It was a very tense time. The estimate we made that Sunday afternoon was that 40 people were killed” during the funeral, when soldiers opened fire on the crowd. “For me, being here 25 years later is very significant and moving,” he added.

Gutiérrez is the author of “A Theology of Liberation”, the 1971 book that provided a name for the progressive movement that became influential in the Latin American Catholic Church in the 1960s and 1970s.

Liberation Theology, or the “preferential option for the poor”, calls for particular attention to be paid to the poor, in the understanding that the liberation preached in the message of Christ does not only apply to spirituality, but to physical and social conditions as well.

“The Power of the Poor in History” (1983) and “We Drink from Our Own Wells” (1984) are other key works by Gutiérrez, a John Cardinal O’Hara Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and a former professor at the Catholic University in Lima, Peru. In 2003, he received Spain’s prestigious Prince of Asturias Award for Communications and Humanities in recognition of his work on behalf of the poor.

The following is a synthesis of the interview.

IPS: What was Monsignor Romero’s contribution to the Catholic Church in Latin America?

GUSTAVO GUTIÉRREZ: Romero was an extremely committed man, his homilies are the most important legacy we have from him, his theological reflections. He reminded us that we have to keep Christianity in historical perspective.

By speaking of the day-to-day life of the Salvadoran people, he felt that (Jesus’s message) was reflected in the God who is present in one’s neighbour, and, especially, in the poor. There we have a very concrete approach, presented in difficult, dramatic conditions, because seeing the Gospel embodied in history was what cost him his life.

IPS: How did the Church in the region absorb that legacy?

GG: In Latin America there is a wide range of approaches. I am concerned about a series of steps that have been taken towards the past, about resistance to many things that were done in earlier years. But this must not make us forget, because it would be wrong and unfair, that there are many Christian communities and people who have adopted the option more in favour of the region’s poor.

IPS: What view do you think the Latin American clergy takes towards the political changes in the region, and in the world?

GG: It varies widely. There are certain Christian, including lay, sectors, that are very conservative and react against certain things. In the Church there are also people who are highly active in what is referred to as “altermundismo” (the anti-globalisation or “alter-globalisation” movement), which is opposed to the political and religious fundamentalism that the United States attempts to impose.

I believe that in the Latin American Church there is a lot of life, but that it has received many blows as well. Nevertheless, we’re still here.

IPS: If Romero were alive, what kind of relationship do you think he would have with the Vatican?

GG: When he was alive, many people did not understand Romero. However, he had contacts in which he was able to express the situation in El Salvador which was not easy to comprehend, naturally, in a world made up of dominant blocs.

But if you read Romero’s homilies, he said on several occasions that he returned from Rome very comforted.

These questions go beyond the physical life of Monsignor Romero. The Pope visited the year after Romero’s death, and went to pray at his tomb.

Fifteen years after Romero was first proposed for beatification and canonisation, I’ve just been informed that a lot of progress has been made, all of Romero’s work has been studied…and it looks like things are moving along smoothly.

IPS: Is there a progressive Church in Latin America today?

GG: That current emerged in the mid-1960s, after the Second Vatican Council, and was taken up by (Latin American bishops conferences like the one in) Medellín (in 1968).

The Church must take, and has taken in many – but not enough – sectors, the path of solidarity with the poorest of the poor. The question of poverty, which I focused on heavily in the 1960s, was not as present then as it is today. I’m not only referring to the Church, but to the issue’s presence in international agencies; I’m thinking about the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations.

The U.N. focus on human development is extremely important, and many factors have contributed to that, not only the Church. But it is true that the progressive Church has played a very strong role in putting on the agenda the situation of the poor as something unjust and going against the will of God. That’s not sufficient, but it’s a foundation from which to start.

IPS: Do you share the opinion that in his last years, Romero became more and more radical?

GG: Yes. He became increasingly radical…He went to the roots of the Christian message. There was no doubt that Romero experienced great growth and maturity and a deepening sense of what the Gospels meant.

I am not afraid to say he was radicalised, but that happened to him because he was able to recognise that social justice is a fundamental aspect of the good news that Jesus brought us.

The Gospels tell us to seek “the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all things will be added unto” us. Romero’s life was an intense, relentless, joyful but also painful search for God’s kingdom and righteousness.

IPS: Do you believe that a repeat of the violence experienced in the region during those years is possible?

GG: Unfortunately we can’t say it isn’t. The world is going through a period marked by violence, different kinds of fundamentalisms and arrogant power, also here in Latin America. We don’t decide the direction history will take, but if we don’t make an effort to follow the path that Romero showed us, I believe such scenarios could occur again. Who can predict what lies ahead?

Excerpt:

By Ranjit Devraj
NEW DELHI, Apr 4 2005 (IPS)

There is much more to the three-day official mourning India has ordered for Pope John Paul II than the fact that this country’s most powerful politician, Sonia Gandhi is both a Roman and a Catholic by birth.

The departed pontiff was the first one in history to have visited India twice – first in 1986 and then in 1999 when the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), known for its often violent campaigns against ‘induced conversions’, was in power.

In 1986 the Pope crisscrossed the country for 10 full days endearing himself by mingling freely with crowds, much to the dismay of his minders and security personnel. The pope even made fun of their frantic efforts to try and stop him.

But the most memorable part of the 1986 visit – and also most consternating for his attendants – was when he decided to spend more precious minutes than scheduled at the mausoleum of Mahatma Gandhi, ‘The Apostle of Peace’ and a soul he held in high esteem.

At the well-known mausoleum on the banks of the Yamuna River the Pope knelt and then it seemed he went into deep prayer and meditation. He had to be shaken by his secretary so that he could move on his next appointment.

When the pope visited India next in 1999, the country – whose constitution guarantees the right to profess, preach and practice any religion – seemed to have regressed in its secular outlook under a fundamentalist wave led by the BJP.

In 1992, BJP supporters had torn down the Babri Masjid mosque at Ayodhya in northern Uttar Pradesh state on the grounds that medieval Muslim invaders had built it over a temple marking the birthplace of the Hindu warrior deity Rama.

The campaign to rebuild the temple paid handsome political dividends for the BJP which portrayed the Congress party and Sonia Gandhi – inheritor of its leadership and custodian of the political legacy of the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty – as the main obstacles to their supposedly divine enterprise.

By 1998 the BJP had seized national power after convincing electorates that its battles with the formidable Congress party were no less than a struggle between Ram and Rome.

What followed was a systematic campaign of violent attacks against the Church and Christian institutions in India, the worst chapter of which was the gruesome 1999 immolation by a fanatic mob of the Australian evangelist Graham Staines and his two young sons as they slept outside a makeshift church in a remote part of eastern Orissa state.

In states like western Gujarat, the provincial BJP government went to the extent of giving orders to police to draw up lists of Christians in order to keep them under surveillance for signs that that they were receiving funds for evangelical activity.

It seemed useless for statisticians and well-meaning people to point out that Christians, Protestants and Catholics together, formed less than two percent of India’s one billion people and that if anything their numbers were on the decline rather than increasing.

It was to such an India that Pope John Paul II made his second coming in Nov. 1999 and emphatically declared that evangelism was the right and duty of the Church.

Indeed the Pope chose to sign the ‘Ecclesias in Asia,’ the momentous document which called for ”reaping a great harvest of faith in Asia in the third Christian millennium,” in New Delhi. This was a direct kick in the teeth of the BJP that long accused the church of poaching Hindus to be in its Catholic flock.

The Pope also ignored calls by Hindu fundamentalists that he apologise for atrocities committed by the Portuguese on people in colonies like Goa during the dark days of the Inquisition, and also for carrying out forcible conversions.

The pope’s 1999 visit to India coincided with the Hindu festival of lights or ‘Diwali’ and the pontiff drew parallels with the biblical theme of light conquering darkness and evil. Some Hindu groups complained that it was an insult to their religion to have the pope’s second visit to India in 13 years coincide with ‘Diwali’.

In Gujarat, Hindu chauvinism found a new target in the much larger and more prosperous Muslim minority which found itself the target of the vicious 2002 pogrom which left thousands dead and tens of thousands homeless.

But then, recognizing the true nature of the pro-Hindu enterprise, secular parties joined hands with Sonia Gandhi’s Congress party to roundly defeat the BJP in the May general elections last year.

Clearly the electorate ditched the ‘Ram versus Rome’ argument and was happy that Sonia Gandhi had renounced the prime ministership offered to her and instead entrusted it to Manmohan Singh, a former World Bank economist and a Sikh by faith.

Gandhi retained for herself the chair of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition. By itself the position is an enormously influential one. It also insulates Gandhi sufficiently from charges by ranting Hindu fanatics that she is actually an agent of the Vatican in Rome.

But Pope John Paul II would be remembered best in India for fast-tracking sainthood for Mother Teresa, the universally beloved founder of the Missionaries of Charity that is known best for its work among the poorest of the poor in the eastern city of Kolkata.

In early 1999, less than two years after Mother Teresa’s death, the pontiff ordered the opening of the usually lengthy and tortuous process of canonization in a manner unprecedented in the history of the Catholic Church.

Addressing a large crowd that had gathered at the Vatican for the beatification of Mother Teresa on Oct 19, 2003 the Pope declared that in modern times ”God inspires new models of sainthood.”

That may well have been a reflection of how the pontiff saw the papacy itself as one that should be ready to meet the challenges of the 21st century, which is bound to have a major role for Asia where Christ himself was born.

Excerpt:

By IPS Correspondents
BRUSSELS, Apr 4 2005 (IPS)

Leading European Union officials have paid tribute to Pope John Paul II, highlighting his role in helping to reunify a divided Europe after communism.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso expressed his "deep sorrow" on learning about the death of Pope John Paul II Saturday at the age of 84.

In a statement Sunday, Barroso had "a special message of solidarity" for the Pope’s home country Poland, one of the biggest countries to join the European Union (EU) last May.

He hailed the "essential role" of the Polish Pope in helping reunify Europe, adding that for that reason he deserved the title of "the founding father of a united Europe."

"John Paul II will be remembered as someone who played an essential role in the reunification of Europe and in the advance of ideas of freedom and democracy in our continent. Europeans will never forget his struggle for peace and human dignity," the head of the EU executive arm added.

Representatives of the Luxembourg presidency of the EU echoed such acclaim, saying John Paul II had contributed to the reunification of eastern and western Europe.

"On the occasion of the death of His Holiness Pope John Paul II, the presidency of the European Union pays homage to the reunifiying role played by the sovereign pontiff, his relentless commitment to humanist principles, to democracy and human rights," it said in a statement.

"The European Union’s presidency bows to he who contributed to reunite once again East and West on the European continent," it added.

European Parliament President Josep Borrell paid tribute to John Paul II’s solid support for European unity.

Recalling the Pope’s long-standing wish to see Europe united, Borrell said his "premonitory views have become reality."

Javier Solana, EU chief for external relations, added his condolences to the many tributes that have been pouring in since the Pope passed away.

"The world – not just people of Catholic faith – has lost an unforgettable spiritual leader, an enlightened champion of peace and solidarity for all. We will sorely miss a great European spirit of our times," he said Sunday.

Around two million pilgrims from around the world are expected to visit the Vatican City in the coming days to pay their last tributes to Pope John Paul II. Several European leaders are also expected to attend the funeral.

The Pope’s death also put on hold election campaign in Italy, while British Prime Minister Tony Blair postponed the expected announcement Monday of general elections due May 5. The announcement is likely Tuesday.

Political parties in the European Parliament praised the Pope’s efforts to bring people from different religions closer together.

"For decades, Pope John Paul II offered immeasurable inspiration for millions of Christians around the world. His spiritual legacy and leadership is unprecedented in the history of the Catholic Church," said Wilfried Martens, president of the Christian Democrat European People’s Party in the Parliament.

"His efforts to encourage closer dialogue among all Christian faiths and his willingness to open dialogue with other major religions are just small examples of his spiritual foresight. The sacred path opened by Pope John Paul II will not be easy to follow," he added.

The Pope’s death dominated European newspapers.

While much of the European press has focused on the legacy that the Pope leaves behind, there is also criticism of John Paul II’s pontificate.

Credited with a key role in bringing down Soviet communism, John Paul was not so open to debate within the Catholic Church, many commentators said. Some liberals claim the Pope’s unyielding views on birth control and sexual morality have resulted in a decline in worshippers.

The French daily newspaper Liberation said John Paul II became a "real statesman" who has left a political as well as a doctrinal legacy. It said he accelerated the fall of the Iron Curtain in Europe, and that he was a "great reconciler" between Catholics and Jews.

But it said that as a result of his repeated condemnation of homosexuality, contraception and abortion, he will be remembered as "the embodiment of a severe father" who showed little regard for feminist demands and "obstinately ignored the ravages of AIDS.."

In Spain, Barcelona’s El Periodico was also not without criticism of the Pope’s leadership.

The paper said that both his devoted followers and those who "felt alienated from an institution they did not understand and which did not understand them" will hope the next pontiff will be a "bridge-builder".

Excerpt:

By IPS Correspondents
ISTANBUL, Apr 3 2005 (IPS)

“Ma, Chi è? (Who is He?)” That was the question on the minds of many at St. Peter’s Square on a balmy autumn evening on Oct. 16, 1978 when Cardinal Pericle Felici announced: “Habemus Papam (We have a Pope)..”

The identity of the new Pope was revealed, as is the custom, slowly. “Carolum,” Cardinal Felici said, and then paused for some seconds after reading out that first name.

The crowd was mystified. There was no Carolum among those who had been considered the ‘papabili’ or the ‘Pope-ables’. The only name that immediately came to mind was Italian Cardinal Carlo Confalonieri, the octogenarian Cardinal Dean hardly seen as ‘Pope-able’.

Cardinal Felici then gave the surname. “Wojtyla” (pronounced Voitiua), he said, answering the question but not immediately solving the mystery.

“Ma, Chi è?” some in the crowd murmured. “Could be an African,” someone said.

“E’ Polacco, (he is Polish),” a ‘Vaticanista’, a journalist covering the Vatican told colleagues. Calls were made to the Polish embassy in Rome to determine just how to pronounce the name of the new Pope.

Cardinal Karol Josef Wojtyla then appeared at the balcony to face Romans. He would be the leader of Catholics around the world, but at St. Peter’s Square this was his own flock, since a Pope is also Bishop of Rome.

Over more than a quarter of a century of papacy, the third longest in history, the ‘who-he’ prelate from Krakow was to become a towering figure in history.

He leaves a manifold legacy, both within and outside his Church.

History could easily record him as the main actor in the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe. Polish rulers called him the “detonator” of the peaceful uprising. Soviet leader at the time Mikhail Gorbachev said later that Eastern Europe could not have changed without the Pope.

Some reports mention that the Pope and then U.S. president Ronald Reagan may have deliberately helped one another bring about the collapse of the Soviet empire.

In his book published last February, the Pope spoke of the “inherent social and economic failure” of the communist system rather than claiming credit for bringing down communism “with my own hand.”

That may be part modesty. But it brings to the fore the strength of moral force over physical power. It would answer that often-quoted question raised once by Soviet dictator Josef Stalin – how many divisions does the Pope have.

A Pontiff has 107 Swiss Guards (the colorful Cohors Helvetica), well short of even one division. But the Pope’s moral force can be far stronger than military hardware.

It was never clear whether communists were behind Turkish gunman Ali Agca who tried to assassinate the Pope in 1981. Pope John Paul II wrote in his book that Agca acted “on commission” but never publicly revealed his thoughts about any possible involvement of the secret services from communist regimes. The Pontiff pardoned his would-be assassin and even went to see him in an Italian prison as “a brother”.

John Paul II may have helped overturn communism, but he was no great fan of the capitalist system that replaced it. He once called globalisation “a new form of colonialism.” The developing world had a strong ally in Pope John Paul II.

John Paul II who called himself “globe-trotter” spent a total of two years, or 6.4 percent of his time, away from the Vatican. He logged more than a million kilometres, equal to 29 trips around the world. Until 1963, no Pope had left Italy.

The ‘who-he’ Pontiff of 26 years ago could go down in history as the most visible person ever; it is estimated that hundreds of millions of people saw him in person. One speech on a visit to Manila in the Philippines in1985 drew an estimated four million people.

What lies ahead after a period of mourning in many lands is the secret gathering of the College of Cardinals comprising 117 eligible electors in the confines of the Sistine Chapel to select a successor.

Through the period of mourning, thoughts have been turning to the next Pope. No Cardinal can campaign openly but they will have to choose from a long list of papabili that includes Italians, other Europeans, Latin Americans and Africans.

*Hilmi Toros, a veteran Vatican correspondent, covered the election of Pope John Paul II and the early years of his papacy.

Excerpt:

By IPS Correspondents
BANGKOK, Apr 3 2005 (IPS)

As Father Paul Nettham, pastor of the Thai capital’s Holy Redeemer Church prepares his congregation at Sunday mass for holy communion, he tells the packed church in a somber voice: ”For our beloved Pope John Paul II, who’s passed from this life to an everlasting one…Lord have mercy.”

A resounding ”Lord have mercy” comes back from the pews. And this prayer was repeated from Thailand to the Philippines, India, China and East Timor, at the second Sunday of Easter, as church bells tolled for the pontiff who died late Saturday aged 84.

While Catholics in the old Europe are grappling to justify their existence in a rapidly changing world, Asian, African and Latin American churches are fast attracting new converts and priests. Out of the close to one billion Catholics in the world, it is estimated that in Asia alone there are 100 million followers.

And for many Asian Catholics, Pope John Paul II was a champion for the poor and downtrodden.

”He was always aware of the people around him and sensitive to the injustices they suffered,” Kaitsuda Suriyayos, a magazine editor, told IPS after attending Sunday mass. ”He was a man of peace and the world will never forget him.”

In Asia’s newest country, East Timor, the pope is well loved and remembered for sowing the seeds for mass demonstrations against the Indonesian army – the island’s former occupiers.

As church bells tolled early Sunday morning in the fledgling country where 90 percent of its 600,000 population are Catholic, Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri declared a three-day mourning for the pontiff with the country’s flag flown at half-mast

”To the East Timorese people, Pope John Paul II is a hero. In October 1989 he came to East Timor knowing we were oppressed by the Indonesians,” local journalist Jose Antonio Belo, in the capital Dili, told IPS in a phone interview.

”The Timorese youths took that as an opportunity to protest against the Indonesian occupation and that was the start of organised demonstrations by the clandestine movement,” he pointed out.

Fransec Valls, of the Madrid-based daily ‘El Pais’ was one of the journalists who witnessed the demonstrations during the pope’s visit.

”The extreme care with which the Indonesian government had prepared for the Papal visit to the East Timor capital Dili, turned out to have been in vain,” he wrote. ”Shouts of ‘Viva Timor Leste’ in favour of an independent East Timor echoed in Portuguese and Tetum when John Paul II concluded mass with the versicle ‘ite missa est’.”

In May 2002, East Timor became independent after being administered for two years by the United Nations, following a 1999 referendum where the East Timorese overwhelmingly voted to break away from Indonesia.

In the predominately Catholic Philippines, the pope also holds a special place in the hearts of most Filipinos and he is credited with providing inspiration for the People’s Power revolt against the dictatorial Marcos regime.

According to Philippine journalist Ahmed Toledo many Filipinos were taken up by the 1980 birth of the Solidarity trade union movement in Poland, in which the pope had a role to play. A year earlier, after his consecration as pope, John Paul II returned to his native Poland for a nine- day visit that heralded the beginning of the end of the Soviet empire.

The trade union movement would enlist 10 million Poles as members, and priests visiting the imprisoned Solidarity leaders often concealed messages of encouragement from the pope in their robes.

”That sent a message to all of us who were fighting to overthrow the regime of Ferdinand Marcos,” said Toledo in an interview. ”The pope sort of made it known that it was justified for a Catholic nation to remove dictators.”

Added Toledo: ”The struggle in Poland was certainly an inspiration for us and this led to the People’s Power events in 1986 which saw Marcos fleeing the country.”

In the autumn of 1989, Solidarity played the pivotal role in bringing down Poland’s communist government and replacing it with a democracy.

Philippine President Gloria Arroyo led the nation in expressing a ”deep sense of grief” over the pontiff’s death.

”Our people receive the news of his death with a deep sense of grief and loss,” Arroyo said in a statement.

”The world will miss a great spiritual bridge among all nations,” she said, adding that ”the weak and oppressed will always remember their hero and advocate who sowed peace and love by his awesome charisma and noble deeds”.

Meanwhile in China, which only allows its Catholics to worship in officially sanctioned groups with no ties to the Vatican, state-run media released only a trickle of information.

The official ‘Xinhua News Agency’ reported the death on its domestic Chinese-language service and its English-language world service shortly after 2000 GMT.

‘Xinhua’ also said the Catholic Patriotic Association of China and the Chinese Catholic Bishops College sent a telegram to the Vatican expressing ”deep condolences.”

”It is very sorrowful to know that Pope John Paul II has passed away at the call of God, to rest in Lord for good,” ‘Xinhua’ cited the telegram as saying. ”It would be a great loss for the pastoral and evangelical works of the Universal Church.”

China’s Communist government, which took power after the Nationalist government fled to Taiwan in 1949, expelled the Vatican’s ambassador in 1951 and ties with the Roman Catholic church were severed.

The internuncio Archbishop Antonio Riberi escaped to the island of Taiwan off the south- eastern Chinese coast, which the Holy See continued to recognise as China’s official government. In the years following Riberi’s expulsion, Catholics were condemned as ”anti- government” and ”anti-revolution” and a huge number of bishops, priests and lay people were imprisoned.

In India, where there are 16 million Catholics, special masses were planned in churches in the southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the predominantly Christian northeast, reports said.

The pope visited India twice during his 26-year papacy – in 1986 and 1999. The latter visit stirred controversy with Hindu nationalists who had demanded a papal apology for alleged religious conversions by Christian missionaries in Hindu majority India.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday described the pontiff as a ”people’s pope” who especially endeared himself to Indians when he initiated the process of granting sainthood to Nobel laureate Mother Teresa, who founded the Calcutta-based Missionaries of Charity that cared for the sick and poor in the eastern Indian city.

She died in 1997 and was beatified by Pope John Paul II on Oct. 19, 2003, in one of the fastest beatifications in Catholic history.

Excerpt:

By IPS Correspondents
MONTEVIDEO (IPS - Latin America Desk), Apr 2 2005 (IPS)

Mexico became the capital of mourning in Latin America over the death of Pope John Paul II Saturday, while governments in the region – home to almost half the world’s Catholics – expressed their condolences, regardless of their political bent.

The region was marked by decrees of national mourning, flags flown at half-mast and presidential speeches praising Karol Wojtyla, especially his work in favour of peace in the world – even Cuba’s socialist government, which described the Pope as a “good friend”.

Another common element was the resignation with which the region’s Catholics received the news, flocking en masse in silence and calm to churches and cathedrals, which rang their bells in mourning every 15 minutes.

In Mexico, the Latin American country that received the most visits from John Paul, hundreds of mourners, many of them weeping, gathered around the statue in the atrium of the Basilica of Guadalupe.

It was in the Basilica that the Pope expressed his devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, who he addressed as the “Queen of peace”.

Despite the overall climate of respect, above and beyond religious differences, there were a few discordant notes. The prayers of the faithful gathered in the Metropolitan Cathedral, in the centre of Mexico City, were interrupted by loud music from a musical show that had earlier been organised by the city government.

“It’s a lack of respect for our pain, they won’t let us concentrate on our prayers, we are in mourning and the people out there should at least turn the volume down,” an indignant woman told IPS, with tears in her eyes.

Mourners also flocked to the residence of the papal nuncio, where the Pope stayed on his visits to Mexico.

In the cathedral, mourners commented to IPS that the Pope had left behind a legacy of humanism.

“He was a man who changed the history of humanity, advocated for the poor, asked forgiveness for past errors of the Church and always supported young people,” said Teresa Hernández, who was in the cathedral with her entire family.

Local radio stations reported on crowds gathering in towns and cities all over the country, like Morelia, in the southern state of Michoacán, where hundreds of children lit candles on Friday and Saturday, as a symbol of hope “to light the way for the Pope” on his final journey, and along with their parents formed human chains to pray.

In Guadalajara, in the western state of Jalisco, Cardinal Juan Sandoval asked the faithful to place ribbons with the colours of the Vatican – yellow and white – outside their homes in a sign of mourning, as well as the black crepe ribbons with which the Catholic community traditionally expresses mourning.

Sandoval also called for a procession through the streets, to the Cathedral of Guadalajara.

President Vicente Fox broadcast a condolence message to the nation at 17:00 local time.

In Argentina there were also widespread expressions of pain and mourning over the death of the 84-year-old Pope, while his two visits to the country were widely remembered.

John Paul went to Argentina for the first time in 1982, in the midst of the war with Britain over the Malvinas/Falklands Islands, in an attempt to broker the peace.

Shortly after his visit, the de facto military regime that ruled Argentina at the time surrendered.

The pontiff returned in 1987, after the mediation of his delegate, Cardinal Antonio Samoré, headed off an armed conflict with Chile over a border dispute in the Beagle Channel.

The Metropolitan Cathedral, located on the historic Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires and just a few metres from the government palace, was overflowing with Catholics since Thursday, when the Pope’s health took a sharp turn for the worse.

The rector of the cathedral, Father Jorge Junor, commented in his homily Saturday that John Paul had said just a few days before his death that “I am happy, you should be happy too.” He also urged the faithful not to cry.

“We must respect his will,” the Argentine cardinal added a few minutes before the news of his death came out.

The Basilica of Luján, where the faithful pray to Argentina’s patron saint, the Virgin of Luján, was another centre of mourning.

Many mourners openly expressed their grief in the days before the Pope passed away. One elderly woman, drying her tears in a Buenos Aires church, said “This reminds me of when my father died.”

But this Saturday, there was a greater sense of tranquillity among the people praying in the churches, after several days of vigil and following events in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican on television.

The government of Néstor Kirchner, which experienced some tension with the Roman Catholic hierarchy in the past few weeks over the government’s decision to sack a military bishop, decreed three days of national mourning and ordered the flag to be flown at half-mast, although he left the decision to cancel activities or public events up to the individual organisers.

Next week, Argentine Vice-President Daniel Scioli and Foreign Minister Rafael Bielsa will attend the funeral rites in the Vatican.

The Cuban government also issued a message of condolence. “We always saw, and will continue to see, Pope John Paul II as a friend, someone who cared about the poor, who fought neoliberalism and who struggled for peace,” said Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque in a communiqué issued to the foreign press.

He added that the Cuban government and people had received the news of the Pope’s death with “great sadness”, and announced that a high-level delegation would travel to Rome to attend the funeral.

By contrast to the heavy international coverage given to the Pope’s worsening health and his death over the past few days, Cuba’s government-run press gave it little emphasis.

On Friday night, however, Cardinal Jaime Ortega, archbishop of Havana, made a rare appearance on Cuban state television to report on the deteriorating health of the pontiff and invite the faithful to pray for him.

John Paul visited Cuba Jan. 21-25, 1998, when he held mass in several cities and met with President Fidel Castro, who he had already received in the Vatican in November 1996.

His visit was declared “historic” and contributed to a thaw in the relations between the government and the Catholic Church.

Pérez Roque said his country would always recall with gratitude the Pope’s visit, his friendly words and his statement “against the economic blockade suffered by our people,” which John Paul had described as unjust and ethically unacceptable restrictive economic measures imposed from outside.

The foreign minister said relations between Cuba and the Vatican are “normal, marked by respect and cooperation.”

In his televised message, Cardinal Ortega also recalled the Pope’s visit to Cuba, where he came “as a messenger of truth, hope and love,” and was able to say things that “not everyone shared”.

“As he said farewell, President Castro thanked him for all of his words, even those that he did not agree with,” said the archbishop of Havana, who will travel to Rome as a member of the College of Cardinals.

Milagros Rodríguez, a follower of santería, a religion of African origin that is widely practiced in Cuba, told IPS that she was “greatly moved” by the news of John Paul’s death because “he was a very just and humane man.”

“He tried to create unity among nations and above all what mattered to him were values,” she added.

In Chile, three days of national mourning were declared, while the government named Foreign Minister Ignacio Walker to head the delegation that will attend the funeral in Rome.

“Chile has a double debt of everlasting gratitude towards the Pope, because he was the architect of peace, preventing a fratricidal war from breaking out with Argentina, and he came to show us that the route for returning to democracy was peaceful political action,” said the president of the co-governing Christian Democracy Party, Adolfo Zaldívar.

Socialist President Ricardo Lagos, meanwhile, called the Pope “a tireless fighter for peace, liberty, dignity and human rights” during his 26 years as the head of the Catholic Church.

“John Paul II had a special affection for Chile, which was expressed during difficult moments and times of joy. That affection was manifested in actions and in unforgettable moments.”

Lagos underlined that the pope’s mediation in the border dispute between Chile and Argentina was essential “in the face of the danger of a war between brothers,” and highlighted John Paul’s interest in the construction of democracy, “with his urgent reminder that the poor cannot wait.”

The Catholic Church in Uruguay, where the late pontiff visited twice, will hold official religious ceremonies Sunday, while the faithful gathered in their parish churches to mourn on Saturday, since previously scheduled weddings were being held as planned in the Metropolitan Cathedral.

Socialist President Tabaré Vázquez designated his wife, María Auxiliadora Delgado, an actively devout Catholic, to head the Uruguayan delegation to the funeral in the Vatican.

Referring to a visit he made to Rome in the 1990s, Vázquez said he had taken home a statement by John Paul: no matter what political ideology a government follows, it must strive above all to be humane.

*With additional reporting by Adrián Reyes in Mexico, Marcela Valente in Argentina, Patricia Grogg in Cuba, Darío Montero in Uruguay and Gustavo González in Chile.

Excerpt:

By Moyiga Nduru
JOHANNESBURG, Apr 2 2005 (IPS)

Even as Roman Catholics around the world mourn the death of Pope John Paul II, the attention of many is turning to the future – and the question of who will succeed the Polish cleric as Bishop of Rome.

With support for Catholicism registering its strongest growth in Africa, certain Vatican observers believe the answer to this question is clear: the new pope, they argue, should come from this continent.

The number of Catholic adherents in Africa increased by 4.5 percent in 2003, according to the 2005 Pontifical Yearbook, while the number of Catholics in Europe remained constant. In Asia, there was a 2.2 percent increase, and in the Americas a 1.2 percent rise. Africa presently accounts for 13.2 percent of the world’s Catholics.

Chirevo Kwenda, head of the department of religious studies at the University of Cape Town, says the election of an African pope is “long overdue”. The last African cleric to lead the Catholic Church was Gelasius the First, from 492 to 496.

And, says David Monyae, a lecturer in international relations at the Johannesburg-based University of the Witwatersrand, “We have a high-level African in the Vatican.”

This was in reference to Cardinal Francis Arinze, a 72-year-old Nigerian who served as a close advisor to the deceased Pope.

Arinze is said to be an authority on Islam. This may play in his favour when the 117 cardinals who are entitled to take part in a papal election decide who should lead the Catholic Church, at a time when militant Islam is on the rise in certain parts of the world.

However, Arinze is also considered a staunch conservative on religious matters, who would doubtless uphold John Paul’s rejection of homosexual unions, contraception, divorce and abortion.

The prospect of having these views extended through another papacy would not be universally welcomed, given that condoms are seen by many as being of key importance in the fight against AIDS. The Vatican advocates abstinence to combat the pandemic.

“We have always disagreed with the Catholic perception. Anyone discouraging the use of condoms is not realistic,” Odongo Odiyo, chairman of the Kenya Medical Association’s committee on HIV/AIDS, told IPS.

“People practise sex whether they are (members of a) church or not, whether Catholics or not. In the fight against HIV/AIDS, we have to find a way of helping people, and one way is encouraging the use of condoms,” he said, adding that certain Catholic priests in Kenya were believed to have departed from the Vatican’s teachings on this matter, distributing condoms to assist in fighting HIV.

Africa currently has the world’s largest population of HIV-positive persons: about 25 million.

Peter Gichangi, a lecturer in obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Nairobi, said the Catholic stand on contraception was also counter-productive while efforts were under way to extend family planning initiatives in Africa.

“From a medical point of view, to prevent pregnancy – including unwanted pregnancy – one must use family planning, including condoms. Discouraging these means an escalated population growth and unwanted pregnancies that have caused women to resort to abortion,” he told IPS.

Women’s rights activists have long argued that giving women the power to limit and space their pregnancies is central to improving the social and economic standing of women – and their families.

However, others see matters differently.

“Giving condoms to people is like giving them a certificate to hell: it is telling them to disregard morality and go on with fornication,” Catholic priest Emmanuel Ngugi, who is in charge of the Holy Family Basilica in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, said in an interview with IPS.

“The Pope spoke candidly against condoms in 1995. He said condoms do not solve problems,” Ngugi added. “He told people to trust in God rather than condoms, to uphold morality. I hold the same view as well: it is high time we take what the Pope was saying about morality seriously.”

The heated debate on these controversial issues notwithstanding, John Paul also spoke out on other matters of concern to Africa.

During the first Easter mass of the new millennium, he appealed for an end to racism and xenophobia. A year earlier, he spoke out against the war in Angola, reportedly accusing those involved in the conflict of selfishness.

The Luanda government is accused of presiding over massive fraud in Angola’s oil industry – even as the majority of citizens live in conditions of desperate poverty. Rebels in the Southern African country financed their offensive with illicitly-mined diamonds, consequently referred to as “blood diamonds”.

When rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo barred the Bishop of Bukavu from returning to his congregation in 2000, John Paul condemned their action before thousands during a weekly audience at St Peter’s.

“When he came to Kenya in 1995 he preached peace, saying without peace there can never be development. He told Kenyans to shun tribalism, which caused clashes in 1992,” Ngugi said, describing the deceased Pope as “a symbol of unity”. Thousands of people were killed in the skirmishes that occurred in Kenya’s Rift Valley Province in 1992.

John Paul’s visits to Kenya and other African countries formed part of a gruelling travel schedule that took him to over a 100 states in the bid to provide active spiritual leadership to the world’s one billion Catholics.

After John Paul took over as head of the Holy See in 1978, the number of Catholics in Africa increased by almost 150 percent to 137.5 million, according to the Catholic News Service.

(* With additional reporting by Joyce Mulama in Nairobi.)

Excerpt:

By IPS Correspondents
ROME, Apr 2 2005 (IPS)

Karol Josef Wojtyla was a theatre lover and budding actor in his youth in Poland. He never quite made it as an actor, but since 1978 when he became Pope, the world became his stage.

It was befitting for an actor of his standing on this stage that he made his exit as he did. The Pope had refused to go back to hospital. He made peace with passing away, accepted the Sacrament and carried on with his duties calmly as far as he could to the end.

His last broken words on Saturday were to thank those who had cared for him, the youths who had come to wish him well.

His triumph up to the end over the difficulties that came to assail him remained remarkable. In his last hours he battled high fever, a heart problem, breathing difficulties, a kidney condition and a urinary tract infection. All that through arthritis and Parkinson’s disease. Yet, he remained “extraordinarily serene” up to the end.

His strength and calm in the face of such extraordinary challenges spoke more than words that finally failed him.

More than a billion Catholics mourn the passing away of the Pope. But given that large following scattered around the world, the shock and consequences of his death will be felt everywhere.

The end had been imminent, even though the Pope was a far stronger man than most. Down to the last hours when he seemed to be slipping away, he kept coming back. Those last hours epitomised his strength through his life.

He had survived an assassination attempt, a tumour, a broken shoulder and thigh bone, ten years of Parkinson’s disease and then continuing breathing difficulties. His many medical triumphs made him an icon of fortitude in suffering through his life and through his last phase of illness.

Towards the end, as at the beginning of his papacy, he broke new ground.

Pope John Paul II was the first Pole to be made Pope, and the first non-Italian Pope in more than 400 years. At 58 he was also the youngest Pope when he succeeded John Paul I, who died after just 33 days in office.

He was little known until then outside the small circle of the Roman Catholic hierarchy. He had studied much of his theology in hiding during World War II while he worked in a factory. He was ordained priest in 1946 and was quickly promoted. He became archbishop in 1964, and cardinal in 1967.

Poland was then in the communist bloc. It was a period of persecution for Roman Catholics, who were about 80 percent of a population then of 35 million. As Bishop of Krakow, Karol Wojtyla took an uncompromising stand against the communist regime. This further strengthened his commitment to traditional ways.

On taking over as Pope in 1978, he found the Catholic church in a state of ferment. Reforms being proposed by the earlier Vatican Council II had begun to question time- honoured traditions, shaking the church to its foundations. Wojtyla set about restoring the Catholic church to those conservative traditions.

His first aim was to defeat communism and what he called the “atheisation of society”. He supported dissidents, among them the Polish union Solidarity led by Lech Walesa. This anti-communist stand characterised the papacy until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

At the same time he began to restore doctrinal orthodoxy through the appointment of conservative bishops, and by disciplining dissident church officials.

The Pope particularly came down on supporters of the theology of liberation within the church in the 1980s. That movement had arisen in Latin America and spread to Africa and Asia, particularly India. It wanted the church to address issues such as poverty and human rights. Critics saw it as an attempt to fuse Christianity with Marxism.

The Pope responded firmly. Within a few years of taking over, he filled the Roman Curia (the Vatican administration) and dioceses around the world with traditionalist officials who supported a powerful and clerical church against more liberal groups.

Through this period the Pope supported the staunchly conservative Catholic group Opus Dei and other conservative groups like God’s Legionaries set up by Marcia Maciel from Mexico, the Neocathecumenalists and the Focolarins.

John Paul II proclaimed more than 1,300 blesseds and almost 500 saints, including Opus Dei founder Jose Maria Escriva de Balaguer.

The Pope’s conservatism stood out most prominently through his rejection of contraception and abortion in the name of the right to life. He also took a conservative stand against divorce, homosexuality, rights for unmarried couples, married priests and women priests.

Critics said the Pope was out of touch with the world outside, and was alienating many Catholics. The church gained followers in Africa and Asia, largely through a high birth rate, but lost following in the industrialised world. That included his home country Poland, and Latin America which is home to half of the world’s 1.1 billion Catholics.

The Pope carried his own message far and wide. His first visit abroad was to address the Latin American Bishops Assembly in Puebla in Mexico in January 1979. In all he made 104 pastoral trips outside Italy, and 146 within. His ‘hands-on’ approach, his humour and his informality endeared him to millions.

Wojtyla remained sensitive to social issues, and while opposing communism often condemned the excesses of capitalism. The Pope remained popular with the young. About two million youths gathered in Rome in August 2000 at a Youths Jubilee he addressed.

John Paul II made historic moves to build bridges with other faiths. He often received the Dalai Lama, the Buddhist leader from Tibet. He sought a closer relationship with Islam, and sought to bring the Vatican closer to other Christian churches. But he continued to disapprove of marriages between Catholics and Muslims. He also asserted the primacy of the Roman Catholic church over other churches.

The most dramatic of the reconciliatory moves was towards the Jewish faith. He was the first pope to visit a Jewish synagogue, and the memorial at Auschwitz to honour victims of the Holocaust. He made a dramatic apology for Christian anti-Semitism. At the same time he spoke often of the suffering of the Palestinian people, and expressed his differences with the Jewish state over the status of Jerusalem.

He led prayer meetings to stop the Gulf war of 1991, the Balkans conflict, the attack on Afghanistan, and then the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

In 2002 he visited native Poland for the last time. It was a changed country. It had passed a law in 1996 legalising abortion despite the Pope’s censure. Questions remain how far the conservatism he planted around the world will outlast him.

Excerpt:

By IPS Correspondents
QUITO, Apr 1 2005 (IPS)

Observers both inside and outside the Catholic Church believe there are numerous cardinals in Latin America and the Caribbean with sufficient merits to succeed Pope John Paul II, and although they feel such a scenario to be unlikely, they are not completely ruling out a surprise choice.

“There are compelling reasons to believe that a Latin American could be the next leader of the Church, because the region is home to the largest number of Catholics in the world, and John Paul valued and promoted this power,” diocesan priest Hugo Reynoso, dean of Theology at the Jesuit-run Catholic University in Quito, Ecuador, told IPS.

Almost half of the world’s 1.071 billion Catholics live in Latin America and the Caribbean, while 22 of the 120 members of the College of Cardinals who will choose the next pope hail from this region as well.

Practically all of the Latin American cardinals were appointed by John Paul himself, who placed special emphasis on this part of the world during his 26-year papacy.

Polish-born Karol Wojtyla was chosen to lead the Catholic Church on Oct. 16, 1978, and visited Latin America and Caribbean – which he called “the continent of hope” – a total of 18 times. His first trip abroad as pope was to Mexico and the Dominican Republic in 1979, and his last trip to the region was in 2002.

Reynoso maintains that despite the importance of the region, “due to internal forces within the Church,” where the Europeans and particularly the Italians have a great deal of influence, “it is very unlikely that one of our cardinals will become the next pope.”

Carlos Soltero, a priest and head of the Religious Sciences department at the Ibero-American University in Mexico City, agreed that there is little real possibility of a Latin American being chosen by the conclave of cardinals who will elect John Paul’s successor.

“There is very little knowledge about the Latin American Church, and I think the most probable scenario is that a European will be chosen,” Soltero commented to IPS.

Europe is the region with the largest number of members in the College of Cardinals, with a total of 59.

In the past, speculation and predictions regarding who would be the next pope have always proven wrong. “The process of choosing a pope is an extremely complex one, and venturing a guess is always risky,” said Reynoso.

But there could be surprises, he added.

A number of Latin Americans are believed to have at least some possibility of being elected.

Reynoso believes that one of the strongest contenders in the region is Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodríguez Maradiaga, a member of the Salesian order who formerly presided the Latin American Bishops Conference. Although considered orthodox in terms of doctrine, he is open to a Catholic Church with a social commitment.

The second most promising candidate, in his view, is Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires. Begoglio is a member of the Jesuit order, which has never produced a pope, despite its significant influence within the Catholic Church.

Others who have been mentioned as possible choices from the region are Colombians Darío Castrillón, Vatican prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, and Alfonso López Trujillo, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family. Both are staunch adherents of the conservative line promoted by John Paul.

Peruvian Juan Luis Cipriani, a former archbishop of Lima and the representative of the ultraconservative Catholic organisation Opus Dei, has also been referred to as a potential successor, as have Cuban Cardinal Jaime Ortega, the Archbishop of Havana, and Chilean Cardinal Francisco Javier Errázuriz, the Archbishop of Santiago.

All of these men have impressive academic credentials, speak numerous languages and have inside knowledge of the complex functioning of the Catholic Church.

Within 15 or 20 days after John Paul’s death, all of the cardinals will meet in a conclave in the Vatican, cut off from all outside contact, and decide who will be the next pope.

Elio Masferrer, president of the Latin American Association for the Study of Religion, told IPS that it is “almost impossible” to predict a successor.

In their negotiations, the cardinals do not group themselves according to region, but rather according to language, he said.

“The fact that Latin America has the largest number of Catholics in the world is not very important. What is most important is for the region’s cardinals to be able to come to an agreement with their colleagues in the conclave who speak different languages and come from different cultures. Without this, they will not be able to achieve anything,” Masferrer maintained.

For his part, Reynoso stressed that the choice made by the conclave will determine the future path to be followed by the Catholic Church.

“With each new pope, the Church makes significant changes, and many of us believe that the time has come to make more,” he said, with regard to such issues as birth control, sexual relations and cloning.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, John Paul heavily promoted his own conservative line and worked to marginalise the more progressive sectors of the Church, like the Liberation Theology movement, which had come to wield growing influence in the region prior to his advent.

Yet despite the special attention paid to the region by John Paul, Catholic Church membership in Latin America and the Caribbean actually declined during his papacy, as the cardinals from this area themselves admit.

In Brazil, the country with more Catholics than any other in the world – roughly 100 million, out of a total population of 182 million – the Church loses an estimated half a million followers every year.

The situation is similar in Mexico, the country with the second largest number of Catholics, who now represent less than 85 percent of the country’s 104 million inhabitants, which is almost 10 percent less than the estimated proportion in the mid-20th century.

* With additional reporting by Adrián Reyes in México.

Excerpt:

By IPS Correspondents
ISTANBUL, Mar 7 2005 (IPS)

With the 84-year-old Pope John Paul II barely able to move freely or speak coherently, attention has shifted to how long his 26-year reign, the fourth longest in history so far, could last. And, consequently, to his successor among the ‘papabili’ (‘pope-ables’)..

There is a global outpouring of affection for the once-again hospitalised pontiff who has overcome an assassination attempt and numerous surgeries, and who has been coping with the debilitating effects of advancing Parkinson’s disease.

Regardless of the gravity of his health, Pope John Paul II is unlikely to give up and retire. He considers it his duty to carry his mission as long as he lives, Peggy Polk, analyst of Vatican affairs for three decades told IPS, adding: "We may wish him a long life, but there is no doubt that his reign is close to an end."

Hence the emergence of the inevitable phenomenon of papabili that has been a natural pastime whenever a pope is old or ill, in this case both.

Some previous predictions have been on and off target. The selection of Cardinal Karol Josef Wojtyla, Archbishop of Krakow (in Poland) as Pope on a balmy Rome autumn evening Oct. 16, 1978, was a surprise. He was the first non-Italian since the Dutch Adrian VI in 1522.

So who next, whenever the time comes? Another foreigner, considering the Roman Catholic Church’s new vision of universality? Or back to an Italian? Polk says the next pope, after the long reign of a non-Italian, could very well be an aged Italian.

Pope John Paul II has not and cannot designate a successor. If pontiffs have their favourites, they abstain from naming them publicly. But in the past some have discreetly given a push to an appointment. Pope John XXIII made Giovanni Battista Montini the Cardinal Archbishop of Milan to give him diocese experience to buttress his credentials at the Curia (the Vatican administration). Montini succeeded him in 1963 and reigned 15 years as Pope Paul VI.

This time, Vatican observers say the choice will be primarily whether the next pontiff is a foreigner or Italian, not necessarily whether he is conservative or liberal. The eligible voters in the College of Cardinals, numbering 135 under the age of 80, have a conservative hue. They were mostly appointed by John Paul II bent on halting or rolling back the reforms of his predecessors.

Another question is whether he will be young, as Cardinal Cardinal Wojtyla was at 58 allowing a long reign, or an older one for interim rule, as in the case of Cardinal Angelo Roncalli selected at age 80 in 1958. He had a four-year rule as Pope John XXIII.

The names of the papabili now come from the ‘Vaticanisti’ – a small and prestigious group of journalists permanently covering the Vatican and often in touch with the thinking of the hierarchy of the central administration. As they report, they may also shape opinion within the Vatican.

This time, they offer an array of choices. It is pointed out that while the Holy Spirit should be the main guiding star of electors, discreet disclosures from previous conclaves mention hard bargaining among cardinals and block-voting by the pope-makers.

One consideration at present is that Latin America may be due for papacy, says Polk. The southern hemisphere holds 40 percent of the world’s one billion Roman Catholics, and 27 voting cardinals.

The Latin American list is topped by Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa in Honduras. It also includes cardinals Dario Castrillon Hoyos of Colombia, Brazilian Claudio Hummes, Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico, Argentine Jesuit Jorge Mario Bergoglio and Cuban Jaime Lucas Ortega.

Another possibility is a pope from Africa. Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze, a convert at the age of nine from the Ibo tribe and judged a likeable conservative, stands tall. He is president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue.

If elected he would be the first black pope since St. Gelasius I in 492, who is listed in records as being from "nation Afer", or of African stock, but also "Romanus natus" – of Roman birth.

Europe cannot be counted out. Vaticanisti mention Godfried Daneels of Belgium, Jean-Marie Lustiger of France, Christoph Sch’nborn of Austria and German Joseph Ratzinger, who lacks recent diocese experience but has been head of the powerful Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for the past 23 years.

The numbers and influence of Italian cardinals have steadily dwindled in the globalisation of the electoral college, but they have formidable papabili.

Among them Cardinal Diogeni Tettamanzi, now Archbishop of the big diocese of Milan after heading Genoa tops the papabili list. Irish bookmaker Paddy Rower ranks Cardinal Tettamanzi 5 to 2 ahead of Arinze (1:3) and Cuban Jaime Lucas Ortega Alamino (2:11).

Tettamanzi has conservative credentials, as does Cardinal Giacomo Bifi, the Archbishop of Bologna. Vaticanisti say other Italian papabili include Cardinal Angelo Scola, Patriarch of Venice, the see of two of last four popes before their election.

That speculation on papabili is risky was in evidence in 1978 when Vatican observers recall Cardinal Sergio Pignedoli considered himself such shoe-in that he had a papal costume tailored before the conclave. He emerged as he entered, a cardinal.

The next pope will not be a woman since priesthood is denied to women. Yet fable has it that there was one in the Dark Ages around 1100 – an English woman named Johanna – who made it to the top masquerading as man. She is ‘Popess Joan’ in some historical references.

Her gender is said to have been revealed when she gave birth while horseriding. She is said to have been stoned to death at a site in Rome that popes since have shunned. She gave birth to a tradition for some time where the Pope-elect was examined first to make sure he is male.

Excerpt:

By IPS Correspondents
ROME, Mar 3 2005 (IPS)

Pope John Paul II has overcome yet another crisis, this time after a trachea operation to aid breathing. His health gets worse by the day, but he remains the Pope.

There is a Roman saying, ‘The Pope is dead, let there be a new Pope’. But these days a lot of people are hearing what the saying does not say: it does not speak of a papal resignation. No pope has quit in centuries.

That question has arisen because Catholics are coming to fear a scenario where the Pope lives but cannot function. No Catholic law or precedent exists to deal with a mentally incapacitated pope. The Catholic faithful worldwide are praying for his life, and wondering what a long illness could mean for the Church.

Vatican spokesman Joaquim Navarro Valls has sought to calm such fears by saying that the Pope felt better and spoke throughout his hospital stay.

This Pope has survived a good deal. His strong constitution helped him recover from a shooting by Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca, on May 3, 1981. He had a tumour removed from his colon, he survived a broken shoulder and a broken thigh bone, an appendix removal, and now ten years of Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurological disorder.

His health is of concern to more than a billion followers of the Catholic faith who look to the Pope to show the path in both the religious and the temporal fields.

Daily administration is now in the hands of close officials, including his influential private secretary Archbishop Stanislaw Dzwisz, and Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the number two Vatican official.

But Pope John Paul II’s once dynamic papacy has lost much of its steam, and unresolved issues are piling up for his successor.

The Pope has had a mixed record. The Catholic Church expanded under him in Asia and Africa, but lost followers in the industrialised world. That includes Poland where he comes from, and Latin America which is home to about half of all Catholics.

Despite his progressive hands-on public image, he is not without his critics, particularly over his inflexibility on issues with international ramifications such as birth control in Africa, or on matters such as divorce, abortion, homosexual unions and rights for unmarried couples. The Vatican declared itself against all these at a conference in 2001.

“This Pope won’t leave anything to the Church except the attempt to hush up the Church itself,” Gianni Avena, chief editor of Adista, an independent news and research agency on Catholic and other religious issues told IPS.

The Pope, christened Karol Jozef Wojtyla, found the Church in ferment when he took over in 1978. The Church was then in a process of opening up to the world from its closed clericalism.

The new Pope changed all that. Avena says the Pope set about restoring strict orthodoxy, building up the power of the Church, and using this also to defeat communism. He used the powerful traditional Catholic group Opus Dei and other conservative groups to negate the renovation message that the earlier Vatican Council II had sought to promote.

The great power left to Opus Dei, a kind of independent order outside the control of bishops, tilted the Catholic church heavily to the right, the Pope’s critics say.

Within a few years of his taking over, the Roman Curia (the administrative body of the Vatican) and dioceses worldwide were filled with traditionalist officials who sought to build up a powerful and clerical church as an alternative to the earthly world.

To mark the 25th anniversary of his election as Pope, Adista published a long list of names of officials, theologians, priests and nuns it said had been persecuted, removed or suspended by the sacred office. No pontiff before him had repressed dissent so systematically, Adista claimed.

Giancarlo Zizola, an expert on the Vatican, told IPS the Pope did not accept the attempt of local bishops to integrate the message of the Gospel into national cultures. Such attempts by Indian bishops and by the African clergy were put down.

Avena says the Pope failed also to open up to women’s rights. “No pope before him was so hard on the role of a woman. He imposed strict doctrines such as denying women an opportunity to be ordained as priests. It was as though to say that they are not equal to men.”

The future will have to be different, critics say.

The Roman Curia is at present dominated by Greek-Roman theological and ecclesiastical thought. The Vatican will have to give up this tradition of authority, Zizola says.

He says Churches in the south will have to play a major role, considering that they represent more than two-thirds of the faithful. This weight is likely to be expressed at the next conclave to elect Pope John Paul II’s successor.

Excerpt:

By Miren Gutierrez
ROME, Feb 5 2005 (IPS)

For the past decade Deepak Chopra has been at the forefront of a major trend in holistic healing, combining ancient wisdom and modern science. The widely celebrated New Age guru talks with IPS about Pope John Paul II, arguably one of the most significant figures of the 20th century.

Q: With a flock of a billion Catholics and immense influence, how do you rate the Pope and his legacy?

A: I think he is an extraordinary human being. Even if we don’t agree with all what he says, he speaks with sincerity and conviction. His major contribution in the last years has been, number one, standing up against the war, being brave, bold and direct with the world leaders, particularly with (George) Bush and Tony Blair. Well, the Vatican is a state, but few people were bold enough to stand up. He has a huge ability to affect the public opinion.

And number two, in spite of his frail health, he has shown enormous vigour. I think his physical strength comes from his spiritual strength. He has been travelling the world, Africa, Asia, Latin America; it has been extraordinary.

Q: The Pope has favoured conservative movements within the Church like Opus Dei (seen by many as a fundamentalist Catholic group), and also conservative principles. He has opposed divorce and homosexual unions, defended celibacy for the clergy, and rejected the ordination of women, contraception, abortion and cloning.

A: He sincerely believes in it, so I cannot criticise him. On the other hand, I think the Church is in serious need for reform. It has to address some of these issues, particularly that of the ordination of women. Because right now it seems like God has been hijacked by men.

That has to do with male domination of politics, and even the issue of war. The result is little input from women, men dominate the world. Time will force the Church to adjust to these issues, the ordination of women, the whole question of abortion…You cannot stop technology. Cloning has huge medical benefits, and there is no way you can prevent it. The next pope will have to deal with these issues.

Q: Earlier if you didn’t agree with the pope, you might feel you had to leave the Church. That is no longer the case. Catholics now pick and choose what they want from religion. Low church attendance, a crisis of ‘vocations’, birth control and even anti-clericalism co-exist within the Catholic community. But it seems that radical Catholicism, or other radical movements, attracts loyal followers, while more moderate brands of religion lose them.. What does this tell us about the future of organised religion?

A: I think all religions, not only the radical brands of religion, have become divisive, troublesome. One of the reasons is that many ideas of religion are antiquated, come from relatively primitive times, and many of the things in religion are not supported by evolution, biology or modern cosmology.

There is a great spiritual hunger. The eternal questions remain: do we have a soul, does God exist, what’s the meaning of death and life… But the answers institutional religion gives us are not satisfactory. All the conflicts in the world are religious: in Sri Lanka, India, Iraq, Ireland… If bigotry happens because of religion, why do we have it?

Those who stay with religion is because they are believers. But if something is real, why do I have to believe in it? I don’t need to believe in electricity or gravity, I can see the evidence. If the things religion says are real, I should have a real experience and awareness of these realities.

Q: How do you think the Pope has treated other religions and cultures? John Paul has been the first pope to visit a mosque, a synagogue….

A: In some respects he has been really progressive, he has been tolerant and understanding with other faiths, but he has been also conservative. He seems to me somebody representing the confusion in the Church itself.

Q: But John Paul has said things he later regretted. He was quoted as saying Buddhism was an atheistic system…

A: He also has said that meditation was dangerous… He reflects the confusion in the Church in times of transition.

Q: He has been especially harsh with the West for its obsession with materialism. In contrast, you teach that man can be better, body and soul. What do you think about this?

A: It is an insult to talk about spirituality to a man who hasn’t fulfilled his basic needs.

Q: As a political figure, he condemned the war in Iraq, criticised what he called the “scandalous” arms trade, asked for lifting the embargo against Cuba, and for the first time in the history of the Vatican, asked for forgiveness for the crimes of the Church over the years.. Should a pope have a political role in the world affairs?

A: He is so influential, and so many millions of people listen to the words he says, that it is very laudable and wonderful that he stood up as he did. Those things we have discussed, if nothing else, overshadow all the weaknesses of the Church. To ask for forgiveness, to criticise the war in Iraq… I think it is great he did that.

Q: Until John Paul II, most popes confined themselves to Rome. While a conservative, he is also the most-travelled pope in history, having visited 133 countries. He was the first pope in the White House, in the EU parliament… Has he been a better politician than spiritual leader?

A: We are living in a time when economics, politics, environment, social issues, humanitarian issues, religion, spirituality… all influence each other. You cannot be a spiritual leader without being a political leader as well. It is important that a person who is so significant influences public opinion, and participates in what he believes.

*Miren Gutierrez is IPS Editor in Chief.

Excerpt:

By IPS Correspondents
MEXICO CITY, Feb 3 2005 (IPS)

In Latin America and the Caribbean, Catholics are praying, and in many cases weeping, for the health of Pope John Paul II, amidst a flurry of speculation about which bishops from this region have a chance to succeed him if he dies.

At least seven names are being bandied about.

In the College of Cardinals, there are 22 Latin Americans out of a total of 120 electors (who will choose the new pontiff) – the largest regional grouping after Europe’s 59.

Around half of the world’s 1.071 million Roman Catholics live in Latin America and the Caribbean.

“When the Pope’s health flags, in the corridors of power in the Latin American church there are tension, whispering and hidden hopes of succeeding him. We have seen this for several years,” the president of the Latin American Association for the Study of Religion, Elio Masferrer, told IPS.

The Pope, who was born Karol Wojtyla in Poland in 1920 and became John Paul II in 1978, has been in the hospital since Tuesday with an acute respiratory infection.

Although spokespersons for the Vatican say his health is improving, speculation about his possible death has continued to grow.

To different degrees, the Latin American cardinals are disciplined followers of the positions traditionally taken by John Paul, who in his 27 years as Pope marginalised the followers of Liberation Theology, a regional religious current that takes a “preferential option for the poor” and is too close to the Left for the Vatican’s taste.

Nevertheless, among the Latin American cardinals whose names have been mentioned are several who are towards the “progressive” end of the spectrum.

These include Argentine archbishop of Buenos Aires Jorge Mario Bergoglio, a member of the Jesuit order (which has never produced a Pope), archbishop of Sao Paulo Claudio Hummes, a Franciscan from Brazil, and Oscar Rodríguez Maradiaga, a Salesian from Honduras who presided over the Latin American bishops’ conference.

Although the latter is orthodox in terms of doctrine, he is open to a Catholic Church with a social commitment.

Among the most conservative of the possible Latin American candidates are Colombians Darío Castrillón, Vatican prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, and Alfonso López Trujillo, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family. Both are staunchly opposed to Liberation Theology.

Also along those lines are Juan Luis Cipriani of Peru, a former archbishop of Lima and the representative of the ultraconservative Catholic organisation Opus Dei, which enjoys the sympathy of John Paul.

Another name on the list is that of moderate Cardinal Norberto Rivera, archbishop of Mexico City. Rivera is personally esteemed by the Pope.

Reports on the imminent demise of the Pope have periodically recurred over the past 10 years, although that possibility looks closer now due to his advanced age and his numerous chronic health problems, such as Parkinson’s disease.

“His death is approaching,” Mexican Bishop Ramón Godínez said Thursday. In a large part of Latin America, a region that John Paul has visited 18 times, the faithful are flocking to churches to pray for his health.

John Paul travelled to Latin America and the Caribbean for the first time in 1979, with stops in the Dominican Republic, Mexico and the Bahamas. His last trip to the region was in 2002, when he returned to Mexico and also visited Guatemala. During every visit, he was welcomed by millions of people.

“It is only natural that there is so much speculation over his successor, because this Pope has been the most charismatic leader of the Catholic Church in centuries, and what is at stake here is the power of an institution with over one billion followers around the world,” said Masferrer.

When the College of Cardinals meets to select the Pope’s successor, the potential Latin American candidates will need to ally themselves with “major forces” from other regions, he explained.

“Nothing has been specifically stated, there are only hypotheses about who might have a chance of ascending to the highest position in the Church,” he added.

“Right now, more than thinking about his successor, we are praying for John Paul’s health, and we are sure that our brothers the bishops are doing the same,” Mexican priest Javier Zapata told IPS.

“The Pope doesn’t deserve to have people prematurely burying him and focusing on the supposed battle over his succession,” he said.

When John Paul does eventually pass away, the 120 cardinals will gather in the Vatican for the conclave, the meeting at which they will choose the next Pope, in total isolation and cut off completely from contact with the outside world.

Two-thirds of the votes are needed for a final decision. The votes are counted in secret, and once the process has been completed, the ballots are destroyed.

Excerpt:

By IPS Correspondents
MEXICO CITY, Jan 19 2005 (IPS)

On the eve of his 77th birthday and official retirement from duty, Bishop Pedro Casaldáliga, one of the foremost exponents of Liberation Theology, remains as outspoken a critic of the Catholic Church establishment as ever.

In a telephone interview with IPS, he said that the Vatican is in a state of “regression”, that Pope John II should step down, and that the Catholic Church is being destroyed by over- centralisation.

Born in 1928 in Spain, Casaldáliga has spent much of his life in Brazil, where he arrived in 1968. Now suffering from Parkinson’s disease and high blood pressure, he is serving out his last days as the bishop of Sao Felix do Araguaia, in the central-western Brazilian state of Mato Grosso.

Throughout his years in Brazil, Casaldáliga has worked in close communion with the poorest of the poor, while vocally criticising the powerful elites.

An outspoken opponent of Brazil’s 1964-1985 military dictatorship, he was a leading figure in the Liberation Theology movement, which developed throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and sought to more actively engage the Catholic Church in the struggle against hunger, poverty and social injustice in Latin America.

His stance has earned him countless death threats, as well as numerous actual assassination attempts. He is considered a saint by his followers, and the devil incarnate by his detractors.

Q: Bishop Casaldáliga, you are on the verge of retiring, and the Vatican seems to be treating you harshly?

A: I presented my resignation two years ago, in compliance with Church law (the mandatory retirement age for Catholic bishops is 75), but I was asked to remain in my post until my replacement arrived. Then, at the end of 2004, a representative of the Vatican in Brazil came and told me that my presence here could cause discomfort when the new bishop comes. I asked if I had to get out of the city of Sao Felix or out of the region as a whole, and I was told to leave the city, which is totally unjust.

Q: So what will you do?

A: I’m an old horse, and I’m getting tired, and don’t want to get in anyone’s way. I don’t own the diocese, I’m retiring, and that’s fine. But now it doesn’t only depend on me, but also on the communities, on the lay pastors who don’t want me to leave the diocese. I don’t want to cause any friction, but I think that in cases like these, the Church’s decisions should include the community.

Q: Is this latest episode with the Vatican a continuation of your clashes with the Church’s positions in the past?

A: Everything that’s happening is part of what the papacy of John Paul II has represented, which is regression and involution. He has tried to mould the identity of the Catholic Church through laws, attitudes, training, the designation of bishops and a series of actions that signify a regression as compared to the more progressive line that emphasises work with the poor. When it comes to relatively extreme cases, like those of us who have become involved in the struggle of the indigenous peoples, the struggle for land, and international solidarity, then this regression has become even more marked.

Q: What do you think of the current pope? Is he responsible for this supposed regression?

A: Yes, and his stances can be explained to a large extent by his Polish background and his personal history, particularly with regard to communism. For him and for the Polish people, understandably, anything that seems in any way connected with socialism or communism is anti-Catholic. At the same time, “real” communism made terrible blunders. So when socialists and Christians work together in Latin America, and we respect revolutionary movements, this leads to suspicion, and sometimes even to reprimands. In the Vatican, they were afraid that Latin America would turn communist, and therefore atheist, because they were unaware, and continue to be unaware, that the movement to promote justice and socialism here has had a strong Christian component.

Q: Under Pope John Paul II, Liberation Theology has been largely squeezed out, along with its promoters. Do you think that this movement, which some believe to have elements of Marxism, has been permanently abandoned by the Catholic Church?

A: Liberation Theology is alive and well. It is a theology that calls for faith to be more closely linked to life, to history, to different cultures, different peoples, and popular movements. Liberation Theology essentially means to practice the faith on the basis of realities. We believe in a God who doesn’t want slavery, who defends life. Jesus himself said that he had come so that we could all have life, and have it in abundance. Obviously, he was speaking above all about life here on earth. Life in the hereafter, once we have died, is well taken care of by God. It is our task to correct history, in this life. Eternal life is in God’s hands, and it is entirely safe there.

Q: Is the Vatican’s stance against Liberation Theology a result of the fact that it doesn’t really understand Latin America?

A: I think the problem is that the majority of the Church’s decisions are adopted in a highly centralised manner. We believe that the Church needs to be decentralised, because this current course is destroying it. None of us defies the pope, all we ask is for him to practice a more open ministry, and to respect plurality, especially when it comes to countries or continents with different cultures and different histories. It has to be acknowledged that the Catholic Church continues to be markedly Westernist and even Eurocentric. We feel we are part of the Church, but we demand respect for plurality.

Q: Can the Church continue to be led by John Paul II, who is clearly tired and very ill?

A: I have said in the past that the pope should have stepped down when he turned 75, like all bishops are meant to do. I don’t think it’s a good idea to hold posts for life. I believe that we old people face limitations, we don’t have the same strength and flexibility. I’m just about to turn 77 myself, and I’m much weaker than I was 20 years ago. I can’t get around like I used to. A pope is still a human being, which is why I don’t think it’s a good idea to hold the position for life.

Q: What do you think the Catholic Church of the future should be like?

A: That’s an invitation to dream. First of all, I think the Vatican should cease to be a state, because it is terrible to be the head of the Church and a head of state at the same time, which is the case with our pope. But most importantly, the Church should be more open to the realities and the needs of the world’s different regions, and the needs of the poorest among us. The right of women to be priests must be recognised as well. The fact is, the Church is shaped by history, and I believe that the foundation of the Church, its followers, will ultimately push forward the changes that are needed. Those who are pessimistic about the current state of the Church should be reminded of something that Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano said, “Let’s save pessimism for better times.” I have a lot of hope in change, and changes will come, you’ll see.

Excerpt:

By Adam Morrow
CAIRO, Jan 7 2005 (IPS)

Tension is simmering between Egypt’s Muslim and Christian communities after allegations of forced conversions to Islam.

The final weeks of 2004 witnessed unusual tension. These resulted in angry Christian demonstrations and the temporary retreat of Coptic Pope Shenouda III (of the Egyptian Monophysite Christian Church) to his traditional redoubt in the Western Desert.

Some observers, meanwhile, suspect that the state – ever fearful of foreign accusations of religious persecution – has intervened on the side of the church in an effort to speedily resolve the volatile issue. Despite official assertions of national unity, fresh outbreaks of sectarian violence were reported in the Upper Egyptian governorate Minya Dec. 30, suggesting the problem is far from over.

“I don’t think it’s over – the country hasn’t pulled itself out safely yet,” Mohamed Said, deputy director of the state-run al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies told IPS. “There’s still resentment on both sides, and irresponsible reporting in the press isn’t helping the matter.”

The uproar was initially triggered by news that the wife of a Coptic priest from the west Delta village Abul Matameer, some 150 km north of Cairo, had converted to Islam. The report quickly sparked rumours among Egypt’s Christian community that the woman Wefaa Constantine had been forced to convert against her will, perhaps with the connivance of government officials.

Hundreds of Coptic Christians converged on Cairo’s Orthodox Cathedral Dec. 5. They held angry demonstrations over the next four days, insisting that Constantine be immediately returned to the custodianship of the church. Demonstrators also protested against what many Copts – Egypt’s largest Christian denomination – perceive as an unofficial policy of discrimination by the state.

Pope Shenouda III, the supreme authority within the Coptic Church, personally requested the intervention of President Hosni Mubarak by having Constantine returned to church authorities.

The confrontation reached its climax Dec. 9 when Coptic officials instructed demonstrators to disperse after receiving assurances that the woman had been handed over to a church council. By then some 55 people had been injured, including police. In all 34 Christian demonstrators were arrested.

But the story did not end there, and the fate of Constantine remains a source of controversy.

Local media reported Dec. 12 that Coptic authorities had conceded that Constantine’s conversion had been voluntary and that she had not been subject to coercion.

“It appears that the case of the priest’s wife…has reached its conclusion with the acceptance by Copts of the reality of the situation, after it was made clear that Constantine wasn’t subject to any pressure to leave her religion,” the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat reported. Despite five days of efforts by church authorities to convince her to change her mind, Constantine wearing traditional Muslim headdress “insisted on her decision (to convert to Islam), and she had even memorized half the Koran,” the paper reported.

But a second story quickly emerged: that Constantine had been convinced by a panel of church elders to retract her conversion and return to the Christian faith. The state press reported that she had declared in the presence of government officials Dec. 14 that she would “live and die” a Christian. Prosecutor-General Maher Abdel-Wahed told reporters that Constantine had initially gone to the police with the intention of converting to Islam, but had subsequently changed her mind.

A high-ranking Coptic official told government-run al-Ahram weekly that the earlier reports had simply been wrong. “When she came to her senses, and started to speak to us, she seemed to be convinced that she is still a Christian,” the official was quoted as saying. He added that Constantine was “still a Christian…and had never become a Muslim.”

Youssef Sidhom, editor-in-chief of the Christian weekly al-Watani said Constantine voluntarily returned to the church, and media allegations to the contrary “have not been validated.”

Sidhom explained that Constantine, chafing in an unhappy marriage, had seen conversion as the only way to obtain a divorce, given the strict rules governing matrimony in the Coptic faith. “She never imagined it would result in this drastic row,” he said, adding that Constantine was currently living “in the custody of a monastery, waiting to return to her family.”

The affair’s ambiguous circumstances, however, including the subsequent cloistering of the woman, have prompted some suspicions that she had been forced by the church to recant her conversion with the collusion of the state, which was fearful of sectarian meltdown.

“A major issue of concern is just how security officials handed her over to the church,” noted Said. “The Egyptian state was quick to return her to the church once the cathedral demonstration took place.”

The Islamic press expressed outrage. “The handing over of Wefaa Constantine (to the Church) was illegitimate,” independent weekly al-Esboua trumpeted in a headline Dec. 27.

The Dec. 23 edition of Afaq Arabiya, a mouthpiece of the officially banned Muslim Brotherhood said: “If a Christian wants to convert to Islam, he will go to the (Islamic religious authority) al-Azhar, and find that the venerable institution doesn’t welcome him; that it even notifies state security to interrogate him…and he finds himself accused!” The writer added that such a thing could only happen “in countries ruled by despots.”

Some Christian observers too expressed disapproval. “The government has actually given church (officials) a right that is not theirs,” prominent Coptic thinker Rafiq Habib was quoted as saying in the state press, “and violated the law by allowing the detention of an Egyptian citizen inside a monastery, which made many people wonder.”

Pope Shenouda III was quoted as saying that the Constantine case was “the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Immediately after the handing over of Constantine to the church Dec. 8, Pope Shenouda III retreated to the Anba Bishoi monastery in Wadi Natrun in a high- profile show of protest against state handling of the case. From this stronghold in the Western Desert, Shenouda cited additional Coptic grievances, including bureaucratic difficulties over church-building; forced conversions to Islam, particularly in Upper Egypt; and a general, unofficial policy of anti-Christian discrimination by the state.

Shenouda went on to insist that the 34 Christian protestors in state custody be released before the Coptic Christmas Jan. 7. They were released Jan. 5.

The pope did not return to Cairo until Dec. 22 after two weeks absence during which he reportedly conferred with some 1,800 members of the Coptic clergy.

He returned a day after the release of 13 Copts held since the demonstration, suggesting that a deal had been struck between church and state. “The pope’s return was a sort of political arrangement to put an end to the sensitive situation,” said Sidhom. “The release was understood to be part of a package, that the 34 detainees would be released gradually.”

Many observers have been quick to note that the issue is prone to aggravation by external influences. A formidable element of the equation is the expatriate Coptic community in the United States, which has a history of vigorously accusing Cairo of the “religious persecution” of Copts, unofficially estimated at between 10 and 20 percent of the national population of 76 million.

Said doubted that any “mysterious foreign influences” were playing a role in the current impasse. “It’s customary to blame sectarian issues on external forces and Israeli designs, but I think the trouble has been due more to radical trends within the country,” he said.

Fresh reports of sectarian violence suggest that the matter has not been resolved. The police were reported to have arrested 80 people Dec. 30 in the Upper Egyptian governorate Minya, some 250 km south of Cairo, after sectarian clashes left one Muslim dead. Violence reportedly erupted when a number of local Copts attempted to build a church without official permission.

Sidhom said Christians in Minya had long been appealing for permission to build a church. “Finally, out of desperation, they tried to modify an existing building, when they were attacked by Muslims who tried to destroy it,” he said.

Said says the conflict is a part of a trend where a “revolution of identities” is taking place all over the world “in which cultures are increasingly defining themselves in religious terms.”

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