There Is No Generation Benedict, Spiegel, April 7, 2010

"There Is No Generation Benedict"

Spiegel
April 7, 2010

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,687483,00.html

Down with the kids: Pope Benedict XVI arrives at the 20th World Youth Day in Cologne in 2005, where an estimated million young Catholics would celebrate mass with him.

The pope may use Facebook and Twitter, but he still isn't as well-connected with Catholic youth as he could be. "A lot of young people often simply don't understand him," Dirk Tanzler argues in a SPIEGEL ONLINE Interview.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Mr. Tanzler, when Pope Benedict XVI was first elected, there was considerable hype surrounding him amongst young Catholics. That was especially apparent at the 20th World Youth Day held by the Catholic Church in Cologne in 2005, where an estimated 1 million young Catholics celebrated mass with the newly elected Pope Benedict. What remains of their enthusiasm?

Dirk Tanzler: The World Youth Day was quite an event -- but there has never been the sort of personal popularity that Pope John Paul II had. That is clear. Because Pope Benedict is another type of person altogether, a more reserved one.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Were you at the 20th World Youth Day? And if so, did you cheer for "Benedetto"?

Tanzler: Yes, I was there -- but I generally also tend to be reserved.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: What is your verdict on five years of Pope Benedict?

Tanzler: Ambivalent. He has made some good points, but they have often been interpreted in a completely different way. He is, after all, an intellectual -- and he comes across that way with young people. That's why a lot of young people often simply don't understand him. In that sense, John Paul II was much more of a "showmaster," who found simple words and celebrated with the youth. Benedict is more like a professor, and that's a world that is foreign to a many young people.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: What are the good points that Pope Benedict has made?

Tanzler: They include his positions on issues like justice, the climate and creation. Those issues are important to many young people. At the Copenhagen climate summit, for example, he made a significant contribution and reminded participants of the importance of united action. And he always draws people's attention to the fact that Jesus Christ is more important than him or the church. Another good point is his social encyclical in which he writes about justice today and emphasizes the meaning of love.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Recently, though, the greatest issues have been cases of church abuse rather than love. And although the pope did send a papal letter about incidents of abuse to Irish Catholics, he has not commented on the allegations in Germany. Does that upset you?

Tanzler: It would have done some good if the Holy Father had personally mentioned the situation in Germany. But he did not. And now we should look forward.

Part 2: 'I Don't Think That Major Reforms Will Take Place'

SPIEGEL ONLINE: But isn't that always the problem for the Catholic grassroots -- you have to accept everything but nothing ever touches the pope?

Tanzler: That is nothing new and it is also no wonder with a global organization this big. After all, we obviously don't have the pope's telephone number. We discuss things with the local bishops here and have also occasionally been given their support.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Do your concerns make it all the way to Rome?

Tanzler: Personally, I am certain that the Vatican takes the discussions in Germany, and the thoughts of the German Association of Catholic Yough (BDKJ), seriously. I believe that the need to regain credibility concerns the Holy Father just as much as it does us.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: It also took Pope Benedict a very long time to comment on the case of Holocaust denier Richard Williamson. In this era of speedy communication, is it appropriate that the pontiff only reacts after days, or even weeks?

Tanzler: I believe that the church's philosophy envisions the conclusive rather than just the accompanying word of the Holy Father. We would like to have heard some words of support during the debate over abuse. But this was something that wasn't part of the Vatican's thinking. But society functions differently today. It would be good if something changed there.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Can the Williamson case be described as Benedict's biggest mistake?

Tanzler: That was indeed a pretty big mistake -- and he wrote as much in his letter to the bishops. His original aim differed from the eventual outcome. This was a failure of management and mediation. As with other issues, we need translators who ask: What did the pope actually mean by that? We believe we can help with this and we are willing.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Does the pope have decent connections to Catholic youth?

Tanzler: He meets many people -- youth, too. We think it's good that the Holy Father is trying to get involved with modern means of communication. That he is being bold and using Facebook and YouTube for instance.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: But it isn't interactive -- as in, you can't correspond with him there.

Tanzler: Naturally young people expect the communication to go both ways. But what is noteworthy is that a 2,000-year-old institution like the church is trying these new methods of communication out -- and relatively early too. These are just the first attempts -- one cannot expect too much. Society is developing more rapidly than ever, and I believe that this won't be lost on the Vatican, either.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: What sort of role does the pope play for German youth?

Tanzler: Above all, young people seek role models in their own vicinity. At a fundamental level, the Holy Father would obviously come into the picture. But I know that not all Catholic youth see the pope as an example.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Why is that?

Tanzler: Most have a different idea of how to live their lives than the pope might imagine for them. There is no "Generation Benedict."

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Do you think there is still a chance that major reforms can take place under Pope Benedict XVI?

Tanzler: I don't think that major reforms will take place. But he does hold some issues close to his heart, like unity within the church. He genuinely appears to be suffering under the split. I believe that he is quietly setting a course that will help lead us to unity with, for example, the Orthodox Church.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: What would your wishes be in a face-to-face meeting with pope?

Tanzler: I would speak to him about a stronger connection between the church's laypeople and democracy within the church. I would try to convince him persuasively that the church needs a synodal system (Editor's note: a system involving a church council) as well as a hierarchical one. So that it can be sustainable and credible, and remain that way.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Do you sometimes wish that the current pope was as media-savvy as the former one?

Tanzler: Personally I like Benedict's approach. But I think a lot of young people would find it more attractive if there was somebody with whom they could celebrate.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Do you have any ideas for the "ideal" pope?

Tanzler: Perhaps it might be good if there was a pope who had worked in a poor part of South America, or in some other poverty-stricken region. That person would have a completely different world view from someone who had already been sitting in a bishop's chair for years.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Given the events of recent weeks, have you considered leaving the church?

Tanzler: I have never even toyed with this idea because I am convinced that the church and faith is good for society. And because one must change the church and develop it further. And you can only do that from the inside.