Mr. RATZINGER GOES TO WASHINGTON

THE POPE IS COMING TO WASHINGTON THIS WEEK

Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, look around and take note! Search its squares and see if you can find one person who acts justly and seeks truth--so that I may pardon Jerusalem.
- Jeremiah 5:1-1
(Thanks to the Sojourner folks for that one.)

The Benedict predecessor of this Pope Benedict was a Peace broker in WWI. Let's see if this Pope has as much luck with Bush in ending the obscene nightmare he created in Iraq under the ruse that it had anything whatsoever to do with that ridiculous pretext 9-11. If you are in DC pick up a copy of the Rock Creek Press, that Independent newspaper which details how the FBI dropped the ball in not investigating anything about the identity of the planes that hit in 9-11. The FBI answered a FOIA asking for details on investigations of the "crash" scenes by stating that ZERO investigation was done because the identity of the planes was presumed. Nice work Sherlock.

(Later theological rantings will follow as the Spirit moves.)

The Pope comes to Washington as Priests in town try to engender warmth and excitement. The Jesuits did the best job at explaining the Vicar's role as Peter's successor. Walk on Water. He actually did it for a bit. You can too.
The heavily latino parishs will have a full showing of rosary swinging support. People will take off work to line the route of the Popemobile which will be an interesting site on Pennsylvania Avenue. The Matthew reference to the Rock on which the church is built is displayed prominently on a church like a banner hanging from a Frat House. No one, it is anticipated will post a sign stating "Where's Your Wife" or "The Rock Was Married."
He turns 81 on Wednesday, the day he meets with Bush at the White House. Maybe people will sing "Happy Birthday" in between the Regina Coeli as the Popemobile passes.
Elderly Jewish people who don't buy German cars or eat Struddel out of respect for The Memory will recall that this Pope was "Hitler Youth," and speaks with a thick German accent. Pro-Choice Democrats will recall that letter to the editor that was published in the Wall Street Journal on the Eve of the 2004 election tanking the Catholic vote for Kerry and starting a firestorm of excommunication talk for any and all pro-choice politicians by the battling Bishops. He is expected to lay down the iron fist of the cannon law on any Catholic College or school who hosts a Democratic pro-choice politician when he addresses Catholic University.
People will recall that 2 Billion dollars has been paid to victims and at least four American diocese bankrupted over the issue of sex scandals-priests behaving badly with their sexual selves----single, celibate priests. And People will recall that the book is still shut closed and a doctrinal done deal on any Priest being allowed to be Married. Insane- Some Priests sworn to "obedience" just cheat. Be honest. They just cheat. They emotionally cheat, some physically cheat. They excuse themselves as "weak" go to confession and carry on again. Because that is a pharisaic burden too heavy to bear for all those not gifted by the Holy Spirit for the specific calling of celibacy, while they may in fact be legitimately called to Preach in the Priesthood. The conflation of the Priesthood with a presumption of a gifting of the Holy Spirit for celibacy is as absurd as it is totally unbiblical and against the Sacred Heart of God. Call me "in error" if you will-I think the Pope is here totally off the rails.
Sorry, just don't buy that one. That's my Presbyterian background. Everything I have seen in the Catholic world confirms this view. Recent polls peg 70% of all American Catholics agreeing with me.
For some great priests it isn't a problem at all. For others it clearly is a huge problem- and for that subset those priests can be truly good preachers. So they should be allowed to be good preachers and marry the one they believe called to marry, and stop coming on to dirty dozens of others.
The Catholic Church is not served well by the institutional mandate without option of mandatory celibacy imposed from on high as a condition of Priesthood. It is not a calling of the Holy Spirit or a qualification of purity- it is a joke. It is not a mandate of Christ -as admitted by Pope John Paul II. Every Believer who repents, is baptized and is saved is a candidate for the personal investment of the Holy Spirit who gifts some for specific purposes; some are gifted to teach, some to prophesy, etc. NOT ALL so gifted are invested with the graces and spiritual gifts of celibacy. This does not make them less pure, it makes them more honest and more human. Human is, as a creation of God, very good according to God. Celibacy was never envisioned by Jesus as a qualification of the priesthood and Jewish priests were required to be married. Scripture is clear that the character qualifications of "good family man" were character pre-requisites to being a Deacon or Bishop. Sure some could mimick the Ethiopian Eunich, but an ENTIRE CLERGY of eunichs means that the church is distorted, malformed and disabled; it has cheated itself out of many spiritual gifts of many people- which is why God in part allowed the Protestant Reformation to happen. The Holy Spirit also attempts to guide the Protestant world.
Not only do women suffer under this rule, not only are women insulted by this rule, but the reputation of the Church as a whole suffers greatly. Not just because of the sexual scandals and 2 billion dollars of pay out to victims (ouch) but because the church should not have as part of its clergy some priests known affectionately as "Padre Player" or "Father Philander" or "Father F-U" Some Priests have emotionally abused, damaged and abandoned women who will never have a claim for anything because they will just be accused of being too stupid to fall for it. This is a scandal. It is an insult.
The church male institutional structure- all male authority- all single male authority- renders it absolutely clueless about the deeper issues pertaining to the emotional needs and well being of womanhood. I hope that any women emotionally conned into thinking a priest loves them will deliver a box of one month's extracted dripping used tampax to the priest just to show them exactly how much blood is monthly shed by women with a note stating "this is my blood which is innocently shed for the forgiveness of your egoistic selfish sins."
If anyone were to Protest the Pope's arrival at all, it wouldn't do any good to post a sign saying "Where's Your Wife?" He wouldn't even be impressed with a four part liturgical gregorian chant of Happy Birthday.
But if every woman lined Pennsylvania Avenue with a month's worth of extracted blood soaked uterine wall dripping used Tampax that might get his attention. He's attracted to blood- I hear he drinks it daily.