Den kände och respekterade krönikören John L. Allen har på julafton publicerat en slags katolsk årsöversikt, som berör punkter som är mer eller mindre kända punkter för en svensk läsekrets, t ex i punkt 6 om påvens tal till medarbetarna nu i juletid.
6. Benedict’s Unique Shade of Green Throughout ’08, the pope continued to craft his distinct form of Christian environmentalism, in a way seemingly destined to give everybody heartburn. To conservatives, Benedict insisted that the doctrine of creation requires engagement from the church on issues such as the rainforests or climate change, whatever fears they may have about baptizing Greenpeace; for liberals, Benedict asserted that ecology cannot be separated from the church’s defense of other aspects of creation, such as unborn life and marriage. One sign that this budding environmentalism has made some people nervous is that Benedict felt compelled to lay it out one more time in his year-end address to the Roman Curia, where popes often try to reassure their lieutenants about aspects of their activity which have raised eyebrows in the Vatican.
I punkten 4 skriver John L Allen om den biskopssynod i Rom som avhandlade bibeln som Guds ord:
4. The Synod on the Bible Synods of Bishops in Rome are easy to write off as expensive talk-shops, but for those with ears to hear, they offer a unique sounding board for currents in the global church. The Oct. 5-26 synod dedicated to the Bible offered a case in point; among other things, contributions from bishops from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and other parts of the world suggested that the struggle against secularism is to some extent a Western preoccupation. In the end, a basically moderate line seemed to prevail; in their final propositions, the bishops called for admitting women to the ministry of lector, and gave a strong thumbs-up for lay-led liturgies of the Word and for small ecclesial communities.
Jesuiterna valde under året en ny högsta chef, ofta kallad ”den svarte påven” i jämförelse med den ”vite påven”, beroende på deras olika högtidsdräkt.
2. The Jesuits Come in from the Cold The John Paul years were occasionally marked by tension between the Society of Jesus and the papacy — which, to the outside world, offered a symbol of the alienation of moderate-to-progressive Catholics from the church’s leadership. The election of a new Jesuit superior in January created a chance for Benedict XVI and the Jesuits to turn a new page, and by most accounts, it worked. Some Jesuits said they actually wept with joy after a Feb. 21 audience when Benedict told them, “The church needs you, counts on you, and continues to turn to you with confidence.” Benedict has also put his money where his mouth is, naming Jesuits to key posts such as Vatican spokesperson and secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. While this rapprochement doesn’t mean everything is sweetness and light, it at least suggests that the order is back on good speaking terms with the Shepherd-in-Chief.
Krister Janzon
