By JULIAN RODRIGUES*
the disappearance of Joseph aloisius Ratzinger deserves a toast
Forgive me the most sensitive, especially Catholics. But no person of good will can fail to commemorate the death of Sir Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger.
I will not go into matters of faith here. My Marxist atheism is deeply respectful of people's beliefs. Any pope is an international political leader. The theological-tactical-geopolitical line of each of the heads of the Catholic Church has great weight (increasingly less, it is true) in the class struggle.
Let's talk about Joseph. The German consolidated and reinforced the updating started by the Polish Karol Józef Wojtyła. John Paul II (who reigned from 1978 to 2005) not only interrupted the progressive spark that John XXIII had ignited, he turned everything to the right. Along with Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, he was one of the architects of the neoliberal order. Anti-communist to the core, Karol persecuted and punished progressive theologians around the world. The story is well known: our Leonardo Boff – ideologue of liberation theology was punished with the penalty of “obsequious silence” in 1984. chic this punishment – something of an ancient institution.
I only remembered Karol because Joseph already ruled a lot since his papacy. He was the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. I'm no expert, but rumor has it that this role would amount to something like a Suslov – connoisseurs will understand.
There is something exceptional about Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger's biography (besides being Islamophobic, sexist, homophobic, traditionalist, authoritarian, conceited, neoliberal). The subject was subtly deposed. Retired by force. The scholars came to the conclusion that that grumpy, boring German with a Nazi face and red Prada shoes was burning the film of the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church a lot. There, they elected an anti-Ratzinger: Bergoglio. A progressive, friendly, Argentinian, third-world pope.
Benedict XVI has always acted like a militant homophobe: “the concept of same-sex marriage is in contradiction with all the cultures of humanity”, he wrote.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio, on the other hand, is advancing almost to the limit: “if a homosexual couple wants to lead a life together, the States have the possibility of providing them with security, stability, not only for homosexuals but for all people who want to be together”. to bring together. But marriage is marriage.” How much difference!
The papacy of Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger is inseparable from his resignation. He chose to leave the scene in the midst of several crises, mainly those related to the crimes of sexual abuse that came to light. Thousands of victims around the world have reported being raped by Catholic priests. This is something almost trivial – inherent in the organization of the church and the training of priests.
Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger was drawn into the epicenter of this crisis. It wasn't just for crazy American priests anymore. He himself has been accused of colluding in abuses that took place in the late 1970s in Munich, when he was archbishop of the region.
In the USA, the situation is so serious that the Church agrees to pay, in a single agreement, 88 million dollars for about 300 victims – abused between 1950 and 1980 in the Diocese of Camden, in New Jersey. But it's much worse: there are thousands of Catholic priests denounced, from 10 thousand upwards. It's an absurd thing!
I recall all this because Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger did nothing to address these scandals, which, in fact, only exposed an apparently usual practice. Men who are officially prohibited from having sex and enjoying themselves – and who, in addition, have several privileges, can only come to that. When will the Catholic Church repeal celibacy? And ordain women?
The disgust that the Catholic Church has for the body, enjoyment, pleasure is a disease factory. The faithful pretend to follow moral rules, but poor priests!
Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger operated only setbacks, in line with a more ritualistic, sexist, oppressive, homophobic, elitist Church, and, of course, much more hypocritical. RIP, first lord pope impitimate. It won't be missed.
* Julian Rodrigues, journalist and professor, he is an activist in the LGBTI and human rights movement.
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