Jesuit Says, "Only The Right Side Of The Cafeteria Is Open"

Benedict Undermining His Own Legacy, by Fr. Thomas J. Reese, S.J.

I highlighted 15 criticisms of Fr. Thomas J. Reese, S.J. of Pope Penedict XVI in just one op-ed piece. Must be a light day?

• The lifting of the excommunication of Bishop Richard Williamson by Pope Benedict XVI caused a firestorm of protest from Jews and liberal Catholics.

• My disappointment is that while the Vatican is enthusiastic in wooing the right, it has no patience with the left. Only the right side of the cafeteria is open.

• The Vatican is caught by it own theology that sees these men as validly if not licitly ordained. As a result, these bishops can ordain more bishops and the schism can go on forever.

• This latest controversy and others that preceded it (like his Regensburg address) point to a fatal systemic flaw in the Benedict papacy that is destroying his effectiveness as pope: He does not consult experts who might challenge his views and inclinations.

• No one disputes the fact that Benedict is a brilliant theologian, but he is surrounded by people who are not as smart as he is and who would never think of questioning him. How do you challenge someone who you think is the smartest man in the world?

• A smart person surrounded by less than smart people will always get in more trouble than an average person who consults smart people who are experts in their fields.
  

• The fact that Walter Kasper was not consulted on lifting the excommunication is just another in a long line of examples.

• The firestorm that followed the decision should have been foreseen and prepared for. Unnamed sources in the Vatican are saying that they did not know that Williamson was a Shoah denier. Haven't they heard of Google?

• In any other organization, heads would roll after so many disasters, but in the Vatican, loyalty still trumps competence.
  

• The pope needs a good chief of staff who would make sure this kind of thing does not happen.

• Finally, the way in which this decision was communicated to the world was a disaster.
  

• Benedict still acts like a German professor who can demand the undivided attention of his students. He has little PR sense. He needs people to protect him from himself.

• The Vatican still believes that all it has to do is announce a decision by the pope and everyone will greet it with enthusiasm. One-page press releases will not do it.

• The sad thing is that Pope Benedict is saying and doing many great things, but these media disasters are undermining his papacy

• The Vatican's model for the papacy is still the absolute monarchies and royal courts of the past. That model simply will not work today.

Read the full piece (here)