A place for dissent: my argument with Joseph Ratzinger

Habemus papam. I heard these words in St. Peter's Square as a young seminarian on October 28, 1958. My first impression of Pope John XXIII was disappointing. Pope Pius XII was an austere and ascetic figure, but John XXIII was a roly-poly Italian who was waving to the crowd even before he finished his first blessing.

Fast-forward to the present: The intervening years saw John XXIII's and Vatican II's call for renewal and reform; the unexpected condemnation of artificial contraception in Paul VI's Humanae vitae (1968); the ups and downs in his Hamlet-like papacy; and then the long restorationist papacy of John Paul II.

I sat in a television studio on April 19, 2005, and once again heard the words habemus papam--Joseph Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI. My disappointment was much greater than it was fifty years earlier. As prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), Ratzinger concluded a seven-year investigation of my theological writings in 1986 with the judgment, approved by John Paul II, that "one who dissents from the magisterium as you do is not suitable nor eligible to teach Catholic theology."

I maintained that my dissent was not from core tenets of Catholic faith, but from noninfallible church teachings. In fact, the U.S. bishops in their 1968 pastoral letter Human Life in Our Day recognized the legitimacy of such dissent if there are serious reasons for it, if the teaching authority of the church is not impugned, and if scandal is not given. My dissent satisfied those criteria. So I asked Cardinal Ratzinger, "Is theological dissent from noninfallible church teaching ever permitted; and, if so, under what conditions is it permitted?" He refused to answer.

Of course, the CDF's condemnation wounded me. My primary vocation in life is that of a Catholic theologian. I had served as president of the Catholic Theological Society of America and the Society of Christian Ethics, and was the first recipient of the John Courtney Murray Award of the Catholic Theological Society for distinguished achievement in Catholic theology. Despite my personal hurt, I recognize that as a result of the condemnation I have more influence in the church now than I would have if I were never condemned--the ironies of history! Above all, I have received much support and encouragement from the people of God.

But I had a deeper theological difference with Ratzinger that has important ramifications not only for theology but also for the life of the church. Ratzinger is a theological Augustinian who equates the heavenly city with the church and the earthly city with the world; hence the strong opposition between the church and the world in his thinking.

In the original Italian version of his famous book-length interview with Vittorio Messori (The Ratzinger Report, 1984), Ratzinger stressed the opposition between the church and the North American ethos. He argued that too many Catholic moral theologians in the United States dissent from the church and compromise with a secular ethic that denies the most profound aspect of human nature and leads to a new slavery.

I call myself a theological Thomist--one who accepts the basic goodness of humanity while recognizing that sin often tarnishes human endeavors. History supports this position. At times, the church has learned from the world, as illustrated in the church's changed views on religious freedom, human rights, the condemnation of slavery, and the equal role of women in society. The church has and should rightly challenge the individualism, consumerism, and quick resort to violence prevalent in U.S. society.

Ratzinger's church-vs.-world approach was on display in the homily he delivered before the recent papal conclave began, in which he deplored the subjectivism, relativism, and evils of the modern world that are opposed to the gospel and the church.

What Will Pope Benedict Do? The primary question today on the mind of Catholics and the whole world is: What will Benedict XVI do as pope? Frankly, nobody knows. I do not expect major changes. No matter who was elected pope, there would have been no dramatic changes, especially in the early years of a papacy. That is not the way the Catholic Church operates. This papacy is like to be short and therefore transitional. Benedict XVI will undoubtedly continue along the path trod by John Paul II.

In his first homilies and statements as bishop of Rome, Benedict XVI has distanced himself from the church-vs.-world position. Now he stresses dialogue with the world and all peoples--of all faiths and of none--and insists on inclusiveness. Is this a sign that Cardinal Ratzinger played the role of the enforcer whereas Benedict XVI will pursue the role of pastor?

A major problem with John Paul II's papacy was its overly centralized and authoritarian nature. The media only accentuated the problem by playing up the imperial aspects of the papacy, perhaps best evidenced by their coverage of John Paul's funeral and Benedict's installation. John Paul II's personal charisma also played into that trope. But the Catholic Church is not a monarchy. We desperately need to re-em-phasize the importance of the local and national churches, the collegiality of all bishops together with the bishop of Rome, and the role of all the baptized in the church. I doubt that Benedict XVI will move far in this direction, but at least his lack of charisma will mean the spotlight is not always on an imperial papacy.