Theology of Pope Benedict XVI - Past and Present Views On Social Issues

Past and Present Views On Social Issues

Before becoming Pope, Cardinal Ratzinger was a well-known and quite controversial figure inside and outside the Catholic Church. Ratzinger's own interpretation of his theology is of course not known or shared by everyone. To some he is a traditional conservative unwilling to bend to the times: To this view, Ratzinger's theology is based on his early works, staunch Catholicism and ancient Tradition.According to this often held view, Benedict has made clear that he intends to preserve the Church doctrine and not give in to modern pressures for change to fundamental dogma and teaching on such issues as birth control, abortion, and homosexuality. It is also noted, that the Pope has a strong opposition to moral relativism, which he sees as producing views ranging "from one extreme to the other: from Marxism to liberalism, even to libertinism; from collectivism to radical individualism; from atheism to a vague religious mysticism; from agnosticism to syncretism, and so forth."

Benedict XVI's views appear to be similar to those of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, in maintaining the traditional positions on birth control, abortion, and homosexuality and promoting Catholic social teaching. In his biography journalist John L Allen, Jr. portrayed Cardinal Ratzinger as a figure that sometimes expressed more conservative views than Pope John Paul II, during the time he was Pope. As Pope Benedict was noted for being less outspoken than predicted. Benedict has criticized genetic manipulation and the cloning of human embryos. He has said that even "good goals" cannot justify such means. Benedict, in his most recent book, indicated that evolution, although more than a theory, was still not and as a scientific theory could not be definitively proven and that in any case, the creation and evolution of the universe and its matter could not comprehensively be explained by empirical, existential, logical methods of science – necessitating other disciplines like philosophy and theology to fill in where science could not be wholly applied or where questions were not solveable by, or in the realm of, the sciences.

Although teaching opposition to death penalty, he has stated that there may be among Catholics a "legitimate diversity of opinion"

He has also defended the traditional Church position on the indissolubility of marriage and thus rejected that the divorced be allowed to remarry during their spouses' lifetime. In a 1994 letter to the bishops he said that those who do so are not in a state to receive communion.

Ratzinger has maintained that the Catholic Church does not possess the authority to ordain women to the priestly sacramental ministry (the Vatican, and the Catholic Church by extension, have long held that this is shown by Jesus's choosing only men as apostles, saying this was the constant practice and consistent teaching of the Church).

During the 1980s, as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he criticized liberation theologians and twice silenced proponent Leonardo Boff.

In The Spirit of the Liturgy in 2000, Ratzinger attacked Rock and Roll as "the expression of elemental passions" and described some rock concerts as becoming "a form of worship … in opposition to Christian worship. " However, he is a great lover of classical and folk music, and included much new music into his recent pastoral visit to Cologne.