Benedict's Hope for Change
by Emily Specker
Pope Benedict XVI's five-day visit to Brazil met mixed reviews. So far his actions have been under considerable more scrutiny than those of Pope John Paul II. It becomes debatable whether this is due to the personality of the individual himself, or perhaps because of the current air of questioning surrounding the Catholic Church.
Pope Benedict focused on the growing gap between the rich and poor. The Pope may have been overly deterministic in believing that the Catholic Church is the answer to all of Brazil's problems. This opened a pathway for critics to claim his arguments had no backing. Perhaps offering solid solutions would have helped him avoid such strong criticisms.
Pope Benedict highlighted Marxism and capitalism as the causes of strife in the region. He linked these institutions to evangelical Protestantism. The percentage of Catholics in Brazil fell from 89% in 1980 to 74% in 2000, whereas evangelical Protestants rose from 7% to 15% according to Associated Press figures. The Pope associates the religious shift with the leftward bound movement of politics in Latin America.
"Fazenda da Esperanca," a drug treatment center, was one stop on the Pope's tour. Pope Benedict warned drug traffickers that God would hold them accountable for their illegal actions. Drug-related violence and gangs are on the rise in Brazil. Some saw Benedict's visit as important as an acknowledgement of a frequently ignored sector of society. A young man under treatment at the center however, Felipe Kenji, stated that "what the pope said is important for drug users, but religion doesn’t matter to the dealers" in comments given to the Associated Press.
The Pope's manner of speaking about the region has deep roots as well. While in Brazil, Pope Benedict claimed that American Indians in Brazil had willingly converted to Christianity, and that in fact they had longed to become Christians. He failed to address the alienation of former cultures and the violent destruction of the native peoples by the Europeans. Even the Catholic Church's Indian advocacy group found such comments indefensible.
It is commendable that the Pope is drawing attention to many critical issues in Latin America. However, Brazil needs to reform more than just participation in the Catholic Church. The pope can only serve in his role in the reformation of the country. That just might be an important role. He can offer something that may be in shortage: hope.
Sources:
"Anger At Pope's Brazil Comments." BBC News 14 May 2007. 16 May 2007 http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/6656081.stm
Simpson, Victor L. "Pope Wants Strong Latin America Church." ABC News 15 May 2007. 16 May 2007 < a href="http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=3169541">http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=3169541
"Pope Condemns LatAm 'Autocrats'" BBC News 14 May 2007. 16 May 2007 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6651809.stm
