Thursday, April 28, 2005
Are we conservatives?
Theologically, we must be.
To be Catholic is to be theologically conservative. As I pointed out to a good friend of mine this past week, as we were looking at a front-page N.Y. Times headline describing Benedict as a "conservative," the term "conservative" as so used is a synonym for "Catholic." The Pope is Catholic! So is the College of Cardinals! As people examine the writings of Pope John XXIII, lo and behold, we discover that he was theologically conservative. As we read the actual documents of Vatican II and not just "feel" the spirit of Vatican II, the documents are clearly theologically conservative.
Now, this essentially conservative core to Catholicism is not necessarily politically conservative at all, but it is theologically conservative. Thus, a political science model of a conclave that mimics the secular conflict between political conservatism and political liberalism will never be adequate to the reality of a conclave. Such a model fails to adequately take into account the theologically conservative core of Catholicism.
We can draw a parallel to biblical interpretation. The best and most adequate interpretation of the Scriptures is that which accepts the Scriptures as divinely inspired and interprets Scripture with the mind of the Church. Similarly, the best analysis of the Church herself and of her conclaves recognizes the essentially conservative theological reality of Catholicism preserved by the Holy Spirit over the centuries. To truly understand the Scriptures, you must be part of the community which lives Scripture as genuinely divine speech. To truly understand a conclave, you must acknowledge that it is part of one of the most theologically conservative religions on the planet.
To be Catholic is to be theologically conservative. As I pointed out to a good friend of mine this past week, as we were looking at a front-page N.Y. Times headline describing Benedict as a "conservative," the term "conservative" as so used is a synonym for "Catholic." The Pope is Catholic! So is the College of Cardinals! As people examine the writings of Pope John XXIII, lo and behold, we discover that he was theologically conservative. As we read the actual documents of Vatican II and not just "feel" the spirit of Vatican II, the documents are clearly theologically conservative.
Now, this essentially conservative core to Catholicism is not necessarily politically conservative at all, but it is theologically conservative. Thus, a political science model of a conclave that mimics the secular conflict between political conservatism and political liberalism will never be adequate to the reality of a conclave. Such a model fails to adequately take into account the theologically conservative core of Catholicism.
We can draw a parallel to biblical interpretation. The best and most adequate interpretation of the Scriptures is that which accepts the Scriptures as divinely inspired and interprets Scripture with the mind of the Church. Similarly, the best analysis of the Church herself and of her conclaves recognizes the essentially conservative theological reality of Catholicism preserved by the Holy Spirit over the centuries. To truly understand the Scriptures, you must be part of the community which lives Scripture as genuinely divine speech. To truly understand a conclave, you must acknowledge that it is part of one of the most theologically conservative religions on the planet.
