I read the interview. He said a few good things, but honestly, this interview leaves me rather indifferent.
I thought the questions were rather limp. The answers, too.I suspect the function of this interview is to provide a soft sell to the German people before his visit in September. He said some nice things susceptible to tickle the ears of lapsed Catholics, but nothing that would really alienate anyone who isn't already. I didn't like the language. It was a lot of "Vaticanese". Sometimes you wonder if he or his predecessor stopped saying phrases like:
That’s why the formation of the human person is the true recipe, the key to it all, I would say, and this is what the Church proposes.
Long-winded, theologically vague, diplomatic (to a fault). You feel like you're reading the words of a civil servant at the Minstry of Education rather than a pastor of souls.
I would expect this from an encyclical, but not from a spontaneous tv interview. Maybe his answers were rehearsed. In fact, I think he sounded a little bit like a politician.
What irks me about this kind of language is that it doesn't go right to the heart of the faith. "Propose" is really a weak word. "Assert" would be better. "Formation" is another jargon-type word. "Teaching" is more plain. "Human person"-- another jargon-type phrase. "Man" is easier, though less politically correct (maybe all the more reason to use it).
The interview is full of that tone, and it's annoying!!! He says that Christianity is all about joy, well, sheesh, these words sure don't hit at my gut, that's for sure! It sounds like apologetics, not a pope stating the faith for the faithful.
I would like an interview in American plainspeak. Questions rephrased in plain speak:
Question: As Pope you are responsible for the Church throughout the world. But, clearly, your visit focuses attention on the situation of Catholics in Germany as well. All observers say there’s a positive atmosphere, partly thanks to your election as Pope. But, obviously, the old problems are still around. Just to quote a few examples: fewer churchgoers, fewer baptisms, and especially less Church influence on the life of society. How do you see the present situation of the Catholic Church in Germany?
Although your elevation to the papacy brought about a more positive atmosphere, the Church in Germany is still in a bad way. Most Catholics are lapsed, they don't get their kids baptized, and people don't care what the Church has to say. What are you going to do about it?
Question: Holy Father, a question about the situation regarding foreign politics. Hopes for peace in the Middle East have been dwindling over the past weeks: What do you see as the Holy See’s role in relationship to the present situation? What positive influences can you have on the situation, on developments in the Middle East?
What role do you want the Holy See to play in the Middle East conflict? What can you do about it?
Question: As Bishop of Rome you are the successor of St Peter. How can the ministry of Peter manifest itself fittingly in today’s world? And how do you see the tensions and equilibrium between the primacy of the Pope, on one hand, and the collegiality of the Bishops, on the other?
How is the papacy relevant in today's world? How do you balance the primacy of the Pope with the collegiality of the Bishops? How do you operate?
Question: As the land of the Reformation, Germany is especially marked by the relationships between the different religious confessions. Ecumenical relations is a sensitive area that constantly encounters new problems. What chances do you see of improving relations with the Evangelical Church or what difficulties do you foresee in this relationship?
What about ecumencism and relationships with other denominations? What are the chances of improving relations with the Evangelical Churches, and what kind of problems do you see in that relationship?
And so on.
I used to dream of the pope being interviewed on tv. I thought if Pope John Paul II got interviewed on tv, he'd just say things as plainly as anyone else. I know he had that high-falutin' tone when he wrote encyclicals and other official documents, but that's only normal. Pope Benedict has fulfilled that dream (sort of) but I never expected him to sound like one of his audience speeches or his encyclicals. I can write academic lingo, too, but when I have a conversation, I don't sound so official, like I'm trying to give a presentation. I think Pope John Paul II's strength was that he didn't say too much on camera spontaneously. He just let the camera images do all the talking. Pope Benedict-- I love you Holy Father, but oh my goodness, if you're going to reach out to people, you're going to have to loosen that Roman collar a bit and sound like you can speak in a normal fashion, not like you're writing up the documents of Vatican II. I would love to have a pope who would give straight answers to straight questions, and maybe anger people now and then with a daring assertion of the truth. I'm not saying he has to be John the Baptist and have a PR death wish, but a little bravado in the choice of statements to make would be really refreshing.
I mean, I'm reading this interview and it sounds like blah blah blah blah blah....
I liked what he had to say about abortion, though:
As far as abortion is concerned, it’s part of the fifth, not the sixth, commandment: “You shall not kill!”. We have to presume this is obvious and always stress that the human person begins in the mother’s womb and remains a human person until his or her last breath. The human person must always be respected as a human person.
Good piece of advice. We do not have to be on the defensive, for something that most people assume is obvious when the baby is wanted.
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