Few people have shaped the fortunes of Catholicism more importantly than Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Paradoxically, his influence was perhaps even greater before he became pope, during the decades when he was still known only as Joseph Ratzinger, the doctrinal leader of the Catholic Church under (and in close partnership with) Pope John Paul II. Historically, Ratzingers may have been most interesting idea to imagine Christians as a “creative minority” in the western world.
Certainly based on his experiences in Europe, Ratzinger envisioned that the Christian faith would become a minority in Western countries and that the role of believers would be to act as a sort of vanguard, keeping faith in the gospel alive and trying to positively impact the culture and society around you.
I’ve always felt something defeatist about this concept. Ratzinger also gave the impression that Christianity was improving by letting out believers who were Christians in name only and unwilling to follow the religion’s strictest and “purest” rules. As Pope, he repeatedly affirmed that Europe and the West must not forget their Christian roots.
Today, however, I feel that there is hope and even optimism in that perspective. After all, a creative minority was what Christians were in the Roman Empire. After all, our world is far more human than imperial Rome, and it has always seemed easier to me to exercise specifically Christian virtues in roles far removed from prestige and power. It’s good to be small to love the little ones. Perhaps in this he was prescient, not defeatist, in a luminous way.
Happy New Year to all blog readers!
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