The pope is dipping on us.
DETAILS: What?! The Vatican Announces The Pope Is Resigning!
The world is all up in arms about Pope Benedict XVI resigning from his post after less than 10 years due to health issues, but not everyone feels the same way. Some feel that he was never the right man for the job and aren’t affected by his resignation in the least bit and on the contrary, some are in shock that he has decided to resign (the first time this has been done since Pope Gregory XII in 1415) because he didn’t get a chance to accomplish anything significant.
Or did he? Has the Pope really just been chillin’ in his robe for the past eight years or did he actually make an effort to change or sustain tradition in the Catholic church?
The truth is he did both. Pop Benedict XVI was a contradictory man who used Catholic beliefs for progressive causes, and was probably the first of his kind to do so. So before we get upset that the Pope chucked us the deuces, let’s see what he actually did while he reigned supreme.
The Green Pope:
Even the Pope things about greenhouse gases and recycling! Benedict was given the moniker “Green Pope” for his commitment to environmental concerns. His goal to “make Vatican City more environmentally efficient” was supported by the Roman Catholic doctrine to emphasize humanity’s responsibility to care for the planet. According to Think Progress, he even called on world leaders to “gree on a responsible, credible and supportive response to this worrisome and complex phenomenon, keeping in mind the needs of the poorest populations and of future generations.”
Pope-A-Care:
According to Think Progress the Pope and other Catholic church leaders said it is the “moral responsibility” of nations to guarantee access to health care for all of their citizens, regardless of social and economic status or their ability to pay. How does that support the Catholic doctrine? Access to adequate medical care is one of the “inalienable rights” of man, the pope said, “Justice in health care should be a priority of governmentsand international institutions.” But don’t get too excited…Obamacare’s new contraception requirements got zero love from Benedict.
Immigration Pope-form:
Here’s a surprising fact; Pope Benedict has long been a supporter of U.S. immigrants, regardless of their legal status. During the Bush administration, he urged politicians to treat immigrants with human dignity. According to the Pope, the United States must do “everything possible to fight…all forms of violence so that immigrants may lead dignified lives.” Looks like he was more progressive than our former president. Should we had made him the leader of the free world? After all, that’s eight years too!
Pope-Conomy:
Don’t think religion cares about the economy? Think again. According to Think Progress:
“The economy cannot be measured only by maximization of profit but rather according to the common good,” he said in 2011 during a visit to Spain. In a 2009 treatise, the pontiff called for protections for “labour unions — which have always been encouraged and supported by the Church,” the elimination of world hunger through “wealth redistribution,” the protection of the “natural environment” — “God’s gift to everyone” — from unchecked economic expansion, and a strengthened “family of nations,” like the U.N. with “real teeth.”
In a nutshell, a fair and equitable economy is what he’s all about.
The Pope That Stole Marriage:
Benedict was all about progressive moves…but the buck stopped here. On the list of things that he did was discourage gay marriage. During a speech last Christmas, Benedict said that homosexuality was a manipulation of nature:
People dispute the idea that they have a nature, given to them by their bodily identity, that serves as a defining element of the human being. They deny their nature and decide that it is not something previously given to them, but that they make it for themselves.
The manipulation of nature, which we deplore today where our environment is concerned, now becomes man’s fundamental choice where he himself is concerned.
He also called it a defection of human nature and bore immense human and economic costs.
BLOG: Spring Awakening! Same-Sex Marriage Debate Is Heating Up in France, Britain & Russia
I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same. But at least you can tell all your friends that Pope Benedict XVI did something in eight years before he peaced out. Depending on how you look at it.
SOURCE: Think Progress
