44. Not an Anti-Pope but an Ante-Pope. Cardinal Martini (1927-2012) and the Dynamics of Present-Day Roman Catholicism

 September 3rd, 2012

The recent death of Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini (1927-2012) provides an opportunity to reflect on wider Roman Catholic trends. He has been one of the most attractive and yet polarizing figures of the last thirty years. Jesuit, scholar, archbishop, popular writer, sought-after opinion leader, he has unwittingly created tensions between his numerous fans both inside and outside of religious circles and his vocal critics in the more conservatives sectors of the Roman Catholic Church. Even his death has seen the two parties commenting on it very differently. Martini’s biography in itself is a trajectory which epitomizes some of the key features of post-Vatican II Roman Catholicism, e.g. the Biblical renewal, the openness to the modern world, and the alleged inner conflicts within high-ranking Roman Catholic hierarchy.

1. The Biblical Scholar

Born in Turin in 1927, he entered the Jesuit order in 1944 and was ordained priest in 1952. Martini’s career started in the academy as a New Testament scholar. Professor of textual criticism (1962-1969) and then Rector (1969-1978) of the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome (1969-1978), he was eventually appointed Rector of the famous Jesuit Gregorian University (1978). He was able to lecture in Latin, Italian, English and French. Apart from mastering these languages, he also spoke German, Portuguese, Spanish and modern Greek. He could professionally read ancient Greek, Hebrew, Coptic, Aramaic, Syrian, and Arab. He successfully combined intellectual brightness and hieratic attitudes.

            What gives him international reputation is his work in the Committee of the United Bible Societies that lead to the third critical edition of the New Testament text (UBS3) in 1975, though he also participated at the Committee for the second edition. His name together with Aland, Black, Metzger and Wikgren is on the frontispiece of the dark read cover edition of the UBS text that many theological students and practitioners both fear and enjoy opening. His scholarly work is not extensive but gives rise in his later career to dozens of books of Biblical meditations which sell great. He seems to embody the contents of Dei Verbum, one of the major texts of Vatican II calling the Roman Catholic Church to the Word of God.

2. The Archbishop of Milan

In 1979, Pope John Paul II called him to become the Archbishop of Milan, the largest Roman Catholic diocese in the world and one of the “natural” sees for future popes. He had never had direct pastoral experience before, but his reputation opened the way for him. He centered his ministry on some innovative and controversial initiatives, e.g. the “School of the Word” where he invited all kinds of people to preach and lecture on the Bible and the “Chair of the Non-believers” where he invited atheists and agnostics to debate right there in Milan’s cathedral.

            He soon became the “hero” of the left-wing, progressive party of the Roman Catholic Church, though he never officially endorsed such a role. Those who are uncomfortable with the rigidity of Catholic ethics and discipline, be they Catholic or secular, be they intellectuals or celebrities, are attracted by his winsome erudition. Some of his positions appear to be different from those of John Paul II and the then Cardinal Ratzinger: for example, Martini desired the softening of the Catholic stance on non-married couples, even same-sex unions, on abortion, on the banning of divorced people from the Eucharist, on end-of-life ethics, on divorce, etc. He went as far as publicly invoking a new Council that would deal with these issues. His views never abruptly questioned the mainstream position, but were well articulated and argued for with intellectual subtlety. They are still appealing to many wandering people, and they are appalling to those with right-wing, conservative views.

3. A Runner for Papacy?

A curious relationship between John Paul II (together with Ratzinger) and Martini developed over the years. For some time he was counted among the possible candidates to become Pope. Sectors of the Roman Catholic Church rallied either around him or against him. Officially, though, Martini was always appreciative of the reigning Pope and John Paul II, and never gave signs of criticism.  The nickname he earned, the “Anti-Pope” (i.e. against the Pope), was a caricature and should instead be changed to “Ante-Pope” (i.e. one going before the Pope, opening ways for him). According to some observers, Martini’s positions, which today are quite controversial, will in the near future become the standard Roman Catholic view.

Wojtyła’s papacy lasted too long and Martini lost his chance to become Pope. When John Paul II died in 2005, Martini was frail in his health. Parkinson’s already had a grip on him. On the first ballot he received a few votes, but he told his supporters not to continue voting for him. Out of that conclave, Cardinal Ratzinger, the strong theologian of John Paul II, became Pope. Martini’s party, it seems, has been defeated for the time being, though Roman Catholic cycles are not easily predictable in the long run. He then retired to Jerusalem, but until his death remained a sought-after ecclesiastical spokesperson who urged the Church to be “human”, “modest” and “compassionate”. Will these terms become the main vocabulary of the future Roman Catholic Church?

4. The Dialectics of Catholicity

According to public opinion Martini represents a view that is polar opposite than that of John Paul II and Benedict XVI in the Roman Catholic world. The former has been called “liberal”, “progressive”, “democratic”, “left-wing”, while the latter have been labeled as “conservative”, “traditional”, “authoritarian”, “right-wing”. With these conventional categories, one could map the entire Roman Catholic spectrum. 

            As a matter of fact, the public opinion needs to find polarizations, needs to put one figure against another and needs to find conflicts within a given social body. Many times these polarizations reflect reality, others simply project oppositions that are not there. In the case of Martini, both observations are true. They are true because Roman Catholicism is based on multiple on-going tensions that sway one way or another but are meant to be kept in balance. In other words, John Paul II needed Martini and Martini needed John Paul II. The first maintained balance, while the second explored new fields. Martini spoke to the center-left, while Wojtyła spoke to the center-right, so that the whole spectrum was covered. Roman Catholicism as a whole needs both the defender of the already given balance and the explorer of new settlements.

            In the Roman Catholic system, the Pope is supposed to fight against “anti-popes”, but is likely to encourage “ante-popes” that would stretch the Roman Catholic synthesis further, so that what is now felt as disturbing avant-garde will be center-stage tomorrow. In this sense, the “ante-pope” Martini who arrived too late to become Pope will perhaps serve as a model for future Popes.

Leonardo De Chirico

leonardo.dechirico@ifeditalia.org

 

 

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43. Dios está cerca, María mucho más Benedicto XVI y el Dogma de la Asunción de María

 Benedicto XVI subrayó el dgma de la Asunción y la proximidad de María a cada uno.

02 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2012

 En el calendario católico romano, el 15 de Agosto se dedica a la festividad de la Asunción de la Virgen María. Este es el último dogma que la Iglesia Católico Romana (ICAR) ha promulgado en su historia .

Fue en 1950 cuando Pío XII lo publicó como una creencia vinculante para la fe católica. Así es como se definió entonces y como lo explica el  Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica  (n. 966) “La Virgen Inmaculada, preservada inmune de toda mancha de pecado original, terminado el curso de su vida en la tierra, fue asunta en cuerpo y alma a la gloria del cielo y enaltecida por Dios como Reina del universo, para ser conformada más plenamente a su Hijo”.

Desde su residencia veraniega de Castelgandolfo (a 25 Km. De Roma), donde ha terminado de escribir su tercer libro sobre Jesús,  Benedicto XVI pronunció una homilía, el día 15 de Agosto, sobre el significado de este dogma para la ICAR de hoy en día .

Si bien es interesante leer lo que el Papa teólogo tiene que decir sobre ello,  es al mismo tiempo difícil para un protestante abordar los dogmas marianos de una manera tranquila desde el punto de vista teológico y distante emocionalmente. Sin embargo, este ejercicio es inevitable dado el peso tan importante que la mariología tiene en la vida católico romana .

 LA FUERZA MOTRIZ LITÚRGICA
En la primera parte de la homilía el Papa Ratzinger expone las razones que estuvieron detrás de la decisión de la ICAR para definir el  dogma de la asunción corporal de María : “Esta verdad de fe era conocida por la Tradición, afirmada por los Padres de la Iglesia y era sobre todo un aspecto relevante de la devoción a la Madre de Cristo. Este elemento litúrgico constituyó la fuerza motriz que condujo a la formulación de este dogma: es un acto de alabanza y de exaltación de la Virgen Santa”.

Aunque puede ser históricamente cuestionable argumentar el consenso unánime de los Padres (¿qué Padres? ¿en qué momento?) sobre este aspecto de la mariología,  el punto más importante es el reconocimiento de que el dogma crece en el contexto de la piedad y la liturgia populares, más que en la Escritura. Al igual que en muchos ángulos de la mariología católico romana, este dogma es el reflejo de una devoción popular que no se comprobó con los patrones bíblicos y se fue desarrollando a través de los siglos sin estar regido por la Palabra de Dios .

Es mucho decir que Benedicto XVI cita la Biblia en este punto y afirma que este dogma es una consecuencia de la oración de María en el  Magníficat : “desde ahora me tendrán por bienaventurada todas las generaciones” (Lucas 1:48).

Sin embargo, hay un abismo entre la profética declaración sobre la bienaventuranza de María y el dogma mariano sumamente elaborado de 1950. Este respaldo bíblico es demasiado flojo y vago para definir una creencia obligatoria tal como ha sucedido con la asunción corporal de María.

 El dogma de la asunción de María es un ejemplo de cómo la  lex orandi, lex credenda dictum  (es decir, “la ley de la oración es la ley de la fe”) podría funcionar como un principio generador y autónomo del desarrollo de los dogmas católico romanos.

Aunque es verdad que creemos en lo que oramos y viceversa, es importante determinar cuales son los modelos de la vida de oración de la Iglesia para que no se vaya por mal camino.

Comoquiera que para Roma estos modelos son los de la Tradición que contiene la Escritura pero es mayor que la Escritura, no es ninguna sorpresa que la Iglesia Católico Romana pueda promulgar dogmas que son históricamente dependientes y teológicamente están basados más en la piedad que en la Escritura.

 MARÍA ESTÁ MUY CERCA
Aprovechando algunas de las implicaciones de este dogma mariano,  la homilía de Benedicto XVI subraya la proximidad de María a cada uno . “María tiene un corazón tan grande que toda la creación puede entrar en él, como el  exvoto  (o sea, las ofrendas votivas) procedentes de todo el mundo demuestran. María está cerca, puede oír, puede ayudar, está próxima a todos nosotros. Dios está cerca y María, ya que está unida a Dios, está muy cercana y tiene un corazón tan grande como el de Dios”.

Aquí tenemos otro ejemplo de la forma en que una devoción puede desarrollarse y expandirse hasta el punto de convertirse en algo más que una forma bíblica de la piedad cristiana.  Lo que es sorprendente es la comparación entre la proximidad de Dios y la proximidad de María. Se considera que está más cerca de lo que está Dios.

Esta frase, en toda su aparente sencillez, tiene un enorme significado pastoral y teológico.  Indica que María está más cerca que su Hijo, que ella es la primera mediadora ante Dios y que está más fácilmente disponible para obtener ayuda .

Por regla general, el lenguaje mariológico está elaborado de tal forma que nunca resta importancia a la persona y a la obra de Cristo. No obstante, esta comparación demuestra que incluso el Papa Ratzinger cree que, aunque Dios está cerca, María está aún más próxima a nosotros.

 Con esta afirmación, la plena encarnación del Hijo de Dios, su completa humanidad y divinidad y la unicidad de su mediación, ¿está salvaguardada y honrada? Si se desdibuja el principio de “Sola Escritura”, se acabará desdibujando el de “ Sólo Cristo”.

 Traducción: Rosa Gubianas

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