Prepare to shocked—shocked, I say!—at what is hidden...

... in Pope Benedict XVI's interview book, Light of the World. Are you ready for it? Can you handle it?

Andrew Brown of The Guardian extracts the deep, dark truth from the recesses of this top secret book, which can only be purchased nearly anyplace where literate people have access to book stores and the internet:

Hidden in Pope Benedict XVI's new book, Light of the World, is a story that is not about condoms, but will still be very important to the future of the Catholic church: he claims, on page 152, that even celibate homosexuals must be kept out of the priesthood.

Wow, that's quite the startling discovery. What's next? The revelation that Sacrosanctum Concilium not only didn't ban Latin, but assumed it would be given pride of place in the "post Vatican II" liturgy? That Benedict XVI prefers Gregorian chant over hip-hop? Or that The Doors continue to be the most overrated rock band of all time? (Okay, I admit, everyone with any sense whatsoever acknowledges the last point.)

To be fair to Brown, the passage in question is indeed "hidden"—if by that he means not easily accessible to people who don't read the book. (After all, it seems that a frightening number of Benedict's critics consist of people who think the Huffington Post is intellectual fare, but couldn't make their way thought the first three pages of anything penned by the pontiff.) But, by the same token, that also means there are all sorts of things "hidden" in, say, the Constitution (written by men), the Bible (inspired by God), and the books of Deepak Chopra (written by a man who thinks he is God. Or God's agent).

Mark Brumley sent along some thoughts on Brown's post:

Ummm. Where to begin?

First, the statement about homosexuality and the priesthood is not "hidden".

Second, what Benedict states in the book is essentially the policy presently in place, distinctions between superficial and deeply-rooted tendencies not withstanding.

Third, it's one thing to eliminate a problem altogether and another to reduce its impact to little or nothing.  While the former may be impossible when it comes to homosexuality in the priesthood, the latter is not.

Fourth, what is this supposed to mean: "This is ironic in view of the widely held view that he himself is not a man for the ladies (as a gay catholic once said to me)."  Pope Benedict is not a man for the ladies? Meaning what, exactly? And a "gay Catholic" is the source?  I was once told that Andrew Brown was a nitwit.  My source: an Andrew Brown critic. Put that in a headline somewhere. 

Fifth, if someone with strong same-sex attract comes off thinking the Pope thinks there's something wrong with him, then he has read the pope correctly.  He does think so.  And he's right.  There is something wrong with same-sex attraction. Men ought not to be sexually attracted to men and women ought not to be sexually attracted to women.  We can have all sorts of discussions about how such attractions come about—nature vs. nurture, choice vs. condition.  But however it happens, same-sex attraction points to a problem.  Not a problem that underwrites prejudice or ridicule, or one that ought to deny the person with same-sex attraction compassionate help, but a problem nonetheless.

You, too, good reader, can find secrets and hidden treasures in Light of the World: order it today!

Comments

[joe]

Thanks, IP. You guys remain a much needed voice of calm and clarity. Please keep at it.

[Steven]

How do I balance my desire to be charitable in a Christian sense, and my almost debilitating disgust/apathy/general angriness about the relentless assault by the LGBT agenda? It is EVERYWHERE!!! Can we go back to a Universal "dont ask, don't tell" policy? Or is it too late? (I know...it's too late...)

[matteo]

Steven, I'm afraid you have been indoctrinated more than you think (me too) cuz you've used their acronymn: LGBT. I've always thought that when a group can get themselves a title then comes the entitlements...

[Sharon]

Robert Reilly's article from 1996 might shed some light

http://catholiceducation.org/articles/civilization/cc0020.html

CULTURE OF VICE
ROBERT P REILLY