Benedict XVI: Swimming toward the light

Pierce Pettis has some glorious lyrics in a song called Swimming:

Downtown there is a loud commotion
And a crowd is waving flags along the street
The bubble car glides by
And the man who sits inside is so alone
His faith is real, his name is borrowed
And it is borrowed time he's living on
And he's feeling pretty tired
And a little uninspired if the truth be known
Swimming toward the light
In the distance he can see it from the corner of his eye
Pulling toward the light

While these words are specific to the last leader of the Catholic church Karol Józef Wojtyła  - aka John Paul II - in some ways they also describe the man who arrived at Andrews Air Force base last night.  Stepping off a plane that is called Shepherd One, the man millions call Benedict XVI was greeted by President Bush and his family, the first time the president has welcomed a foreign leader there.

Joseph Ratzinger came to the role of Pope as a well-known Roman Catholic theologian and a prolific author, a defender of traditional Catholic doctrine and values.  It is always quite striking to me that two of the traditions w/in churchianity - the Catholic & Anglican traditions - are now headed by pre-eminent theologians.  This stark contrast to the CEO leadership model in most churches makes me wonder if their taking those roles is not a powerful statement in and of itself.

But the headlines greeting Benedict's arrival did not herald theology or doctrine or even orthodoxy - instead they stated Pope Expresses Deep Shame Over Priests’ Sexual Abuse.    The source of all knowledge - Wikipedia - defines shame as:

the consciousness or awareness of dishonor, disgrace, or condemnation. Genuine shame is associated with genuine dishonor, disgrace, or condemnation. Therapist John Bradshaw calls shame the "emotion that lets us know we are finite"

In our therapy-drenched world, shame is often an emotion that flashes bright red lights, something to hide or even cut out.

So the choice by a man of words like Ratzinger, to claim shame, is a choice that means so very much.  Reading this global leader's words about the pain and violence that these scandals unleashed, I could sense some of the impact we invest in people like Ratzinger or Williams or even Warren.  They are icons for many of us, images of power & wisdom.  But they are also tired people, often with borrowed names, swimming in waters that are churned by our own needs.  By naming the shame and destruction that these leaders embodied, I saw a ray of hope deep under the waters, a light that Ratzinger/Benedict is shining.  Being an icon of healing and of truth-telling is hard work, particularly when the person behind the icon is living on borrowed time.

In honor of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to New York City,  Michael Ian Weinfeld created “POPE”, a parody of Shepard’s wildly popular Obama “HOPE” poster (ht: Laughing Squid)

Looking at this image, reading the words that this Pope is choosing to use at the start of his visit, I can sense traces of what Pettis sings about:

"Swimming toward the light/deep down in this darkness we are fighting for our lives."

Comments

[The Faith Voice]

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[grace]

great blog. that pettis guy sounds familiar...