Isn’t arguing that Ratzinger was only sort of a Nazi exactly the kind of moral relativism about evil that he has expressed complete opposition to? I’d like to think the Roman Catholic Church could have picked a new leader who was zero percent Nazi - it’s not that high a bar when you’re selecting somebody who’s supposed to speak as a moral authority for millions.
Time to dust off the old “Waldheimer’s Disease” joke, perhaps?
On the one hand, I’m pretty inclined to overlook his Hitler Youth past: it was a horrific time, and the choice he made hardly registers on the horror-screen.
On the other hand, I’m not Jewish, nor were any of my relatives murdered by the Nazi regime, so it’s pretty easy for me to forgive and discount. Has there been any public reaction from Jewish leaders to this choice? What about from John Paul’s Roman Rabbi friend?
I know John-Paul emphasized outreach to other Judeochristians; is this going to put a crimp in that process?
Daniel
It’s not moral relativism. The guy was fourteen and he didn’t have a choice to be a member of the Hitler Youth. He hardly ever attended meetings or activities. Second, he was never a NAZI. He was not a party member, deserted the army when he could (also was forced into it in the first place), and his family was decidedly anti-Nazi.
I mean, I’m not a fan of the pope*, but there are a hell of a lot more important things to criticize him on.
*Am I the only one who feels she’s going to have a hard time thinking of him as “the pope”, or Benedict XVI? Maybe it’s my age-from the time I can remember, John Paul II was “the pope.” This has nothing to do with my dislike of Ratzinger-I’d probably feel the same no matter who was elected. This is going to take some getting used to.
I know what you mean. Not only am I accustomed to ‘the pope’ being JPII, but I’ve also been following Ratzenberger for a few years and it’s hard to get used to referring to him as Benedict XVI. Or as I will refer to him more often, BXVI.
Yes, they do – but they won’t come out and admit it in plain Latin. They use all that high-flown, technical-sounding jargon to make it look like they’re providing the faithful with some kind of reliable, precise moral calculus that each believer can apply with certainty in a given situation, and to obfuscate the fact that they’re just tap-dancing around the issue.
I think this is really, really, really a non-issue. It’s like blaming the guy for having been born in Germany, for crying out loud. If I were in his shoes, I would have been a Hitler Youth too, in all likelyhood. He was a child in wartime. I’m prefectly willing to cut him a whole lotta slack for that. Let’s put this one to bed. Whatever his faults, Ratzinger is NOT a Nazi, and never was.
Well, what does a rat usually do when the ship is sinking?
It shows 
While joining the Hitler Youth was mandated by law, other people Ratzinger’s age apparently did not comply with this law and escaped punishment. As others have pointed out, Ratzinger later deserted which indicates he was willing to defy the law. And the Hitler Youth was definitely a Nazi organization; its avowed purpose was to indoctrinate young people with Nazi beliefs.
Given his leadership and patriarchal position over his flock, wouldn’t he be the . . .
“Pope-Daddy”?
He was FOURTEEN. He wasn’t in any position to stand up to it, and from what I gather, he wasn’t very active. His family was very anti-Nazi.
Jesus Christ! Of all the things to go after him, this is the stupidest!
I really have to agree with Guinastasia, of all the things to go after Benedict XVI for this is the silliest. I doubt if any of us can begin to understand what living under the Third Reich was like for anyone.
He was a fourteen year old. His father was strongly anti-Nazi. They moved numerous times to avoid retribution for his father’s outspokeness.
He has made many statements in his recent position that are cause for concern regarding his reign as Pope. Let’s keep this in the realm of the relevant.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1113877273080&apage=1
Of course since many liberals view Israel as the incarnation of all that is evil in this world, that’s only going to inflame them further.
No cite, but I heard on the radio that Ratzinger/BXVI has been very hard-line on the “no salvation except through Christ” doctrine – i.e., non-Christians, including Jews, have no chance of getting into Heaven. Won’t that sour his relations with the Jewish community just a little?
I’m not “going after” the Pope. I didn’t raise the issue until others did and then I offered my opinion - which stands, incidentally. My first post on the subject was to point out the hypocrisy. The Pope’s stance on relativism is that sin is sin and there’s no consideration offered because of the sinner’s youth or circumstance. So I think he can fairly be judged by the same standard he has set up to judge others.
Oversimplified reporting, and anyway that is not what the phrase has meant for a long while. What J.R. DID write as head of the CDF was to the effect of:
(1) Reaffirmation that all salvation comes from Christ and other religions have varying degrees of partial achievement of Christ’s Truth, even if they do not know it themselves or call it something else. IOW what there is in other religions that is good and valid, comes from the Christian God anyway.
(2) That the RCC has the Most Complete Revelation of Christ’s Truth
(3) Rejection of “indifferentism”, the idea that “all religions are the same”; as corollaries (a) a call to believers to evangelize, and (b) a warning to believers NOT to “plug in” elements extraneous to Chritianity – e.g. New-Agey stuff – into their spiritual pursuit.
Great cites, Rune–thanks! They certainly provide at least prima facie evidence that my concerns on this issue are unfounded.
Daniel
So Jews can get into Heaven?
In short, yes. In more detail, see the Cathechism.