In response to Pope Benedict XVI on Europe in Crisis

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. 'Europe in the Crisis of Cultures'. Communio 32 (International Catholic Review, summer 2005), pp. 345-356.

In response to R.F. Jean-Claude Maingot, Cistercian French monk in New England.

Bonjour Jean-Claude,

I have news! I read Ratzinger's article you sent me, 'Europe in the Crisis of Cultures' out loud to my 84-year old mother, who is a devout Calvinist. I doubt she has ever read anything from any Pope, Cardinal, bishop or priest. She loved the article, as I did. We both agree that you Roman Catholics have a remarkable pope in Benedict XVI. He speaks brilliantly for you, even better than Paul John II, I would add. (And please, Jean-Claude, do not offer him to us Protestants as 'our Pope' as well.) Just allow me to say, you Roman Catholics have a superb spiritual leader in him.

Here is the irony; Protestant Reformers are coming to the same frightening conclusions as Ratzinger although he unfolded some new thoughts from which I learned, especially in arguing that the Europe's Enlightenment Reason' is (and as I would say) 'mene mene, tekel, parsin': weighed and found wanting, -or as he would say, incomplete, not at all self-sufficient and not in anyway universal -as it claims to be.

What is secularism if not a European rebellious son of the original union of the Christendom-classical axis and a dangerous aberration in the world of beliefs. Which belief (which secularism is) transforms itself into a global power of destruction faster than scientific rationality? Just observe its consequences! It is a technological rationality without a foundational morality. What it postures as 'morality' is merely a "calculation of consequences that decides what it to count as moral or immoral." (348)

I also agree with Ratzinger that the answer to Enlightenment "functional rationality" is the Logos of Scripture, the Creative Reason of God,namely Jesus Christ (although Ratzinger never mentions Jesus Christ in his article) who alone is complete, always creative and self-sufficient.

How I wish the French bishops and priest will pick up the courage of Benedict XVI and say what he says with prophetic authority. ..and not be ashamed to champion the name of Jesus as well. Yet, Ratzinger's brief reference concerning the Qur'an shows how poorly he grasps Islamic thought. I quote:

"Even terrorism, in the end, is based on this "self-authorisation" of man, and not on the
teachings of the Qur'an." (p. 352)

He should turn that on its head if he wants to come closer to reality. Mouslims do not look to European 'self-authorisation' for justifying their decisions, if anything, they are at war against European Enlightenment 'self-authorisation'. Nothing could be further from their thoughts. Their radical actions are based exclusively in their 1400-year old interpretation of the Qur'aan; there is not a trace of Enlightenment rationalistic 'self-authorisation' in Osama bin Laden's justifications.

You know as well that the revelations of Mouhammad began with tolerance in Mecca and ended with jihad in Medina. The latter abrogates the former and Osama bin Laden is a disciple of the latter Mouhammad of Medina.

For however well Ratzinger understands the mind of the Enlightenment, he has yet to penetrate the mind of Mouslims. I could wish Robert Spencer will influence him.

Is his article available online so I can forward it to others?
Benjamin