My Kind of Cardinal

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The International Herald-Tribune has the story of the election of Pope Benedict XVI, aka Joseph "Cardinal" Ratzinger, aka one of two guys who have never been in my kitchen (thanks Shaky). One of the things that's always struck me as odd about the selection of the Pope is that the Cardinals, through a very bizarre process (white smoke, black smoke, bells, secret oaths), make the decision. I understand that they are supposed to be divinely inspired, which is a nice concept. So I can't imagine I'm the only one who finds the details of their (s)election to be so jarring from the way things are supposed to go. The Herald-Tribune's detailed account of the supposedly secret balloting reminded me of the special editions of Time and Newsweek that follow each American presidential election - full of all the teeny-tiny behind-the-scenes details of each campaign's successes and failures.

Cardinal Ratzinger's blatant political posturing was enabled by his "vice-Pope" status and cemented by his convincing performance officiating over his peers following the death of his predecessor. Ratzinger's campaign, as it were, came down Politics 101 - vote for the guy endorsed by the popular predecessor, and don't worry about things changing too much.

Ah, change. Tuesday night's National featured quite a bit of grumpy reaction on behalf of liberal Catholics. It seems that there was an expectation that the Cardinals - almost all those who could vote named by the hard-right John Paul II - would choose a liberal among them to guide the next phase of church doctrine. Presumably, many were surprised with the choice of the ultra-conservative Ratzinger (one Italian used the sly headline, "The German Shepherd," Wednesday morning). Still more seem to be disappointed.

That's where things stop adding up for me. Though the only purpose served by the church's stance on women's right and homosexuality is to perfectly exemplify how not to behave, and though its position on birth control in the developing world is terribly reprehensible, that should be no surprise. The Catholic church, it's seems to be forgotten, is not supposed to change.

Recently I've been thinking about a film called Trembling Before G-d which tells the sad story of a handful of gay Orthodox and Hasidic Jews. Forced to lead double lives or shunned by their families and communities, the individuals profiled in the documentary let it all hang out. Though it's been quite well received for its iconoclastic look at the intolerance of the ultra-religious Jewish world, the film failed to deliver.

The ordinary viewer is supposed to think that things would be better if only those pesky Orthodox Rabbis would give in and welcome the few homosexuals in the flock. We are supposed to feel terribly for people whose singular purpose seems to be to be gay and Orthodox at the same time. Well, it doesn't work because it can't.

The principle of Orthodox Judaism - and Catholicism as well - in the year 2005 is simple: to preserve ancient rules for daily life in opposition to the shifting borders of our secular world. If you want to be a good Orthodox Jew you've got play by the rules. Sadly, the rules are not going to change. So the viewer is left wondering what to make of the excluded homosexuals. Surely they are entitled to lead a Jewish life in a Jewish community.

Sadly, the film frames the issue in very narrow terms. If gay Hasidim can no longer be Hasidim then there must be something wrong with Judaism. Like Christianity, which is not limited to the doctrinal rulings of the Catholic Pope, Judaism consists of streams, each catering to the needs of certain kinds of Jews. While ultra-Orthodox Jews are about as likely to eagerly welcome homosexuals as is Benedict XVI, other viable options exist. Reconstructionist Judaism, Reform Judaism and even Conservative Judaism get short shrift in Trembling, much the way non-Catholic Christianity has since John Paull II died.

It's futile to insist that Orthodox Judaism and the Catholic Church flip-flop on fundamental stances. It's worthwhile to create a thriving system of faith options. To whine about the first and neglect the second is to reveal a desire to complain and not to build.