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Pope Benedict's Professor Problem
It is not easy admitting you made a mistake or did something wrong, yet sometimes even popes have to apologize. Pope Benedict apologized after controversy arose over his lifting of the excommunication of Bishop Richard Williamson, a Shoah denier. He also apologized after the negative response from Muslims to his Regensburg address. There have been other comments that drew criticism, for example, about some Protestant communities not being true churches.
In other entries I have written about the Williamson apology and the way the pope's actions have undermined his legacy.
But what is the cause of these missteps? What can be done to prevent them?
I reject the notion that the pope is anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim or opposed to ecumenical and interreligious dialogue. This simply does not coincide with everything we know about this pope.
I think at heart the problem is that Benedict thinks like a German professor. There is no question about his academic brilliance, but academics do not necessarily make good managers or leaders. As pope, he is the leader of a 1.1 billion member organization.
St. Benedict was once consulted about the election of an abbot where one candidate was very holy, another was a great theologian and the third was prudent. His response was, "Let the holy man pray for the monks. Let the theologian teach the monks. And let the prudent man lead the monks."
The problem for German professors is that they are used to talking to a classroom full of students who take notes, memorize what they heard and then give it back in exams. Professors use words that have technical meaning different from the meaning they have in everyday use. The students know the professor's mindset and understand each class in the context of everything else that has been taught in the class. In other words, they know what it means to "lift an excommunication." They are willing to let the professor define his terms, like "church," "reason," etc.
This is not the world in which Benedict now operates. He cannot expect the same docility from his audience as he would expect from students in a classroom. The world, especially when his words are communicated through the media, is often going to misunderstand, question and challenge whatever he says or does.
This is why he needs good advisors. Every great leader surrounds himself not with "yes men," but with people who will protect him from own his weaknesses by bring additional information and other perspectives to the table. One of the problems Benedict has is that he is surrounded by people who think he is the smartest man in the world and therefore do not raise questions or challenge him.
Benedict especially needs people at the table who understand communications, who will warn about how a message or decision will be received by the media and the public. How people will react should not determine policy, but neither should it be ignored. People who understand communications should also help shape how the decision is presented to the world.
Unless the pope changes how he gets information and how he makes decisions, we will continue to have these periodic media disasters. They will overshadow the other great things he does and says.
By
Thomas J. Reese, S.J.
|
April 6, 2009; 4:01 PM ET
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Posted by: s_j_thaikattil | April 12, 2009 7:31 AM
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The Pope can stop the continuous harm he and his church are wreaking in Africa.
*Then* he can apologize.
Until then, it is simply disingenuous.
Posted by: HumanSimpleton | April 10, 2009 7:15 PM
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let the pope apologize for the following,
1-being infallable?
2-contaminating and misleading the mentality of mankind for the last 2000 years.and still.
3-the delusion of attributing a son to the almighty creator god
what is the difference between the infallable pope and the infallable son any way????????????
deludeing more than 1 billion mankind in the infallable pope delusion or the infallable son delusion is so serious ,this need the attention of allmankind.
Posted by: mono1 | April 10, 2009 8:38 AM
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"Understand this - the pope cannot err. He is God's representative on Earth."
I find your Earth... badly managed.
Posted by: Paganplace | April 10, 2009 12:41 AM
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Father Reese,
I e-mailed your essay to my daughter who was as impressed as I. She is planning to introduce the essay to her MBA class at Carlson College in MN.
Again, well done!
Posted by: Gaby1 | April 9, 2009 9:11 PM
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Your comment gets to the heart of the present pope's problems. His previous maladroit comments which caused such a stir in the Moslem world have been overlooked in the present examples. He had to apologize for that too; another example of his almost bewildered acceptance that his words had caused uproar. I fear his advisors are so conservative and content in their own theological and intellectual certainty that they allow him to stray into controversies which have nothing to do with infallibilty in matters of faith and morals. He and they come across as arrogant and smug.
Posted by: mjcoulter70 | April 9, 2009 2:46 PM
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Understand this - the pope cannot err. He is God's representative on Earth.
God holds his hand, and whispers daily in his ear - the truth of all things, and guides him along the 'straight' and narrow path to the profound wisdom of His teachings.
The pope is beyond doubt, beyond error, and speaks with the authority of his wonderfullness the God of all things - Baahl, and His lovely wife Doris.
This I know.
Posted by: colinnicholas | April 9, 2009 12:09 PM
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Father Reese:
Congratulations!!!
You have that German pegged and this German as well. We (the Germans) can be rather terse in our communications and that often creates conflict. When talking about a particular subject we tend to call a spade a spade without thinking about the wider ramiifications. Even though we harbor no ill will it may come across as such.
Americans, on the other hand, are so politicaly correct that the Germans have a hard time understanding them or take them seriously.
Having lived almost half my life in Germany, the other almost half in the US and the rest in various other European countries, I can fully understand your metaphors.
In addition, thank you for pointing out that great leaders do not surround themselves by yes men, but rather people who point out their faults. Too many leaders in the world of politics and/or religion seem to forget that very important detail.
Posted by: Gaby1 | April 8, 2009 8:15 PM
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Dear Fr Reese
Wishing you a Happy Easter 2009!
May the power and wisdom of our Risen Lord Jesus Christ guide you always!
Soja John Thaikattil
Sydney, Australia