A new spiritual leader

The investiture of His Holiness Benedict XVI as the 265th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church took place in St. Peter’s Square in Rome on April 24.
The former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Munich was “known as a seasoned and hard-line German theologian who served as John Paul II’s defender of the faith,” according to The New York Times.
Criticism of the College of Cardinals’ choice of Benedict XVI was immediate.
England’s Guardian and London Sunday Times carried such headlines as “From Hitler Youth to the Vatican” and “Papal Hopeful Is a Former Hitler Youth.” These statements overlooked the fact that all high school students in Germany were forced into Hitler Youth groups. Joseph Ratzinger was a mere 14 years of age when forced to join.
The New York Times, reporting from Vatican Square at the time of the College of Cardinal’s announcement, reported on the reaction of some of the spectators in St. Peter’s Square as follows: “Some assembled there had reservations about his doctrinal rigidity and whether under Benedict XVI, an already polarized church will now find less to bind it together.” An American student stated, “But he might scare people away.” And a teacher from Rome intoned, “This is the greatest error.”
Judging from the source of the foregoing comments, it would appear that the College of Cardinals in electing Pope Benedict XVI has made a superb choice.
The need for a strong “defender of the faith” was never greater.
At no time in the past century has the Christian world been in greater need of a strong central voice than at the present.
The Catholic Church has been the principle voice of resistance to the spread of Communism over the last century. Recently, it was revealed that Pope John Paul II worked closely with President Ronald Reagan to bring about the dismantling of the Soviet Empire.
With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the belief that Communism was dead was widespread. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Communism is quietly creeping into and, in some instances, taking over national cultures around the world. France and Germany are examples. The American culture is no less protected.
Christianity is under attack in the United States as never before; secularists are intruding in every area possible to disrupt America’s right to worship God.
Atheists, with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union, have gained the high ground through court decisions defining the “separation of church and state” never envisioned by our founding fathers.
Even the Ten Commandments are being outlawed on public property.
The recent passing of John Paul II and the investiture of Benedict XVI have focused worldwide attention on the influence of the Holy Catholic Church and particularly its growth from 750 million to 1.1 billion members in the past 25 years.
Christianity has been the principle defense of the democracies against Communism around the world. National political structures have proved too weak, and they are easily infiltrated, as witnessed here in America.
While defending its own principles and beliefs over the centuries, the Roman Catholic Church has provided an extended shield that has, in turn, benefited all Christian denominations.
Today more than ever, the combining of all Christian efforts in the world to defend against Communism is necessary, particularly here in America.