By Andras Gal
Observer staff
April 16, 2008

In advance of Pope Benedict XVI’s U.S. tour, the American Observer sat down with a reporter and Catholic gay rights activist to discuss the visit.

Mary Jo McConahay, former Latin American editor for Pacific News Service and National Catholic Reporter:

Q: The pope has made statements against the war. Are cardinals in the U.S. identifying themselves with his philosophy? And if so, what effect does that have on Catholics in the country?

A: Mine is a reporter’s answer. I’m not reporting the clergy’s opinion on that point of view. But certainly you knew that both the Vatican and the U.S. bishops are against the war and this war in particular and which he will certainly talk to President Bush about as they speak in these days. In terms of politics and how it will affect the elections, as you know, there won’t be any endorsement of one candidate or another. But you can believe that pastors and the preachers will be explicating the antiwar point of view of the Church.

Photo slide show by Caine O’Rear

Q: How would you characterize the changes Pope Benedict has brought and the differences between him and Pope John Paul II?

A: I don’t think there is any inconsistency. Naturally, their personalities are different. On the other hand, the present Pope has perhaps surprised some believers in the Encyclicals on Hope, for instance, in that he has not come out as the tough Ratzinger as some people expected. He appears to be personally warmer than he seemed to be in his previous role. And I think this does matter.

Q: You think that his personality has been misunderstood?

A: No, I just think that he is in the position now to show his personality more broadly. He was really the top cop in the Church before, that was his role, and he performed it wholeheartedly and very intellectually. But he is something else now – he’s the chief pastor. In the role of the pope we see a broader spectrum of his personality.

And I do think it is highly significant that President Bush is expecting him at the airport. Given that not only has Bush not received other chiefs of state, but he has not been publicly seen with the coffins of those who have fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan when they come back to air force bases. In fact, the press was not even allowed to photograph them. So the fact that he is there in this place is important because it refers to me that he will be listening to what His Holiness has to say.

Q: What do you think the main message is that Pope Benedict brings during this trip?

A: He is coming on a spiritual mission and pastoral mission. Nevertheless when someone in his position speaks, it has political implications. And what he says will echo in political discussions, even though he himself will not be making political statements.

Q: But he did speak out against a particular war, something that the previous pope wouldn’t do specifically.

A: Yes, but remember that he had a different background. He came from the Cold War. And even though this pope is going to be 81, he still comes from another point in history. You might want to suggest, too, that this is so black and white. Many observers see him as the pastor of people all over the world, and has a very global point of view, and that’s why he is worth listening to.

Q: Would you comment on the fact that there are 120 cardinals worldwide, two-thirds of whom live north of the equator while two-thirds of Catholics live south of the equator?

A: All I can say is that the Church as an institution moves slowly and it has been moving. Recall that one expects an Italian to be the pope. This pope is German, the previous one was Polish, and those who were on the shortlist of papacy included Latin Americans, Africans. This is a change. Whether it is a slow change, it is a point of view of history. It’s a change that I think will be gathering speed as years pass. Look at the formation of seminarians in this country and other countries. Very often they come from places from which they did not come before. For instance, not so much from Ireland, more from central America, not so much lately from Italy, but more from Vietnam. And they will be the future cardinals.

Jeff Stone, director of Media Relations for DignityUSA, the nation’s largest advocacy group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Catholics:

Q: What is the main message and what do you want to achieve with the protest?

A: Two messages: we want to call attention to the pope’s long record of anti-gay actions and statements. The second is to celebrate the fact that there have been great advances in acceptance by regular Catholics in this country of gay people.

Q: How would you characterize his anti-gay policies and what is the difference between Pope Benedict’s policies and those of his predecessors?

A: Pope Benedict was the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for many years. He really was the architect or at least a very important figure in putting forward those anti-gay policies. When you go back to the 1980s, the first instance of it was a pastoral letter. That was the first letter to introduce the terms: objective disorder, referring to homosexuality, and “intrinsic moral evil.” Then there was another document in 1992 which instructed Catholic bishops to work against civil right legislation for gay people. So there is a long chain of harsh anti-gay records. His campaign against recognition of civil marriage of same sex couple in many countries is very well known, certainly in the gay community. I don’t think it’s necessarily well known among the broad public in the country. So that’s one of the things we are doing is to draw attention to that record.

At the same time we are also recognizing that there is a growing acceptance for gay people in Catholic parishes and gay relationship among regular Catholic people. Dignity exists as an independent organization because we have the ability to speak out as we see necessary and according to our consciences.