Opinion – Darwin and God: Benedict XVI faced dilemma of culture in which Christians are minority

Few people have been more important in shaping the destinies of Catholicism in recent decades than pope emeritus Benedict XVI. His impact, paradoxically, was perhaps even greater before he became pope, in the decades when, still known only as Joseph Ratzinger, he was the doctrinal head of the Catholic Church under (and in close partnership with) Pope John Paul II. Historically, perhaps Ratzinger’s most interesting idea was to imagine Christians as a “creative minority” in the Western world.

Certainly because of his experiences in Europe, Ratzinger imagined that the Christian faith would end up becoming a minority in Western countries, and that the role of the faithful would be to function as a kind of vanguard, keeping alive the belief in the Gospel and trying to positively influence the culture and the society around you.

I’ve always felt something defeatist about that concept. Ratzinger also gave the impression that Christianity would improve by letting out believers who were Christians in name only and unwilling to follow the religion’s strictest and “purest” rules. As pope, he continued to reiterate that Europe and the West could not forget their Christian roots.

Today, however, I feel that there is hope and even optimism in this perspective. After all, a creative minority is exactly what Christians were in the Roman Empire. Our world is much more humane than imperial Rome, after all, and it has always seemed easier to me to exercise specifically Christian virtues in roles far removed from prestige and power. It’s good to be small to love the little ones. Perhaps, in this, he was prescient in a luminous way, not defeatist.

A great New Year to all blog readers!