Rudolf Walther on the anti-modernism of the Pope

"Catholicism is basically suffering from a modernity deficit", writes Rudolf Walther in the left-leaning weekly paper Der Freitag. "And that has nothing to do with the skilful use of the media by the Pope and the Roman Curia. What it does have to do with is antiquated thinking and unfulfilled promises. Against the 'spirit of the synod' the Pope rigidly clings to the primacy of the Catholic Church over other religions. In so doing he relies on the putative unity of Catholic faith and reason, using a pre-Enlightenment concept of reason. The Enlightenment was not about condemning or slandering religion, but about drawing a line between faith and knowledge to protect knowledge from religious infringement and faith from rationalist imposition. ... Under the pressure of liberation theology, women's emancipation and other modern movements, Joseph Ratzinger is edging closer to anti-modernism and further isolating himself."

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