A bishop’s job is part pastor, part teacher, part administrator, and part {many other things}. Most of us want to see bishops as warm and friendly pastors, but that’s only part of their job. Each bishop is the head of (what amounts to) a substantial corporation, and the bishop has to fulfill all the roles of a CEO, and of course, CEOs have to be strict and stern on occasion. When that bishop is the Pope, the roles are too big for one man to fill competently, so they subcontract the jobs out to “prefects.” Ratzinger’s role under John Paul II was to make sure that Catholic teachers (mostly the professional theologians) were teaching authentic Catholic faith. It wasn't a warm and fuzzy job. Ratzinger was the chief disciplinarian of the intellectuals. Naturally, JPII played the role of the warm and friendly pastor, although he could be just as “determined” as Ratzinger when the time called for it. It's nice to see Ratzinger get to play the warm and fuzzy role, while someone else gets to be the bad guy.

Last week, Stengel showed that he didn’t understand most religions, and especially didn’t understand Catholicism. Last week, Stengel admitted that he followed the same attitude as “cafeteria Catholics,” picking and choosing what he personally felt like believing, and that’s why he thought everyone else was so wrong about Obama’s pastor. In Stengel’s mind, why couldn’t we just ignore those nasty parts of the Reverend’s comments, and just accept the happy stuff? So my question is, if this guy demonstrably doesn’t understand religion, why is he in the position of editor over columns about religion?

to defray criticism and shield Obama from the Rev. Wright's bigotry,prejudice and hateful speech. It is the relativist defense that liberals always use. That's why they, in their tiny minds, can equate Moslem fundamentalism and its murderous ways to Christian fundamentalism or equate Bush=Hitler. After all Christians in general and Catholics in particular can always be bashed without any repercussions

Rick Stengel was correct about the ignorance factor. White Americans were ignorant of the fact that (many) black American churches are the pinpoints in American society where racism, bigotry, prejudice, and hate are being deliberately perpetuated. For the past three decades, those cheering, clapping, and in-complete-agreement congregations have been dutifully spreading the "good news" of racism, bigotry, prejudice, and hate throughout communities across America.

Now that individuals, such as the Reverends Wright and Moss, have been exposed, more white Americans should make their way, on the occasional Sunday, to one of the black churches in their community, maybe even a church that teaches the Black Value System and/or Black Liberation Theology. Surely they will be welcomed with opened arms and in the spirit of loving brotherhood by each member of the congregation that has been taught for years to hate, distrust, and despise them.

About Rick Stengel's using the term "hatchet man" regarding the Pope; Stengel's a dyed-in-the-wool liberal. Any disrespect a liberal can casually toss off about an iconic and world-respected Christian leader (a coups if it's the Pope, more street cred with the libs), is expected... and the comment will be blithley ignored by those that just don't care or don't know the difference.

The complacency in today's media is pathetic. For liberals being so up-in-arms about the need to be politically correct, being politically smarmy toward those the liberals oppose is the liberal SOP. There's no denying it. We see it every day in the papers and every hour on television.

The Catholic Church is not a democracy, nor should it be. If it had to run its doctrines by the membership for a vote, what moral authority could it claim? It's supposed to teach moral principles and the word of God. If someone doesn't like the doctrine he should leave and start his own church, not seek to usurp the authority of the Magisterium.

As for " 'the incredible ignorance of white Americans' about what goes on in black churches," what's his point? That Wright's hate speech against Whites and this country should be expected? That all black preachers teach that AIDS was created by the U.S. to commit genocide? Or that nobody who attends those churches really takes the preaching seriously?

If this is standard for all black churches, I'd say the first part of the "coversation on race" should be "Quit accusing us of genocide and being the cause of all your problems, then we'll talk."

It's from "I Robot", I think...

If it ain't a baby, you ain't pregnant....