Defending the Man

David Scott has written a nice and concise rebuttal of all the criticisms about Benedict XVI. Link. Excerpts:

He has never said that non-Catholics can't find God or reach salvation. Indeed, he has written that the teachings of other religions can help their adherents become pure and pleasing to God. He believes however, as the Church does, that the graces given to men and women of whatever faith flow in a mysterious way from Christ's redemptive work on the cross.

We're told that Cardinal Ratzinger stifled theological debate and “cracked down” on those who disagree with Church teaching. Actually, given his long tenure and his responsibility for a worldwide Church, the number of disciplinary cases he initiated is rather small.

It's a measure of that power that coverage of the new pope's election was turned into a supposed referendum on a tiny canon of self-described “progressive” issues–birth control, priestly celibacy, women's ordination, and homosexual marriage.

One suspects that the agenda and vision of Pope Benedict XVI will be much broader.