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March 4, 2006

BOOK REVIEW: Without Roots: The West, Relativism, Christianity, Islam by Joseph Ratzinger and Marcello Pera

I just finished reading a fascinating book that came about before Joseph Ratzinger was named Pope Benedict XVI. Called Without Roots: The West, Relativism, Christianity, Islam, it actually came about through two talks given by the authors in close proximity and concerning a similar topic: the West and its future.

First, some background. The book consists of two parts. Part One is the speech given, first Pera’s speech then Ratzinger’s. Part Two is letters from each to the other. So we have a letter from Pera to Ratzinger and then Ratzinger’s response. Marcello Pera, in case you are unaware, is the president of the Italian Senate and a philosophy professor at the University of Piza. He considers himself a “secularist” and not a Catholic. However, he (being Italian) is very familiar with the Church and has some points that require meditation.

On its surface, this book takes a look at the current situation in Europe, but it also delves into the US as well as the shared history that has lead up to this point in time. It provides some fascinating insight into how Pope Benedict XVI sees our world and the problems that we have – that alone is worth the read.

However, Mr. Pera holds his own in the initial discussion. He does an excellent job pointing out the problems of relativism and why they must be avoided going forward. He also goes a little further in talking about the Church. Mr. Pera refers to the “relativism of the theologians” and points out that religious dialogue has become ecumenism, a “inclusiveness often associated with . . . the Second Vatican Council.” This, he says, inhibits us from really dealing with Islam, since we don’t feel correct in saying that Christianity is the better religion – we use ecumenism, rather than apologetics.

That’s a point I’ve been pondering since reading the book and will probably continue to think about in order to really grasp the significance of his points. Mr. Pera does get a little crazy in his letter to Ratzinger when he actually suggests a new state-version of Christianity, which provides some insight into how he sees the Church. You’ll have to read the book to hear Cardinal Ratzinger’s rebuttal.

Now on to our current pope. Pope Benedict XVI (I feel funny referring to him as “Ratzinger”) not only analyzes our current problems, he also gives us a short and insightful history of the West. He breaks down Western history into a few “watershed” moments that significantly changed the future. And his analysis of our current situation in Europe is second-to-none (which makes you understand why the Holy Spirit chose him as the pope). One passage that particularly struck me:

[Ratzinger’s words]: Europe is infected by a strange lack of desire for the future. Children, our future, are perceived as a threat to the present, as if they were taking something away from our lives. Children are seen as a liability rather than a source of hope. There is a clear comparison between today’s situation and the decline of the Roman Empire. In its final days, Rome still functioned as a great historical framework, but in practice it was already subsisting on models that were destined to fail. Its vital energy had been depleted.

There are multiple passages in this book that make you stop and think. Furthermore, you can contemplate how Ratzinger sees his role in trying to save Europe (and the West). It is a timely work and one that Catholics should read to better understand the pontificate that is developing before us. But in perhaps the best part of this book, he calls each of us to shape the future world:

This is why it is so important to have convinced minorities in the Church, for the Church, and above all beyond the Church and for society: human beings who in their encounters with Christ have discovered the precious pearl that gives value to all life (Matthew 13:45ff), assuring that the Christian imperatives are no longer ballast that immobilizes humanity, but rather wings that carry it upward. Such minorities are formed when a convincing model of life also becomes an opening toward a knowledge that cannot emerge amid the dreariness of everyday life. Such a life choice, over time, affirms its rationale to a growing extent, opening and healing a reason that has become lazy and tired. There is nothing sectarian about such creative minorities. Through their persuasive capacity and their joy, they reach other people and offer them a different way of seeing things . . . Without such motivating forces, nothing can be built.

He calls us to be Toynbee’s Creative minorities to place ourselves “at the service of mankind” and help reclaim what is best in our heritage.

While most of the book focuses on Europe’s problems (although we are close behind), Pope Benedict does address America:

To further complicate the picture, we have to acknowledge that the Catholic Church today represents the largest single religious community in the United States, while American Catholics have incorporated the traditions of the free church [ed: Protestant churches] regarding the relationship between the Church and politics, believing that a Church that is separate from the state better guarantees the moral foundation of the country. Hence the promotion of the democratic ideal is seen as a moral duty that is in profound compliance with the faith. In this position we can rightly see a continuation, adapted to the times, of the model of Pope Gelasius described earlier.

And a warning for the world:

The question this raises is not of discrimination but of what constitutes the human person as a man or as a woman, and which union should receive a legal form. If the union between man and woman has strayed further and further from legal forms, and if homosexual unions are perceived more and more as enjoying the same standing as marriage, then we are truly facing a dissolution of the image of humankind bearing consequences that can only be extremely grave.

I’ve almost read the book twice (virtually back to back), since its so full of insight and thoughtful analysis of the world – it’s extremely rare for me to read a book twice in a row like that. But this book is very layered and I’m sure you’ll pick up some additional insight each time you read through it.

So far this year, it is the most profound and intellectually stimulating book I’ve read. I highly recommend you take a gander – it’s a quick 135 pages and every one is good. You can buy the book from Amazon here.

God bless,
Jay

Posted by jay at March 4, 2006 10:06 AM

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Posted by: Amy Proctor at March 22, 2006 1:43 PM

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