“Holy” Rock!

During my years of Catholic education in grade school, high school, and college, I was taught that the Pope is infallible in issues relating to faith and morals. The Pope’s opinion on anything else has as much credibility as anyone else’s opinion. The current Pope, Benedict XVI, a native of Germany, is 82 years old. Although he is elderly and known to be theologically conservative, he realizes the need to reach out to everyone, especially young people.

Two years ago, the official newspaper of the Vatican, L'Osservatore Romano, redesigned its format to appeal to younger generations. The issues regularly include commentaries on popular culture. Written with Vatican approval, the articles represent the opinions of the writers and not necessarily the preferences of the Pope. The newspaper recently released a semi-serious guide to the ten best rock albums of all time: The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Oasis, Michael Jackson, U2, Fleetwood Mac, Donald Fagen, Carlos Santana, Paul Simon, and David Crosby.

When I saw this list, I was disappointed that Elvis didn’t make the cut. Elvis was a rebel entertainer in my youth, and I was a devoted fan. Elvis’ music spanned rock, love songs, and gospel. I would have loved to “…take a walk down lonely street to Heartbreak Hotel” with Elvis. When Elvis sang “…I can’t help falling in love with you,” I knew he was talking to me. The Pope and his writers seem to be more interested in modern music than classics of the past.

The Vatican newspaper’s pop culture articles have created a controversy. Younger people find the new approach energizing, a great improvement from the previous stodgy and boring format. The more traditional minded feel the Pope and the newspaper should stick to issues of greater importance, e.g., birth control, clergy celibacy, gay marriage, abortion, etc. I think the new style is refreshing. It gives “personality” to the church and a light hearted subject matter to balance the more serious topics. Pope Benedict XVI Rocks!

Note: Although a college professor once wrote “Heresy” on my answer to a theology test question, Ginger is not a sacrilegious person nor prone to blasphemy. This is simply a humorous commentary on our changing world.