I Have Hope for Papal Love

Perhaps the less-than-welcoming texts that Pope Benedict XVI published while still Cardinal Ratzinger have more to do with his position as a doctrinal enforcer than any personal convictions against women and gay people. I do not expect that the Church will ever change is position on homosexual activity. However, I thought perhaps women might, in my lifetime, play a role within the Church that goes beyond Incubator of the Faithful. In his texts, he adopts a tone that is hard to interpret as anything but hatred for gay people and impatience with women. I hope that, as our pastoral leader, Pope Benedict XVI will soften his demeanor and show love for all members of his flock. No matter how conservative Pope John Paul II was, he embodied Jesus' one and true message: Love.