Memorare

This lovely word is Latin--an exhortation to remember. I use it to address the Pope, who recently "rehabilitated" three rogue bishops, among them a Holocaust denier. I knew the Church was in trouble when the College of Cardinals elected a former member of the Nazi Youth to the papacy. I'm as naturally suspicious of that as of people from South America with German names. And because of this association embedded in his past, this pope, of all men, should be more conscious that his actions are judged by a finely tuned standard, sensitive to the slightest quiver in the direction of Nazi sympathy.

When questioned, the Vatican explained that the bishops had agreed to adhere to the Church in matters of doctrine and papal authority, and that personal opinions, however reprehensible, are not subject to sanction. Oh really? An institution that asserts its moral authority in virtually every aspect of life cannot take a stand by excluding from its clerical ranks those who deny that the systematic murders of millions of Jews ever happened?

This is exactly the kind of thing that makes me say to people who ask if I've fallen away from the Church, that no, in fact, the Church fell away from me.

But in truth I cannot deny my Catholicism. It's imprinted on me and part of what defines me. Through my family upbringing, my parochial schooling, my seven years in the convent, I have oriented my life to the rhythms of the liturgical calendar. The time--the precious time--that I spent in the convent, and especially in the novitiate, gave me a much deeper understanding of God, the Who Is, and the closer I came to that, the freer I became in matters of rubric and ritual. But I still feel a sense of guilt on behalf of the Church when matters such as this arise.

The Church's troublesome ambivalence in the matter of the Holocaust, the questions surrounding the actions of prelates who may have assisted former Nazis in escaping the post-War dragnet, the role the Church played historically in creating a centuries-old cultural climate of anti-Semitism: all of these issues tug at the collective conscience of Catholics. In his book, "Constantine's Sword: The Church and the Jews," former Jesuit (and writer of some of my favorite fiction) James Carroll writes a searing analysis on this subject. I highly recommend it.

The most consistent message I've heard and read from Jews regarding the Holocaust is that we must never forget that it happened; we must not let time erode the horror, or form a protective scar over the wound. Allowing it to become ancient history will make us less vigilant in the present. Remember, they exhort us: remember.

In turn, I say to Pope Benedict: Memorare, memorare.