Benedict’s Boycott

The arced colonnades that enclose St. Peter’s Square seem like the twin mandibles of a great insect opening its jaws toward the city of Rome, inviting the citizenry into the mouth of Catholicism. Accepting their offer, I claimed a seat in the Vatican’s square alongside ten thousand devoted pilgrims and curious visitors, all hoping to catch a glimpse of Pope Benedict XVI, Catholicism’s holiest man and the modern world’s most potent religious leader.

Italian schoolchildren in uniform chanted in expectation of the Pope’s appearance, while tourists patiently bore the castigation of the mid-morning sun. But when the man in white finally appeared, upheaval came over the entire audience. As Benedict began weaving his way through the crowds in his unshielded Pope-mobile, everyone leapt atop his own chair, and shouts of “Papa!” filled the arena. I, too, craned my neck to see the face of Rome’s infallible pontiff.

Only months after his ordination as pope, Benedict XVI appears already to have won the adoration of millions of Catholics and the attention of politicians, scientists, and regular citizens across the globe. Although perhaps lacking some of the benign charm of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, the man formerly known as Joseph Ratzinger has quickly solidified his support within the Church’s hierarchy and among lay Catholics. As the spiritual leader of approximately one billion Catholics, the new pope is armed with the ability to substantially influence modern social issues, and he has swiftly demonstrated his intention of putting this clout to use.

In the lobby of my hotel, and on street corners throughout Rome, I encountered posters with pictures of developing fetuses and boldly printed Italian slogans. Part of the Vatican’s campaign to discourage Italians from voting down a law that restricts in vitro fertilization practices and bans embryonic stem cell research, these posters and pamphlets distributed by the Church bore messages such as “Sulla vita non si vota,” or “Life can’t be put to a vote.” Responding to calls from Benedict and the College of Cardinals to boycott the vote, the vast majority of eligible Italian voters declined to take part in the referendum, thus voiding its results.

Furthering the social conservatism that marked the reign of John Paul II, Benedict XVI has shown his willingness to use his authority to sway Catholic voters on social issues. At a time when some liberals and moderates in the U.S. fear the growing strength of the evangelical right in American politics, the supremacy of the Pope in Catholic and Italian cultures serves as a noteworthy and comparable example of the power of religion to shape public life.

Some claim that the Pope’s ability to influence voters detracts from the secular and democratic ideals of the Italian Republic. In truth, however, every Italian was and is ultimately free to vote according to his conscience. But so long as religion touches the minds of democratic citizens, church and state will not truly be separate in governments of the people.

Nikhil G. Mathews, a Psychology concentrator in Mather House, is an editorial editor of The Harvard Crimson. He is not Catholic or Italian, but like any Roman tourist, he wants the world to know that he is one of the billions of people who has seen the Pope.