Commending
Pope Benedict for a “brave move”
By Rajan Zed
Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA)
today, paying tributes to Pope Benedict,
praised him for a life dedicated to the Church selflessly; being a remarkable
theologian and academician and significant religious thinker; and attempts at
interfaith dialogue, resolving multiple Church problems and handling huge
challenges.
Zed, who is President of Universal society of Hinduism,
described Pope Benedict as immensely charming and gentle, a man of calm, full
of insight; but also sometimes showing signs of loneliness and out of sync with
the changing times.
Rajan Zed lauded Pope Benedict’s decision to stand down
reportedly for health and aging reasons but noted that it was an “entirely
unexpected, surprise and rare development”. We would keep Pope Benedict in our
prayers, Zed added.
Zed hoped that the new Pope, which would reportedly be
elected at a conclave before Easter after Benedict vacated the position on February 28, would intensify the
Roman Catholic Church’s efforts at leading interfaith dialogue and creating
harmony among world’s diverse religions; be more open to reforms; and bring
transparency, maturity, accountability and modernization to Church. Zed also
urged the new Pope to come up with a detailed worldwide White Paper on the
global child abuse scandal engulfing the Church.
Rajan Zed suggested that new Pope; leader of about 1.2
billion adherents worldwide, “supreme priest", holder of "Keys to the
Kingdom of Heaven", supreme shepherd and teacher of the faithful, “The
Holy Father”, "Servant of the Servants of God"; should dedicate
himself for defending human rights, helping the helpless, charitable projects,
human improvement, ecological responsibility, etc.
The new Pope should also seriously take-up the issue of
apartheid faced by about 15-million Roma (Gypsies) of Europe, whose traces in Europe went as far back as ninth century CE, Zed stated.
Moreover, he should reconsider favorably the ordination of
women priests as women could disseminate God’s message as skillfully as men and
deserved equal and full participation and access in religion. Church could hold
a referendum among its congregations worldwide to learn about the feelings of
Catholics on the subject. Holy See being the largest religious organization in
the world should show exemplary leadership in women equality to the rest of the
planet, Rajan Zed argued.
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