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      John Allen, the self-anointed expert on Pope Benedict has offered some back handed support to the Pope on his upcoming trip to the US and speech to the United Nations. The Pope in his opinon seems to have serious communication problems. In the op-ed section of the NY Times today, he opines that

     Part of the problem is that so far, this cerebral Pope has a track record of blurring such compelling arguments during his biggest turns on stage. Allen is referring to Pope Benedict’s remarks being “misunderstood” at Auschwitz, Regensburg, Brazil and to the NGO’s in Italy. In each case, Pope Benedict goes beyond the superficial to deal with the real issue, which always goes back to the Truth. Allen continues  by writing that Pope Benedict’s ideas however, were overshadowed by a few throwaway phrases that betray a worrying insensitivity to how unfamiliar audiences are likely to hear what he says.

     If Pope Benedict seeks anything, it is perfect clarity in regard to the nature of the question being studied and an honest assessment of its virtues and drawbacks. THAT IS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM FOR ALLEN! Benedict says what he means and means what he says. He does not obfuscate or water down the truth. The Truth has a habit of making the hearer when he/she rejects or does not know the truth, naked. When the truth is clearly proclaimed, whether it is on issues of  religion or those of social or sexual or cultural morality, there is nothing for us to hide behind. It is what it is. When he goes to the UN in April to speak, I’m sure that many will be offended, if for no other reason that the Pope claims to know the Truth as given to us in Jesus Christ.

       A long time ago, when Jesus told a politician that he came to bear witness to the truth, the politician replied “What is truth?” I’m sure that many will repeat Pilate’s words today. Allen seems to think the Pope needs to find a way to make the truth palatable to the post-modern person. The fact of the matter is that if you have no taste for truth, it will never taste good. The world has, I believe, lost its taste for truth. The only way to get people face it is to put a big, heaping spoonful in front of their face and say “Open up wide.” If we are proclaiming the truth of Jesus Christ and the human person in a spirit of charity and humility, and it offends someone, it is not our problem. It is theirs.