It must be tough to be Pope Benedict XVI. As leader of the Catholic Church, he has some big shoes to fill, especially as he tries to conquer -- or should I say reconquer -- Latin America. His predecessor, Pope John Paul II, left an indelible mark during his 26 years of papacy, and nowhere was it more profound than in Latin America, where almost half of the world’s Catholics reside.

Benedict XVI just finished his first trip to the region with a five-day visit to Brazil. The main activities on the agenda were: the canonization of Friar Antonio Galvao, the first Brazilian-born saint; a meeting in a sports stadium with Latin American youth; and a major address at the opening ceremony of the Fifth General Conference of the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean. But the underlying motive behind his trip was to attempt to stem the exodus of the faithful from the Catholic Church and reaffirm its conservative doctrine.

The exodus did not happen overnight. The Catholic Church has been losing followers for more than four decades, and part of the disenchantment with the church began in Brazil. It is in this country -- the most populous in Latin America and the one with the largest amount of Catholics in the world -- where liberation theology has its roots. Adding the element of social justice to religion through political activism attracted Catholics around the world who felt that the church was not looking out for the interests of the poor, oppressed masses. But liberation theology drew the criticism of the church’s hierarchy, in part because of its links to left-leaning, atheist governments.

It was during the papacy of John Paul II that the Catholic Church lost followers by the millions, mostly to evangelical movements. It is believed that the more-lively masses and the informality of the language in Protestant churches are attracting more followers. But for many Catholics, it is also the staunchly conservative position of the Vatican on such issues as abortion rights, birth control, divorce and gay marriage that has pushed them away. Some of the church’s critics believe its doctrine is intolerant, unrealistic and out of touch with today’s reality. In Brazil, for example, the government treats abortion and birth control as public health issues and distributes condoms by the millions to its population to try to prevent the spread of AIDS, while the Catholic Church promotes abstinence as a solution.

Ironically, it was Pope Benedict XVI in his previous role as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith who represented the views that for years had been driving millions of Catholics from the church. As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he ordered the strict enforcement of some of the most conservative positions of the church, and since 1981 it was his job, as chief assistant to John Paul II, to formulate the pope’s teachings.

But the message, although stern, was delivered with such compassion and charisma by the Polish pontiff that it was overlooked by many of the church’s critics. John Paul II helped change the perception of the church as an unreachable institution. Through his many trips around the world, he brought the church to the people. He criticized both communism and capitalism, shifting the focus from politics to morality. He canonized more saints than all of the popes before him put together to show that sainthood is accessible to all. By speaking, or at least attempting to speak, their language, he connected with the masses.

Pope Benedict XVI came to Brazil to tell Catholics in Latin America that the doctrine of the church is not negotiable. He is asking them to help him restore purity to the church’s principles and to preserve the sanctity of the family unit. The question is if the same message delivered by this new messenger will be able to attract newcomers and restore the faith of those who have gone elsewhere in search of spiritual guidance and acceptance.

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(Maria Elena Salinas is the author of “I AM MY FATHER’S DAUGHTER: LIVING A LIFE WITHOUT SECRETS.” Reach her at www
.mariaesalinas.com)
© 2007 by Maria Elena Salinas
Distributed by King Features Syndicate