Today in Rome

When the Liberal "comes out" to the Conservative, or in this case, the Conservative to the Liberal, interesting things happen.

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VATICAN CITY (July 7) - Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday removed restrictions on celebrating the old Latin Mass, reviving a rite that was all but swept away by the liberalizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council.

The decision, a victory for traditional, conservative Roman Catholics, came over the objections of liberal-minded Catholics and angered Jews because the Tridentine Mass contains a prayer for their conversion.
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Something radical has happened in the Catholic 'family'. Their most prominent member, the Pope, has made a change which totally "outs" his conservativism. Whereas it was a known leaning before, there is now no doubt of it's depth, nor it's ability to influence others. The divisiveness of this one act will become apparent over time. For some it will be a celebration of the ability to practice their religious conservativism as they choose and they will become more openly devout through that practice. For others it is a damnation of their previous world and they are outraged that others will have the freedom to do this one act. Though it changes nothing about their own world and choices on how they practice their religion, they will be outraged at another's freedoms. So too it is in other non-mainstream lifestyles, be it religious, sexual preference or relationship style choices...

The move has had interesting reaction globally, but one of the most rational i think is that of French Cardinal Ricard.

Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, the head of the French bishops' conference, warned that the move will create divisions. "There will be resistance from both sides. Just because you have in a family a cousin who is a bit different, whom you tolerate and accept, doesn't mean that the whole family adopts his positions or his way of life."

While on the one hand Ricard warns of resistance from both sides, and i'll be curious to see how this "resistance" manifests in the religious world, he then effectively reiterates a tenent of the BDSM/Lifestyle... "Your kink may not be my kink, but i'll defend your right to practice it!" i have to respect him for that open-minded perspective.

It will be an interesting few months and maybe much longer, as we watch the movement of the religious world around us as they react to their Pope's drastic act.

We who practice alternative lifestyles or religions have something to learn from our observations. Of the many questions i seek answers to through watching this are... Should one "come out" as a practicioner of an alt lifestyle or religion to the vanilla world at large? To our family world? Why? Why not? Does it behoove us to be discrete and hidden, or "tolerated and accepted" says Cardinal Ricard, at all times? Would we, individually or as an alt community, be better served by being more "out"? How do we weigh those repercussions and make those decisions? How do we react if the power to make that decision is taken from us? How do we/i behave if we know we cannot be 'ourselves' in the face of the reactions of others? Are the schisms that may take place in our lives worth that?

History is a great teacher. i look to the elders of the gay rights communities for some of these answers and i see the stiff price that was paid by so many. Today i see their celebration of freedoms before thought impossible. It is because of the activism and the price that was paid on their behalf that future generations will be able to live as they choose. i wonder who, if anyone, or if i, will know the right time or have the strength and fortitude do that for my own communities and future generations.