You'd like the church to revive the time-honored devotions, liturgical practices, and strong institutional discipline that prevailed before the Second Vatican Council—and you're hoping that Pope Benedict XVI will lead the church in exactly that direction. Your favorite hymn is probably a traditional Latin composition such as the "Panis Angelicus," and your favorite pope is probably a pioneer of the Church's great liturgical tradition such as Gregory the Great. You loved "The Passion of the Christ."
Read stories of interest to you:
By Fr. John McCloskey
By Jim Moore
By Arlene Oost-Zimmer and Jeffrey Tucker
By George Weigel
By Jeffrey Tucker
You Are a Divine Office (Moderately Traditional) Catholic
The Second Vatican Council was much needed, as far as you're concerned, but you see no reason to push the church further in the direction of change, as many progressives urge. You like the dynamic combination of the traditional approach toward doctrine with the opening of the church to the world that Pope John Paul II (your favorite pope) represented. As far as liturgy is concerned, a reverent Mass in the vernacular is your favorite, as is a vernacular hymn with a feeling for the transcendent such as "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence." When Nicole Kidman returned to her childhood Catholicism and regular Mass attendance, you were thrilled.
Read stories of interest to you:
Interview with Cardinal Christoph Schonborn
By John Zmirak
Interview by Fr. Raymond J. de Souza
By George Weigel
By Philip Jenkins
You Are an Ignatian Exercises (Moderately Progressive) Catholic
You love the church, but you'd like to see some changes in certain areas--birth control, divorce, the role of women--where official teaching seems disconnected from contemporary experience. You find the new vernacular liturgy, forms of prayer (such as adapting the age-old Ignatian Exercises for the laity), and devotions that arose in the wake of the Second Vatican Council much more relevant to your own spirituality than the old. Your favorite hymn is probably a contemporary standard such as "On Eagle's Wings." It goes without saying that your favorite pope is John XXIII, the pope of Vatican II. You admire examples of sanctity that seem relevant to our time, such as Dorothy Day. You loved the movie "The Mission," because it reflected a Christian concern for the marginalized that was squelched by the institutional church.
Read stories of interest to you:
By Fr. Ronald Rolheiser
By Paige Byrne Shortal
By Fr. Andrew Greeley
By Sr. Joan Chittister
By Luke Timothy Johnson
You Are a Centering Prayer (Very Progressive) Catholic
As far as you're concerned, the Second Vatican Council was the best thing that ever happened to the church—but since then, the much-needed changes it made in the structure, theology and liturgy of the church have been hijacked by reactionary priests, bishops, and laity. You believe that in order to be relevant to our time and faithful to the teachings of Jesus, the church must dismantle its current hierarchical structure and change its teachings on such issues as birth control and gay unions. You believe that social justice, especially for minorities and women, is the church's most important—and most neglected—concern. Your idea of a good movie is "Dead Man Walking." When someone asks you who your favorite pope is, your first thought is that the papacy itself is a suspect institution—so why not "Pope Joan?"
Read stories of interest to you:
Interview With Garry Wills
By Henri Nouwen
By Fr. Gerard Thomas
Interview With Hans Kung
By Margaret O'Brien Steinfels
And all Catholics will enjoy:
Interview With Fr. Albert Cutie
By Mary Beth McCauley
By Immaculee Ilibagiza
By Juli Loesch Wiley
By Fr. James Martin
By Rocco Palmo
