"the only solid reality is the word of God"
According to the AP, that's what Joseph Ratzinger said today. I dug around Benedictus XVI's website hoping to find a complete quote, but the speech isn't posted or hasn't been translated to English. Either way, the intent and spirit of the statement is a middle finger to logic and reason, just a blank-faced rejection of reality.
He apparently said it in the context of the current financial crisis, perhaps trying to explain - correctly, in some cases - that people who pursue money for money's sake are not living their lives to the fullest. From that perspective, I agree. There is a clear line between self-interest and outright greed. Though the latter is a legitimate goal as long as its pursuit is undertaken without aggression, money cannot coherently be the endpoint to one's life. True avarice like this is rare, but worth mentioning.
However, I have my doubts Ratzinger drew distinctions that fine. He's the uber-Christian so he won't be able to just remain reasonable about things. He's from a philosophical tradition that stresses the pointlessness of the here and now (despite the glaring contradiction that creates when other topics arise, such as systematic starvation or war). What matters is the color and texture of your faith's fabric. What matters is agreement with him and the institution he leads.
Nevermind that taking his words at face value (which is one of those pesky default positions public liars hate their audiences to take) means hilarious, frightening, and absurd consequences. I had no idea I was typing on my Gawd's Breath Keyboard to compose this post. Do the hundreds of people involved in car accidents this morning doubt in any way the "solid reality" of mass multiplied by velocity? Maybe this mystical air enriched with a few select soundwaves (or, more charitably, a dead language written upon decaying paper) is really what Ratzinger's audience experienced when he spoke. Maybe that's what he experienced while he spoke!
I wonder if the pope's bedroom door is solid. Or the Vatican City's 9-figure budget. Or the love of newlyweds. Or my inability to peacefully conduct my affairs because I lost my driver's license. Or the friendships I've documented all over my kitchen. Or car bombings in Pakistan. Or you, reading this, right now.
Why are these people taken seriously?