Master of the sonnet, his poetic voice is easily recognizable for its classicism, its transparency, its fervor, its fluidity, its human simplicity and its positive breath, managing to create from the most vivid emotion a very personal world where beauty is a constant flow of inspiration and joy.
He opened the doors of his home and his family to me; he gave me the gift of his friendship; he dedicated one of his books (Toast), which I prologued for him; he ended up being one of those people who are missed when they physically disappear. The Valdepeñero Paco Creis, one of his closest confidants, pointed out three traits of his character that are worth taking into account: purity in love, clarity in faith and cleanliness in his ideals; three traits that define him humanly and spiritually and, besides being an excellent and prolific poet, we had him for a close, lively, enthusiastic person, one of those that are worth frequenting. His home -especially that Madrid room surrounded by books and paintings that constituted his office- was the setting for many gatherings where the reading of verses, both his own and those of the other guests, flowed like wine in an endless feast.
In perfect consonance, therefore, they were united in López Anglada her kindness, her cordiality, her ability to listen and, of course, her poetic creativity. Within the latter, there is a subtle thread that configures her: naturalness. From it, she was able to approach any subject, giving it lyrical consistency. In a special way, spousal love stands out, present throughout her literary trajectory, although perhaps it is convenient to broaden the thematic arc to everything that surrounded her: his children, his homeland, his military profession, his city of birth (Ceuta), the town of Fontiveros (where his remains are buried together with those of Maruja, his wife), Burgohondo (Ávila), his favorite authors (Saint Teresa of Jesus, Saint John of the Cross, Antonio Machado, Gerardo Diego), his friends and, without a doubt, God, to whom he sang on multiple occasions in a sparkling manner as a continuous presence in his personal life, particularly visible in Territory of the dreamwith which he won the Fernando Rielo World Prize for Mystical Poetry in 1995: a book of maturity, written almost in the "slum of old age", as Jorge Manrique would say, but fresh, exciting, full of luminosity, with the wise experience of one who knows that "life must be filled with hope".
Poetic autobiography
It is, in fact, his own biography, in the hustle and bustle of age, to which he constantly sings, as if existence were a "today is always still" in the Machadian saying. And he is seen in love, writing one of the most joyful, neat, passionate and beautiful love stories of post-war Spanish poetry, where the beloved has her own name or is called "friend", or "my love", or is a continuous reference to which he appeals incessantly; and so, she inspires him a sonnet as well as an ode, because she is: "my love".the struggle that lifts / the soul from the sand and the body from the hours" and, since he has known her, "only this orchard / of snow and lilies surrounded / where you, exact and unique, / complete the destiny taking me to tomorrow / matters.". Poetry all of it integral, pundonorosa, optimistic, of the most exalted of the contemporary lyric, of the one that moves to the gratitude to God for so encouraging source of inspiration. And it is here, precisely here, in his love poems, where a large part of his most inspired verses are contained
And next to the beloved -the fruit of mutual love- the children. From the firstborn: "petal almost, small, / but present, / continuing my life / foreverto the one who devotes herself to the craft of pottery: "...".One of my daughters is a potter. Know this, friends; with her hands she takes / the clay and makes me a dove (...)"; passing through the experience of the first eight descendants, whom she celebrates in inspired sonnets in "Redondel de los ocho niños" ("Roundel of the eight children")"or by the contemplation of the whole of its offspring: "Earth and love my offspring; / earth for pain and light that burned / to light the dark places / where today you are and everything is already white, / where today the earth is childlike and pure, / where today God and I see you, my children.". Undoubtedly, samples of poems in favor of his progeny are not lacking.
At the same time, his friends -poets and painters stand out- are another of his preferences. As the compositions he writes to them are frequent, I will not focus on any specific one. Without theories, without abstract approaches, in each of them he shows his persevering cult to friendship with commendable, emotional texts, attentive to draw from others, in the words of Pedro Salinas, "his best you".
Territory of the dream
However, as I have already pointed out, God is his most intense intimate experience. In general, in his first poems he sings of him or names him by linking him to his beloved. It will be with the passing of the years when his presence becomes more solid, direct, raw and flaming; sometimes threaded with the theme of death. Territory of the dream is, in this sense, as I have already said, his great religious poetry book. Although he has published other books in which he fervently approaches specific events in the biography of Saint John or Saint Teresa of Jesus, or relives in versified form the unforgettable visit he made with his wife to Holy Land in 1983, it is only in this collection of poems that he reaches his deepest expression of his approach to God. Thus, the volume is presented in principle as a succession of disquieting, interrogative poems, in which the Calderonian idea prevails that this life is possibly a dream -the real one will be the one that comes later: eternal life-. Whether it is or not, he is not driven to pessimism, to desolation, but to the conviction -it is confirmed time and time again- that God is on his side: "You, by my side, listening to me"and that the mere fact of thinking about him is more than enough to confirm his existence: "I am not a man, I am a woman.I think, therefore you exist"This consideration should not be understood as a projection of his own conscience but as a reality different from himself, to whom he addresses himself fundamentally with the appellative "Lord". Thus, the poems follow one after the other in a dialogical manner, going through some of the most pressing concerns of his vital trajectory: his children, his inner despairs or the verification of his own existence in the world.
Temporariness
These first texts are followed by a curious section full of surrealist images, "Parables", made up of five poems of very different orientations but with a common thread: temporality as the place where the existence of human beings is forged and where dreams, hopes, joys and even the thought of another possible future life can be found. This section is followed by "Exit to the light": four compositions equally written in a complex, rapturous atmosphere, with an almost Lorca-like flavor, in which different episodes framed in the poet's childhood, in his battle with words and in his eagerness to discover points of light to which to cling,
The end of the Territory of the dream is formed by the section "Face to Face": nine sonnets of Eucharistic flavor - wisely constructed, emotional, confidential, very much in the line of Anglada's poetry, but delicious as falsillas for prayer - which once again reveal the poet loaded with humanity and simplicity that López Anglada was, convinced that "to live is tomorrow", which is why he leaves written in a magnificent poem of The hand on the wall -also with splendid religious texts.–: "My heart remembers that to live is tomorrow, / (...) My soul, / everything is ready. Don't miss me tomorrow". With this in mind, he lived to the fullest.
Pope denounces "attempts by international forums to impose a single way of thinking".
The Holy Father's address to the diplomatic corps addressed topics such as the right to life, religious freedom, ideological totalitarianism and condemnation of the global arms race.
The Blessing Room hosted the Audience of the Members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See for the presentation of New Year's greetings to Pope Francis.
A wide-ranging speech in both length and content. The meeting of Pope Francis with the members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See was the scene of an "invocation for peace in a world that sees divisions and wars growing" as the Pope wanted to point out.
The Pope once again referred to the third world war that we are currently experiencing "in pieces" and wanted to recall the key points of the EncyclicalPacem in terris of St. John XXIII, which is now 60 years old and, unfortunately, is still very relevant today.
Pope Francis wanted to frame his speech in the context of the sixtieth anniversary of the Encyclical Pacem in Terris of St. John XXIII. As the pontiff wanted to point out, the nuclear threat that then loomed over the world "is still evoked today, plunging the world into fear" and he directly pointed out his concern about "the stalemate in the negotiations on the resumption of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, better known as the Agreement on the Iranian nuclear program".
"Today the third world war is underway in a globalized world, in which conflicts seem to directly affect only some areas of the planet, but which substantially involve everyone," the Pope pointed out. In this war in pieces, the Pope recalled the current conflict in Syria, the increase in violence between Palestinians and Israelis, the situation in the southern Caucasus, the dramas experienced by the populations of Burkina Faso, Mali and Nigeria and the situation in Myanmar. In all of them, the Pope denounced, "the lethal consequences of a continuous recourse to the production of armaments are always highlighted", a reality in the face of which Francis categorically affirmed that "no peace is possible where instruments of death proliferate".
Abortion, a violent attack on peace and the dignity of life
The Pope wanted to follow the four "fundamental goods" contained in Pacen in terris: truth, justice, solidarity and freedom.
With regard to the first, Peace in truth, the Pope pointed out that "peace demands that above all life be defended, a good that today is endangered not only by conflicts, hunger and disease, but all too often even in the womb, affirming a presumed "right to abortion."
A clear condemnation of abortion and antinatalist policies was repeated in the Pope's speech, which pointed out the "'fear' of life, which in many places is translated as fear of the future and of the future of the Church. difficulties in starting a family or having children" and that leads to the reality of a demographic winter, such as the European one, which is difficult to bear in a welfare state.
In this regard, the Pope wanted to make "an appeal to the consciences of men and women of good will, particularly those with political responsibilities, to work to protect the rights of the weakest and to eradicate the culture of discarding, which unfortunately also includes the sick, the disabled and the elderly".
Denouncing ideological totalitarianism
Perhaps one of the strongest points of this year's address to diplomats was the Pope's denunciation of the lack of freedom in the world. The Pontiff went beyond the "known" shortcomings of to denounce the "growing polarizations and attempts in various international forums to impose a unique way of thinkingThis prevents dialogue and marginalizes those who think differently".
Faced with the representatives of various nations of the world, the Holy Father pointed to "an ideological totalitarianism that promotes intolerance towards those who do not adhere to supposed positions of 'progress'" and that employs "more and more resources to impose, especially on the poorest countries, forms of ideological colonization, creating, moreover, a direct link between the granting of economic aid and the acceptance of such ideologies".
Nor did the Pope want to forget the ideologization to which the educational system has been subjected in many countries that try to impose educational laws that violate the freedom of conscience and belief of families. The Pope recalled that "education always requires full respect for the person and for his or her natural physiognomy, avoiding imposing a new and different confused vision of the human being".
Religious freedom, one of the issues that most concerns the Pope today, also played a part in this speech. In this regard, Francis recalled that "one-third of the world's population lives in a world in which persecution because of their faith. Along with the lack of religious freedom there is also persecution on religious grounds."
The Pope has put the spotlight on violence and the discrimination against Christians that occur not only in places where Christians are in the minority but "where believers the possibility of expressing their own convictions is reduced. in the sphere of social life, in the name of a misinterpretation of inclusion. Religious freedom, which cannot be reduced to mere freedom of worship, is one of the minimum requirements necessary to live in dignity".
Migration, labor and care for the planet
Finally, following the line expressed in documents such as Fratelli Tutti or Laudato Si', the pontiff wanted to emphasize "three areas, in which the interconnectedness that unites humanity today emerges with particular force": migration, work and economy and care for the planet.
With regard to migration, Francis again called for "strengthening the normative framework, through the approval of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, so that adequate policies can be implemented to welcome, accompany, promote and integrate migrants.
At the same time, he called for "giving dignity to the company and to work, combating all forms of exploitation that end up treating workers in the same way as a commodity" and, finally, he recalled the negative effects that climate change is having on the most vulnerable populations.
The Pope closed his speech by pointing out "the weakening, in many parts of the world, of democracy and the possibility of freedom" and launched an almost utopian wish "it would be beautiful if sometime we could meet only to thank the omnipotent Lord for the benefits he always grants us, without being obliged to enumerate the dramatic situations that afflict humanity" before thanking the diplomatic representatives gathered there.
How do translators preserve the spirit of Scripture while adapting the original text to modern languages? What is the greatest challenge in translating texts? Have we lost essential details by not reading Sacred Scripture in its original language? Why are there so many different versions of the Bible? Luis Sánchez Navarro, professor at the University of San Dámaso, answers these questions.
Luis Sánchez Navarro-January 9, 2023-Reading time: 2minutes
The Bible was written to be translated. He who said "go and do disciples And I am with you to the end of the age" (Mt 28:19-20) was entrusting to the Twelve the task of bringing the Gospel to all people of all times. And that has required, requires and will require translation. Therefore, every generation is called to translate the Bible.
Translation and "betrayal
Linguistic theory explains that exact translation is impossible, since each language is different and prevents automatic equivalences between terms and expressions; therefore, the act of translation is already an interpretation. But this, inevitably, also allows the transmission of the message. The Italian motto has become famous traduttore traditoreThe expression could also be translated as "traitor translator"; an exact translation 100% is impossible. But the expression could also be translated as "transmitting translator" (traditore derived from traditio, "tradition"): the translator thus becomes a channel for perpetuating a text.
Translation is a delicate art, for it requires a double fidelity: to the author and to the reader; but this tension is not mutually exclusive, but fruitful. Moreover, Bible translation is even more complex because the human author is joined to the divine Author. Therefore, between fidelity to the reader and fidelity to the Author, the latter must prevail, as the unforgettable Fr. Manuel Iglesias, eminent translator of the New Testament into Spanish in the last fifty years, maintained. However, this new "actor" generates a singular fact: because it turns out that the Author, God, is alive, and therefore is capable of speaking. today through a word of yesterday.
Therefore, any attempt to strip the word of its mystery must be discarded. It is up to the believing reader to enter into that mystery to discover the light it unfolds. For this reason, the translation must always seek fidelity to the original, always, of course, with the utmost linguistic accuracy and care. It will be up to the editor to provide (in introductions or notes) those explanations he considers necessary to illuminate this translation, to indicate other possible translations and to show its timeliness.
Sacred Scripture and Liturgy
In view of the above, there are different types of translations; for example, a translation for study (which favors a maximum closeness to the original languages: Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek) is not the same as a translation for study (which favors a maximum closeness to the original languages: Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek) or a translation for study (which favors a maximum closeness to the original languages: Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek). liturgical (in which sober and dignified beauty prevails in order to proclaim). But all of them must express that double fidelity that, privileging the Author, seeks to enlighten the mind and heart of the reader. Finally, it should be noted that the reading of Sacred Scripture is always an ecclesial act; therefore, its most proper setting is the liturgy. In this context, there is no fear of missing essential data: the Holy Spirit is concerned with introducing the listener or reader, by means of this word, to the Revelation of the living God. The Bible, given to the people of God, allows every Christian to enter into this relationship of love; therefore, the Church teaches us that the saints give us the genuine "translation" of the Gospel (see Benedict XVI, Apostolic Exhortation Verbum DominiNo. 48-49).
The authorLuis Sánchez Navarro
Professor of New Testament II Faculty of Theology San Dámaso University
Freedom, sanctity and reason in the teaching of Benedict XVI
Joseph Weiler, the winner of the Ratzinger Prize 2022, the last of those that the Pope Emeritus was able to see during his lifetime, reflects in this article on Benedict XVI's conception of freedom and religion.
Joseph Weiler-January 8, 2023-Reading time: 11minutes
A Pope speaks urbi et orbiHe was not only the bishop of Rome, but also a moral guide for the whole world, for people of all confessions, including non-believers. This was never more evident than in his famous Regensburg speeches and in his address to the Bundestag, the German parliament.
Reading Ratzinger is, in a way, like reading the Scriptures. It is open to more than one interpretation. What follows, then, is my interpretation, without claiming to be the only one, or even the best possible one. Caveat, reader!
Freedom "from" religion and freedom "against" religion in a secular world.
What is the "civic religion" that unites all Europeans? We certainly believe in the need for liberal democracy as the framework within which our public life must develop. Free elections with universal suffrage, the protection of fundamental human rights and the rule of law constitute the "holy trinity" of this civic faith.
Freedom "from" religion is enshrined in all European constitutions. But it is commonly understood, and rightly so, that it also includes freedom "from" religion. This is positive and negative religious freedom in the case law of the European Court of Human Rights.
However, freedom "from" religion poses a challenge to liberal theory. We have no similar notion, for example, of freedom "from" socialism. Or of freedom "from" neoliberalism. If a socialist government is democratically elected, we expect policies that derive from and implement a socialist worldview, obviously respecting the rights of minorities. And, whether we like it or not, we are expected to comply with the laws that concretize these policies, even if we are not socialists. The same would happen, for example, with a neoliberal government. But if it is a Catholic-oriented government that is elected, taking freedom "from" religion seriously means that this government's hands are tied when it comes to passing laws derived from its religious worldview.
Indeed, one of the greatest political philosophers of the twentieth century, John Rawls, has argued that our democratic practice itself, regardless of whether it is left-wing or right-wing, must always be based on arguments derived from human reason, whose rules can be shared by all regardless of their ideological orientation, and therefore be open to persuasion and change of opinion. Religion, Rawls has affirmed without attributing to it a disparaging connotation, is based on incommensurable and non-negotiable truths, self-referential and transcendental. And, therefore, unsuitable for the democratic terrain.
We have, therefore, two challenges within our multicultural society composed of believers and non-believers.
The first: how can liberal theory explain and justify freedom "from" religion? Of course, there are many attempts to rationalize this question within a liberal framework. None of them really convince me. Ultimately, if a socialist has the right to impose his worldview on society, why should the same be denied to a Catholic?
And the second, the Rawlsian one: what claim do groups of believers have to participate in democratic life - as people of faith - if, in fact, the religious worldview is (and is) linked to non-negotiable, self-referential and transcendental truths?
In my opinion, Benedict, with his speeches in Regensburg and in the Bundestag, has given the most convincing answer to these two challenges.
II. John Paul II, followed by Benedict, was in the habit of claiming freedom of religion as the most fundamental of all freedoms. In our secular culture, this affirmation was generally received with an indulgent smile: "What freedom would you expect a Pope to privilege?", interpreting such an affirmation in a corporatist sense, as if the Pope were a union leader concerned with securing benefits for his members. There is nothing ignoble about the shepherd caring for his flock, but this interpretation overlooks the true meaning of the Pontiff's position.
What had not received enough attention, in all the uproar caused by the comments of the Pope in RegensburgThe main focus of the religious freedom to which the Pontiff alluded was the fact that, in the religious freedom to which the Pontiff alluded, attention was concentrated on freedom of religion. in the face of religion: the freedom to adhere to the religion of one's choice or of not being religious at all. Benedict forcefully articulated all of this, and explicitly showed what was already expressed in the Dignitatis Humanaeof Vatican II, which John Paul II had emphasized, and which is certainly also part of the magisterium of Pope Francis.
Note well: his justification and defense of freedom "from" religion was not an expression of, nor a concession to, liberal notions of tolerance and freedom. It was the expression of a profound proposal nun. "We do not impose our faith on anyone. Such proselytism is contrary to Christianity. Faith can only develop in freedom," the Pope affirmed in Regensburg, addressing his faithful and the whole world. Thus, at the heart of religious freedom is the freedom to say "no" even to God.
Obviously, that freedom must have an external dimension: the State must guarantee by law to all freedom "from" religion and freedom "against" religion. But no less important, as I understood his message, was inner freedom. We Jews say: "Everything is in the hands of God, except the fear of God". That's the way God wanted it, leaving the choice to us. True religiosity, a true "yes" to God, can come from a being who not only has the outer material conditions, but also the inner spiritual capacity to understand that the choice, yes or no, and the responsibility for that choice, is ours.
Benedict has thus made freedom "from" religion a theological proposition. This is, after all, the heart of the Second Vatican Council and of Ratzinger's contribution to the Council and its subsequent interpretation. This, in turn, has a profound anthropological significance. Religious freedom touches the deepest notion of the human being as an autonomous agent with the faculty of moral choice, also with respect to his own Creator. When Hebraism and Christianity express the relationship between God and man in terms of covenant, they celebrate this double sovereignty: the sovereignty of the divine offering and the sovereignty of the individual to whom it is offered.
I believe that everyone, believers and non-believers alike, can understand that if one accepts the existence of an omnipotent Creator, insisting as an intrinsic religious proposition on the freedom to say no to such a Creator is fundamental to the very understanding of our human condition. In this sense it is paramount that John Paul II and Benedict XVI have defended the primacy of religious freedom: it stands as an emblem of the very ontology of the human condition. Of what it means to be human.
One can go a step further. Quoting James, Benedict XVI explains in his homily at Regensburg (to which too little attention has been paid) that "the regal law," the law of the kingship of God, is also "the law of freedom." This is puzzling: if, by exercising this freedom, one accepts the transcendental regal law, how can this constitute a real enhancement of one's freedom? Does not the law, by its very nature, imply accepting restrictions on our freedom?
I understand Benedict to have said that by acting outside the bonds of God's law I simply become a slave to my human condition, to my human desires. In the words of St. Ambrose: "Quoam multos dominos habet qui unum refugerit!". To accept the law of God, as the "governing law," the law of the One who transcends this world, is to affirm my inner freedom in the face of anyone and anything in this world. There is no better antidote against all forms of totalitarianism in this world. This is true freedom.
IIIWhat then of the second challenge, the Rawlsian one? In my understanding of the Bundestag speech, Benedict did not reject the Rawlsian premise. Without mentioning it by name, Ratzinger did not challenge Rawls' premise, but his erroneous understanding of Christianity.
When Catholics, Benedict argued, enter the public sphere to advance proposals on public norms that can become binding in law, they do not make these proposals on the basis of revelation and faith or religion (even though they may coincide with these). It is part, as we have seen, of Christian anthropology that human beings are endowed with the faculty of reason, common to humanity, which, moreover, constitutes the legitimate language of general public normativity. The content of the Christian question within the public sphere will therefore be in the realm of practical reason: morality and ethics as often expressed through natural law. If I may give an example, when Cain killed Abel, he did not turn and say to the Lord: you never told me that killing was forbidden. Nor does the reader of Scripture raise such an objection. It is understood that by virtue of their creation (for believers in the image of God) we all have the ability to distinguish between the just and the unjust and do not need divine revelation to do so.
Nor is this a concession to secularism. It is an inevitable outcome of the religious propositions that informed the Regensburg discourse. To adopt a publicly binding norm based solely on faith and revelation would violate precisely that deep, religiously grounded commitment to religious freedom, for which forced faith is a contradiction and is contrary to the divine will.
It is also a bold proposition. Yes, on the one hand it constitutes the Catholic's entry visa into the normative public square on an equal footing. At the same time, it imposes a serious and severe discipline on the community of faith. The discipline of reason could force a revision of moral positions. Gone is that joker in the deck, "This is what God has commanded." This is not part of shared public reason. If you adopt a language, you have to speak it correctly in order to be understood and to be convincing. And this also applies to the language of reason.
The value of sanctity
IV. I now turn to what I consider to be an extraordinary teaching addressed specifically to the community of the faithful, and which is opportunely found in the homily at Regensburg, rather than in the famous address to the academic community.
The nexus between general normativity and reason is seductive and, in a certain sense, constitutive of Christian identity. But here lies an interesting danger for the homo religiosus. This is the danger of reducing one's religiosity to ethics as it is often expressed in natural law, however important it may be.
"Social issues and the Gospel are inseparable" was one of the central messages of the homily in Regensburg. It is a striking phrase. For me, the more interesting question is: why did the Pope find it necessary to remind his flock that social concerns and the Gospel are inseparable?
I will now begin to answer this question, with the obvious humility and distrust that derives from the fact that I, an outsider, enter the terrain of a faith community to which I do not belong. If I am wrong, I would be happy to be corrected.
The Pope warned us, believers in general, and more specifically his Catholic flock, of the danger of considering that the Christian demand for public normativity expressed through the language of general reason applicable to all human beings, exhausts the meaning of a religious life or even of Christian normativity.
Social issues," as an expression of morality and ethics, are central to the Abrahamic religions, but by themselves they do not define religious sensibility, religious impetus or religious meaning. After all, religion does not have a monopoly on morality and ethics. An atheist can lead an ethical life and have an interest in social issues no less noble than believers.
The religious category par excellence, the one that has no equivalence or correspondence in a secular vision of the world, is sanctity. To reduce religion exclusively to social-ethical concerns, however important they may be, leads to a fatal diminution of the meaning of holiness. Of course, holiness is not separate from ethics and morality. Morality and ethics are necessary conditions, but they are not sufficient for holiness. Holiness is not exhausted in ethics and morality. It denotes something more: closeness to God's love for us and our love for Him, His presence in our whole existence.
I want to share a famous passage of Scripture, found in both the Old and New Testaments - Love your neighbor as yourself - which I think perfectly matches Benedict's insistence in his homily that social issues and the Gospel are inseparable.
Where is this passage found for the first time? It is in Leviticus, chapter 19. A very special chapter in the entire Bible because it explicitly addresses the notion of holiness.
"The Lord said again to Moses, 'Speak to the whole community of the Israelites and command them, 'Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy'" (Lev 19:1-2).
It is this chapter where the precept "Love your neighbor" is found. But we all tend to forget the end of that passage. It is not simply "Love your neighbor as yourself", but "Love your neighbor as yourself", I am the Lord". And it is this final part that introduces the homo religiousus in the notion of holiness, which goes beyond the common morality of all humanity.
I want to emphasize that, in my opinion, the "added value" of holiness does not make the religious superior to his lay brothers and sisters. It simply makes him different.
Let me investigate the deeper meaning of "Love your neighbor as yourself - I am the Lord", and offer an interpretation.
Above all, the prescription of love goes beyond our normal understanding of ethical behavior that can be translated into natural law. No one would think of transposing into secular law the duty to love our neighbor. This is rather a manifestation of Catholic normativity, exquisitely expressed in the Gospel according to St. Matthew: "And if anyone asks you to go with him one mile, go with him two."
Second, the final part-I am the Lord-explains why this famous passage is found in a chapter that begins with the prescription to seek holiness. When we fulfill the obligation to love our neighbor, we are not only expressing our love for our neighbor and ourselves. Its fulfillment is also an expression of our love for the Lord. And this is where holiness resides.
I find it significant that Benedict gave us this teaching in the context of the Eucharistic celebration. For, insofar as I understand them, the various sacraments, prayer, the Mass in general and the Eucharistic celebration in particular, as well as all other similar practices, are the means by which the Church offers the believer the possibility of expressing love and devotion to the Lord. And this surely goes beyond simply leading an ethical life.
If there is any merit in this interpretation, it is that it contains a remarkable historical irony.
At the time of prophets such as Amos and Isaiah, and obviously in the Gospel, the faithful had to be reminded that faith and holiness could not be attained simply by following sacraments and rituals if these were not accompanied by ethical behavior and the royal Law of Love.
Today, the situation is reversed and it is necessary to remind believers that the richness of the religious sense is not exhausted simply in leading an ethical and solidary life. To lead an ethical life is a necessary condition, but certainly not sufficient. Ethical conduct and solidarity must be accompanied by a relationship with the divine, through prayer, through the sacraments, seeking the hand of the Creator in the world He has created.
It is part of the modern condition that makes many of the faithful almost ashamed of the Gospel, of the sacraments, as well as of the statements, the words used and the practices that express the sacramental aspects of their religion and faith. These appear, irony of ironies, as "unreasonable" (try telling that to St. Thomas Aquinas or St. Augustine!) And this phenomenon is widespread among all the children of Jacob/Israel.
The prophet Micah preached: "Man, you have been taught what is good and what the Lord requires of you: to practice righteousness, to love godliness, to walk humbly with your God" (Mic 6:8). Walk humbly, not in secret!
I would like to end on a personal note. I have had the privilege of meeting Pope Benedict on three occasions. Once was in 2013, shortly before his retirement, a rather brief meeting in which I introduced him to two of my daughters. The second occasion was a few years later, when at his request I was invited, to my surprise, since I had never formally been a student of Ratzinger, to deliver the keynote lecture at the celebrated "Ratzinger Schülerkreis," his Circle of Disciples, after which I had the sheer pleasure of having a long one-on-one conversation with the Pope Emeritus: pure theology. And, finally, our last meeting took place about a month ago, together with Fathers Fedou, Lombardi and Gänswein, on the occasion of the Ratzinger Award 2022. These encounters have remained indelibly etched in my mind. His parting words were meaningful and touching: "Please, my regards to your daughters".
Jorge Gutiérrez: "Pornography addiction is silent and slow".
Jorge Gutiérrez is a director of the entity. Dale Una Vuelta, a project that aims to provide information about the problematic consumption of pornography and to help people suffering from pornography addiction.
Jorge Gutiérrez is director of Give It A Spin. In this entity they aim to provide information, prevent and recover people with addiction to pornography or its problematic consumption.
In this interview, Jorge Gutiérrez talks about the consumption of pornography, its relationship with women's rights, changes in behavior and new platforms for sexual content.
Data indicate that pornography is consumed by more men than women, why is this?
Jorge Gutiérrez, director of "Dale Una Vuelta".
- The data, in fact, are that conclusive. All surveys and all studies always speak of an overwhelming majority of men rather than women in consumption. Although it is true that more and more women are watching pornography. We do notice that everything that has to do with addiction or problematic use of pornography is much more exclusive to men than to women.
Among the reasons, it is often said that it has a lot to do with the way of being and the nature of men and women. Men are usually stimulated much more by sight than women. The male has a slightly more primary sexuality and this is manifested in the fact that the consumption of pornography is overwhelmingly higher in men.
Why is pornography consumption related to aggressive sexual behaviors?
- You have to put everything in quotation marks. There is a lot of debate on this and it would not be very scientific to say that there is an obvious causal relationship between pornography consumption and violence. But it is true that it can be said that pornography facilitates, normalizes and, sometimes, is a preliminary step to violent attitudes. Women who consume pornography also normalize male aggression towards women.
On the other hand, there are people who say the opposite. Sometimes the consumption of pornography avoids precisely a violent attitude because you avoid taking action, let's say.
It is true that with the violence seen in pornography this is a stimulus and, of course, it is being seen lately even more in these assaults on minors.
What kind of changes occur in the structure of the brains of people addicted to pornography?
- There are more and more studies on behavioral addictions, such as this one. Neuroimaging studies show that there are similar changes in the brain of someone who consumes addictive substances with someone who consumes pornography in a problematic, compulsive or harmful way. This means that it affects similar areas of the brain and has the same neurological circuits affected as with other types of substances.
Does this mean that one is equally addictive as the other? No. Do they affect in the same way? No. Neither. But there is a very similar relationship between substance use and behavioral addictions.
The experts in neurology and addictions are the ones who will have to give the information, but certainly in the last fifteen years many more studies have been done than in the previous hundred years on these issues and it can be seen that both things have similarities.
Why is there an increasing consumption of pornography?
- I think that, to the extent that everything is much more accessible than before, it makes it much easier. You have to take into account that there are more and more people with cell phones and at a younger age.
Also, in society, in the whole issue of content, sex in general is considered almost as another consumer good. It seems to have been normalized. It also seems that if you consume this content in moderation, nothing happens, it is a way to learn and to entertain yourself. What happens is that it is not easy to stop, it is very addictive, it is one of the greatest pleasures you have in your pocket at any time of the day. This has been seen to have a great impact.
The latest data on sexual relations reveal that there are fewer than a few years ago. One of the causes is because there is much more Internet accessto digital sex, etc. Pornography requires less effort, no preamble, it's straightforward and it's free. It's a winning combination in that sense.
What do you think about platforms such as OnlyFansthat leave the door open to the sale and purchase of pornographic content?
- It is one more step towards identifying prostitution with pornography. There is almost no difference between one and the other. We say it is the pornography 3.0.
It's the last cry, the last step where it becomes very attractive. You are no longer just a spectator of a series of videos and images, now you have the possibility of interacting with another person. That creates even more intensity. In quotation marks, it also seems to create more intimacy. It feels like you're with a person alone who you can ask whatever you want. It also, quote-unquote, seems like there is more proximity. On the other hand, it gives the feeling of greater exclusivity, because you think it is you who is being attended to.
Some people say that "virtual boyfriends" are created. In a naive way, everything seems closer and more intimate. It's an important step of change. The problem with pornography is that you are always looking for something else, something different.
Why are women's rights so closely related to the fight against pornography?
- Nowadays pornography is sexist, the vast majority of it uses women. In the end, this reification of pleasure directed at men using women, often in a violent way, attacks women from different points of view.
On the one hand, many of the women who are in pornography are exploited or deceived. And when they are in the industry because they want to be, it's usually out of necessity.
On the other hand, many women suffer the problems of the consequences of their partners' consumption of pornography. Their partners sometimes want to imitate acts they have seen in pornography that are demeaning.
Another way in which it greatly affects women is through how they respond when they discover that their partner is viewing pornography. At Give It A Spin We have a section called "Nosotras" which is aimed at this public, which are women who often feel differently than men the consumption of pornography by men. For women it is usually something very hard that involves a great pain, a feeling of betrayal and infidelity. It distances them from their partner, creates a great lack of communication and they may feel guilty.
It is good to explain to women that it may happen that the man still loves her but also consumes pornography.
How do you rescue a relationship wounded by pornography?
- We know examples of couples who have managed to solve it. Forgiveness, communication and the ability to forgive each other are very important. It takes a lot of patience and a lot of time.
In this life everything can be arranged. It is important that both give in and understand each other. I think it is necessary, sometimes, to talk more and start to put solutions step by step.
Knowing all this,what is the main consequence of pornography addiction?
- The main consequence is the lack of empathy and sensitivity in relationships. One loses the capacity for an affective relationship, in short, the capacity to love the person one is with. One becomes more and more distant. This seems to me the hardest thing.
Another clear consequence is the lying, the isolation, the isolation. One very complicated thing about pornography addiction is that it is very silent and slow. It can take a long time before you realize that there is an underlying problem. Habits are created that are difficult to change.
It also happens many times that men have some kind of sexual dysfunction, because they accumulate so many hours of erotic scenes that it is difficult for them to relate sexually. They reach an extreme in which they need a very strong stimulus.
But I would highlight, as the main consequence, the lack of empathy and sensitivity in relationships with other people, not only with your partner.
Pope Francis is convinced that only universal fraternity and common divine filiation can transform our world today.
January 8, 2023-Reading time: 2minutes
Is there really a cure that can heal the world from the wounds caused by selfishness, wars, violence, indifference?
Pope Francis is convinced that this medicine exists, and it has a name: universal fraternity. He has repeated it many times during his almost ten years of pontificate. Each of his magisterial documents contains a clear reference to how today it is more urgent than ever that each heart abandon its own selfishness and allow itself to be infected by the heart of the other, in an empathetic and not simply superficial way.
In his recent message to the 56th World Day of Peace In his address, the Holy Father again explained how the hard lesson of Covid-19 made all humanity understand that there can be no peaceful future if we do not help one another, that no one can save himself alone. The dimension of universal fraternity also concerns States and governments. Diplomatic relations cannot but be permeated with mutual respect and support, otherwise tensions, rivalries and conflicts are generated.
The most flagrant example is the war in Ukraine. Precisely in relation to the lack of universal fraternity, the Pope judges the Russian aggression "a defeat of all mankind and not only of the parties involved".. To be truly solid, the universal fraternity must rest on what Pope Francis calls a solid and indestructible pillar: the awareness of common divine filiation. The historic document on Human brotherhood for world peace and common coexistence, signed in Abu Dhabi in 2019 with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, makes it clear that every religion leads the believer to see in the other a brother to support and love. "From faith in God, creator of the universe, of creatures and of all human beings - equal by His mercy - the believer is called to express this human fraternity, safeguarding creation and the entire universe and supporting every person, especially the neediest and poorest.", reads the text. Here, this indication, as simple as it is true, makes it seem a deep offense to God that religious teaching incites hatred, revenge and holy war. Universal fraternity, in short, is the only way out for the world, even if it seems fragile, and each of us - believer or not - must practice and defend it. The alternative is a humanity without hope, lost in its immeasurable sorrows.
The authorFederico Piana
Journalist. He works for Vatican Radio and collaborates with L'Osservatore Romano.
How important are the affections in the spiritual life, and how are they to be considered in the examination of conscience and in prayer? The Pope has dedicated his Wednesday audiences in recent months to this topic, not from the perspective of the spiritual director or companion (except for the last catechesis), but from the perspective of self-knowledge.
According to the Spanish dictionary, to discern means to distinguish something from something else, especially in the field of the human spirit. That is, in the spiritual realm. In Christianity, the discernment is usually linked to the process that precedes human actions, in an attempt to act in conformity with the will of God. It is often associated with the virtue of prudence ("right reason in acting"), even if, in the most popular meaning, this term simply sounds like precaution or caution; in reality, prudence can also lead us to act promptly and boldly, and always with justice and generosity.
Discern to decide
In his first catechesis (cf. General Audience, 31-VIII-2022), Francis explained that discernment concerns us all, because it has to do with life choices or decisions, most of them quite ordinary (food, clothing, something in relation to work or others).
Both in common life and in the teachings of the Gospel we are taught the importance of making the right decisions. This involves knowledge, experience, affection and will, as well as effort (because life does not give us everything for granted) and freedom. We can choose because we are not animals, but that is also why we can make mistakes in our choices.
The Pope places himself in the perspective of anthropology and ethics, which requires knowledge of oneself and of what is good to do here and now. From the Christian point of view, discernment requires above all a filial relationship with God, but also friendship with Jesus Christ and the light of the Holy Spirit.
The paths of the heart
On the second Wednesday (cf. General Audience, 7-IX-2022), Francis gave the example of Ignatius of Loyola, who knew how to recognize the passage of God with him.
Discernment is a help to recognize the signs with which God makes himself found in unforeseen situations, even unpleasant ones; or, on the contrary, to perceive something that makes the path worse.
Within this framework, the Pope's teachings can be divided into three parts: the elements of discernment; a special consideration of desolation and consolation; and a third part on verification, vigilance and aids in discernment.
The elements of discernment
Francis referred first of all to familiarity with the Lord (cfr. General Audience, 28-IX-2022), above all to the trust that we must manifest to him through prayer (cfr. General Audience, 28-IX-2022). In prayer we must treat him - he proposes - with simplicity and familiarity, as a friend..
"This familiarity overcomes the fear or doubt that his will is not for our good, a temptation that sometimes crosses our thoughts and makes the heart restless and insecure, or even bitter.". This is the secret of the saints. Often the obstacles to following the Lord are above all affective, of the heart. In this sense, sadness or fear before God are signs of distance from God, as we see in the case of the rich young man in the Gospel (cf. Mt 9:17ff.). But Jesus does not force him to follow him.
"Discerning what is going on inside us". -The successor of Peter points out. "it is not easy, because appearances are deceiving, but familiarity with God can gently dissolve doubts and fears, making our life more and more receptive to his 'kindly light', according to the beautiful expression of St. John Henry Newman".
He adds that, just as two spouses who live together for a long time end up resembling each other, prayer makes us similar to Jesus. For this we need closeness to him, an "affective closeness," treating him as the faithful friend who never abandons us, and not only with words, but also with gestures and good works.
Knowing yourself and your desires
Secondly, the Pope spoke about knowing oneself (cf. General Audience, Oct. 5, 2022). He points out how at the root of spiritual doubts and vocational crises there is often a lack of knowledge of ourselves, of our personality and of our deepest desires; for "almost all of us hide behind a mask, not only in front of others, but also when we look in the mirror." (Thomas H. Green).
Discernment is necessary - the Pope points out in terms of our digital culture - in order to "to know the passwords of our heart, to which we are most sensitive, to protect ourselves from those who present themselves with persuasive words to manipulate us, and also to recognize what is really important to us, distinguishing it from the fashions of the moment or flashy and superficial slogans".". The truth is that we often let ourselves be carried away by feelings provoked in this way.
For all this, the examination of conscience helps. And it does not refer to the examination prior to sacramental confession (to discover the sins of which we are to be accused), but to the general examination of conscience at the end of the day. "General examination of conscience of the day: what has happened in my heart this day?A lot has happened....Which ones? Why? What traces did they leave in the heart??".
The third "ingredient" of discernment is the desire (cf. General Audience, October 12, 2022). Francis takes this term not in the sense of the desires of the moment, but of its etymology: de-sidusIt is important to know what our desires are and how they are, and to make sure that they are great and operative desires, because sometimes we remain in complaints (cf. Jn 5:6 ff), which rather dwarf or atrophy the desire.
Reading one's own life
In the fourth place, Francis dwelt on the importance, for discernment, of knowing "the book of one's own life"(cf. General Audience, October 19, 2022). If we do this, we will be able to detect so many "toxic" or pessimistic elements that hold us back (I am worthless, everything is going badly for me, etc.), perhaps with the help of someone who can also help us to recognize our qualities, the good things that God sows in us.
It is good to have a "narrative approach", not to stop at a specific action, but to include it in a context: "Where does this thought come from? What I am feeling now, where does it come from? Where does what I am thinking now take me? Have I had it before? Is it something new that comes to me now, or have I encountered it before? Why is it more insistent than others? What does life want to tell me by this?"
Desolation and consolation
In a second part of the catechesis, Francis went on to deal with "the matter" of discernment, focusing on the binomial desolation-consolation. First, the desolation (cf. General Audience, October 26, 2022) or spiritual sadness.
Knowing how to manage spiritual sadness
Desolation has been defined as a "darkness of the soul" (St. Ignatius of Loyola), as a "sadness" that does not have to be bad. Sometimes it has to do with remorse for something bad we have done, and it is an invitation to take the road. In these cases, as St. Thomas points out, it is a "pain of the soul", a warning, like a red light, to stop.
At other times," Francis explains, "it can be a temptation with which the devil wants to discourage us on the path of good, he wants to shut us up within ourselves and make us do nothing for others: to paralyze us in our work or study, in prayer, in persevering in our vocation. Jesus gives us the example of how to reject these temptations with firm resolve (cf. Mt 3:14-15; 4:11-11; 16:21-23).
In any case, we should ask ourselves about the root of this sadness (cf. General Audience, November 16, 2012), knowing that God never abandons us and that with him we can overcome every temptation (cf. 1 Cor 10:13). But do not make hasty decisions in such situations.
We must learn and take advantage of this desolation. "Indeed." -If there is not a little dissatisfaction, a little healthy sadness, a healthy capacity to live in solitude and to be with ourselves without running away, we run the risk of always remaining on the surface of things and never getting in touch with the center of our existence," the Pope warns.
Therefore, the Pope advises, it is not good to remain in a "state of indifference" that would make us inhuman to ourselves and to others. A "healthy restlessness" as experienced by the saints is good.
On the other hand, desolation gives us the possibility to grow, to mature in our capacity to give ourselves to others freely, without seeking our own interest or our own well-being. In prayer we must learn to be with the Lord, while we continue to seek him, perhaps in the midst of that temptation, or that emptiness that we experience. But without leaving prayer, because his answer always comes.
True and false consolations
Consolation is also present in the spiritual life (cf. General Audience, November 23, 2010), in the form of lasting joy, peace and harmony, which strengthen hope and fill us with the audacity to serve others, as Edith Stein writes.
But we must distinguish spiritual consolation from false consolations, perhaps noisy and showy, but which are passing enthusiasms that are sought for their own sake (out of self-interest), instead of seeking the Lord. Discernment will help us to distinguish true consolations (which bring deep and lasting peace) from false ones. In the latter, evil can appear from the beginning, for example, in the form of evasion of one's duties; at other times it appears in the middle, perhaps by seeking ourselves; or at the end, because it leads us to treat others badly.
For this reason, Francis points out, we must learn to distinguish the "goods" that may be apparent, in order to seek the true goods that make us grow. For all this, it is necessary to examine one's conscience every day. what happened today. With attention to the consequences of our affections.
Verification, monitoring, discernment aids
In a third part of these catecheses, Francis invites us to look at the phase after decisions have been made, in order to confirm whether or not they have been adequate (cf. General Audience, 7 December 2022). We have already seen the importance of the passage of time in this, and also the observation of whether these decisions bring us lasting peace.
For example, "if I make the decision to dedicate half an hour more to prayer, and then I realize that I live better the other moments of the day, I am more serene, less anxious, I perform my work with more care and pleasure, even the relationships with some difficult people become easier...: all these are important signs that support the goodness of the decision taken".. The spiritual life is circular: the goodness of a choice is beneficial for all areas of our life. Because it is participation in God's creativity.
There are other signs that can confirm whether it was a good decision: to consider the decision as a response of love to the Lord (not born of fear or obligation); to "feel in one's own place" (he gives the example of the two points in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican, from where the columns are aligned), that is, to grow in order, integration and energy; to remain inwardly free in that situation (and not having an obsessive or possessive attitude), respecting and venerating God with confidence.
Watching so as not to fall asleep
After the decision, the attitude of vigilance is also important (cf. General audience, 14-XII-2022), so as not to become drowsy, not to get used to it, not to let ourselves be carried away by routine (cf. Lk 12:35-37). The successor of Peter stresses that this is necessary to ensure perseverance, consistency and the good fruit of our decisions.
Those who become too sure of themselves lose humility and, through lack of vigilance of heart, can let the devil back in (cf. Mt 12:44ff). This can be linked, Francis points out, to bad pride, to the presumption of being just, of being good, of being at ease; to excessive confidence in oneself and not in the grace of God. We have lost the fear of falling and with it humility... and we end up losing everything.
In short, this is the advice: "Watch over your heart, because vigilance is a sign of wisdom, it is a sign above all of humility, because we are afraid of falling and humility is the master path of the Christian life".
The Gospel in your pocket
At the General Audience of December 21, 2012, the Bishop of Rome proposed some aids for discernment, which seems difficult or complicated, but which is necessary.
The principal aids are the Word of God and the doctrine of the Church. The Word of God is found in Sacred Scripture (especially in the assiduous reading of the Gospels) with the help of the Holy Spirit.
This is why Francis insists, as he has done on other occasions: "Let's take the Gospel, let's take the Bible in our hands: five minutes a day, no more. Carry a Gospel in your pocket, in your bag, and when you travel, take it and read a little during the day, letting the Word of God come close to your heart.".
He also points out, in accordance with the experience of the saints, the importance of contemplating the Lord's passion and seeing it in the Crucifix; recourse to the Virgin Mary; asking the Holy Spirit for light (which is "discernment in action") and treating him with trust, together with the Father and the Son.
In the last catechesis the Pope pointed out the importance of spiritual guidance and of making oneself known in order to know oneself and to walk in the spiritual life.
Dostoyevsky's "The Gambler": A Tale of an Addiction
In this masterful work, Dostoyevsky shows us two keys to correctly approach the labyrinth of addiction: the history of each human being and the irrational surrender to passion.
In the 19th century it was roulette, today it is online poker. In any case, a man's struggle with gambling addiction can be as terrible for him as it is enigmatic and despairing for the people around him.
It is common for those who see a loved one wasting his time in the obstinate mirages of luck to try to stop him, to help him, to make him see reason... and, instead, they only succeed in alternating alarm and frustration at the falls and relapses of this person who is more and more possessed by vice. How to reflect on this?
Dostoyevsky knows well the art of presenting borderline characters to show us new dimensions of the human being. In the novel "The Gambler" (only 183 pages long!), Fyodor presents us with the fall of a normal young man into the underworld of compulsive gambling. This story, if we look at it with humility, has a very powerful force to help us empathize with people who have fallen into addiction, and also to better understand ourselves.
The argument
In the novel, there are two main narrative lines that rival each other in the heart of the protagonist: the torn love for a woman and a growing fever for roulette. Faced with these two forces that are so difficult to moderate, the question is imminent: which of them will conquer Alexei's soul?
The family of a retired Russian general is spending a leisure season in the fictitious town of "Rulettenburg" in southwestern Germany. As can be deduced from the name of the town, the casino is the center of attention there.
The atmosphere around the roulette wheel is dark and nervous: one and all are dragged by the greed of multiplying money, debts loom in the corners like mocking ghosts and vices parade impudently through the corridors: greed, selfishness, envy, anger, frivolity, despair, etc.; although all this is tinged with dissimulation, good manners and general unawareness.
Within the general's entourage we find the protagonist of the story: Alexei Ivanovich, a young Russian tutor who speaks and reads 3 languages, and who works for the head of the family in the education of his young children.
The general is a widower and is in love with a sophisticated and frivolous Frenchwoman, who, by all accounts, will say yes to the marriage proposal as soon as there is news of an inheritance that the suitor is expecting.
They are also accompanied by other relatives, a cynical Frenchman, a kind-hearted Englishman and the general's stepdaughter, Polina, with whom Alexei is in love to the teeth.
Initially, the young Alexei manages to more or less defend himself against the general spirit of meanness, but Polina asks him to play for the first time in the game so that he can bet on her account. He does well in that first operation and that moves him to take his own risks; he wins, and then the novel takes another flight: adrenaline infiltrates his veins, a force pushes him to return with seductive promises of fame, glory and success; he remotely notices that roulette goes against his reason, but how difficult it is to walk away, how not to recover what has been lost?
After many vicissitudes that alternate episodes of love and anguish, the compulsion for gambling grows in Alexei's heart; the situation is tense and a family catastrophe explodes the network of relationships (I don't give details for spoiler's sake). The family disperses and the young Alexei ends up alone, degraded in the skin of an unconfessed addict. He is no longer a tutor, he is now a compulsive gambler who sometimes realizes his captivity, but as soon as he gets a few coins he runs into the arms of Chance.
His own description of his situation is moving: "I live, needless to say, in perpetual anxiety; I play very small amounts and I am waiting for something, I make calculations, I spend entire days at the gaming table observing it, I even see it in my dreams; and from all this I deduce that I am becoming numb, as if sinking in stagnant water".
The double face of addiction
Dostoyevsky knows that human problems need a twofold approach to be solved, that of theory and that of experience. In his case, the latter usually holds more information than the former. In this line, the author leads us with unprecedented skill through the intricate labyrinth of a man who gradually loses his self-control.
When Chance displaces God from his throne and men place their trust in him, that idol shows his fangs; sometimes he gives, sometimes he asks; but above all he asks, and sometimes he also asks for human sacrifices.
Alexei was a man who knew how to save, plan and live, but he ends up degraded into someone who only spends, regrets and misses out on life. A man with a future, a career and friends ends up breathing like a simple little bird of the field, nervous and unaware of his alienation, dedicated body and soul to look for worms to eat, in an endless voracity without sense.
He glimpses his misery, but condemns himself by postponing the change of life for an always illusory "tomorrow".
Dostoyevsky gives us two keys to look correctly into the labyrinth of addiction: first, he shows us the story of a human being who is being irremissibly deceived by a diabolical lure and makes us witness every step, every hesitation of a man eaten away by passion.
Thanks to this effort, we suddenly realize that we are able to empathize with his affliction. The second key, more interesting in my opinion, is that Dostoyevsky raises in us the disturbing question of whether Alexei, in some not too remote way, could perhaps be me.
If you had been in Alexei's shoes, would you have behaved better? The truth is that we are as likely to fall into addiction as Dostoyevsky's character; the gambler of the novel lives inside us and is waiting for us to play with fire to jump in and take control of our lives. It is so, we are perfectly capable of reaching the last rung of moral existence (besides, today it is much easier to find a roulette wheel, or other sources of addiction, because we carry them in our pocket...).
With the awareness of our fallen nature it is easier for us to be charitable to the sinner, for how can I despise someone for his falls, when tomorrow the addict could be me? With this humble and realistic attitude we can approach that person and try to understand him, help him and even love him.
Thus the door is opened for us to give effective help, because in the love of our neighbor we discover Christ: and He alone can save us.
I suppose Dostoyevsky thought of all this when he created these characters, for he dictated the novel only three years after he fell into the same web that trapped Alexei. In his case, it all began in late August 1863. Fyodor was passing through Germany, burdened by debts, and tried his luck at roulette: he won about 10,000 francs. So far everything seemed to be going well, but he made the mistake of not leaving the city.
An irresistible temptation drove him back to the casino and thus began a fever that would trouble him for the rest of his life. Writing "The Gambler" in 1866 helped him to survive; and since then it has helped us to live.
On January 6, the Solemnity of the Epiphany, Pope Francis focused his usual Angelus reflection on the gifts of the three Magi: the call, discernment and surprise.
The call
Regarding the first of the gifts, the call, the Pope says that "the Magi did not intuit it by reading the Scriptures or through a vision of angels, but by studying the stars. This tells us something important: God calls us through our greatest desires and aspirations." To heed this call, Francis says, "the Magi allowed themselves to be amazed and discomfited." When they saw the star, "they felt called to go beyond. This is also important for us: we are called not to be content, to seek the Lord by going out of our comfort, walking towards Him with others, immersing ourselves in reality. For God is calling every day, here and today, in our world".
Discernment
The second gift of the three Kings is the discernment. "Because they are looking for a king, they go to Jerusalem to speak with King Herod, who, however, is a man greedy for power and wants to use them to eliminate the child Messiah. But the Magi are not fooled by Herod. They know how to distinguish between the goal of their journey and the temptations they encounter along the way." Recalling the catecheses the Pope has preached on discernment since August 2022, during the Angelus he exclaimed, "How important it is to know how to distinguish the goal of life from the temptations along the way! To know how to renounce what seduces, but leads astray, in order to understand and choose God's ways!"
The surprise
There is a third gift that we can contemplate if we reflect on the passage of the three wise men. The Pope invites us to look at what happens when these wise men arrive at the manger who, "after a long journey, what do these men of high social standing find? A baby with his mother". One might think of disappointment since "they do not see angels like the shepherds, but find God in poverty. Perhaps they were expecting a powerful and prodigious Messiah, and they find a baby". But the Magi do not let themselves be carried away by their own expectations, "they do not think they have made a mistake, they know how to recognize it. They accept God's surprise and live their encounter with him in wonder, adoring him: in their littleness they recognize the face of God". The Holy Father assures us that "this is how the Lord is found: in humility, in silence, in adoration, in the little ones and in the poor".
The three gifts in the life of a Christian
Francis concludes by inviting all Christians to seek and guard in their own lives the three gifts of the passage of the three Magi. "We are all called by Jesus, we can all discern his presence, we can all experience his surprises. Today it would be good to remember these gifts, which we have already received: to remember when we felt a call from God in our life; or when, perhaps after much effort, we were able to discern His voice; or also, in an unforgettable surprise that He has given us, astonishing us. May Our Lady help us to remember and guard the gifts we have received".
Pope Francis: "We cannot confine faith within the walls of temples".
Pope Francis presided at the Holy Mass of the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, the penultimate of the great celebrations of this Christmas Week, which was marked by the farewell to Benedict XVI.
St. Peter's Basilica has once again become the epicenter of the life of the Church in Rome. Together with bishops and priests and some 5,000 faithful, Pope Francis presided at the Holy Mass for the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. A celebration in which Pope Francis compared the life of faith with the journey of the Magi of the East.
The Pope wanted to begin his words by pointing out how "faith is not born of our merits or of theoretical reasoning, but is a gift of God", a grace of God that awakens in us a "restlessness that keeps us awake; when we allow ourselves to be questioned, when we are not satisfied with the tranquility of our habits, but we put it on the line".
The personal response is to set out on the path of the magi who, taking their risks, leave their tranquillity to seek God. Along these lines, the Pope warned against the "tranquilizers of the soul," which are multiplying today and which appear as "substitutes to sedate our restlessness and extinguish those questions, from the products of consumerism to the seductions of pleasure, from sensationalist debates to the idolatry of well-being."
Thus the Pope pointed out the first two points that we can learn from the attitude of the Magi: first, the restlessness of the questions. Secondly, the risk of the path on which we find God.
This attitude of journey, of interior questioning and sincere search for God in spite of renouncing comforts, "it is useless to activate ourselves pastorally if we do not put Jesus at the center and adore him", is what describes the life of faith, the Pope continued, "without a continuous journey and constant dialogue with the Lord, without listening to the Word, without perseverance, it is not possible to grow. Faith, if it remains static, does not grow; we cannot reduce it to a mere personal devotion or confine it within the walls of the temples, but it is necessary to manifest it".
The Pope concluded his words with a call to "adore God and not our self; let us adore God so as not to bow down to the things that happen or to the seductive and empty logics of evil."
The celebration followed its usual course ending with the adoration of the image of the Child Jesus, typical of this Christmas season.
Millions of people were with Pope Benedict XVI at Cuatro Vientos during adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, under the rain and the strong wind that rose unexpectedly.
I have had the privilege of being with Benedict XVI many times during his pontificate: in Spain, in Rome and in Castel Gandolfo; but there is one of them that I remember vividly - I think I will never forget it - and I want to share it with you at this time when Catholicism and the whole world bids farewell to the Pope Emeritus, and not always with the honesty that his egregious figure deserves. And I do so in recognition and gratitude for the much he has given us: it is my humble tribute to Pope Benedict XVI.
Prolegomena
We go back to Saturday, August 20, 2011, in Madrid, during the World Day of Peace. Youth. That day a meeting with the Pope was scheduled at Cuatro Vientos and we went there in the morning, the two million people who arrived at the meeting place to accompany him and listen to him and participate in the events -that afternoon Niña Pastori performed a wonderful Ave Maria before the Pope-.
In the morning, having just arrived from Seville, where I was participating in a summer course, I took the subway that would take me to the esplanade where the meeting with the Pope was to be held; as I left the station of my destination, I was surprised by the scene I found: streams of pilgrims, young and not so young, women and men, from all over the world - judging by the flags they were flying - we were all walking towards the same destination: Cuatro Vientos.
The day was sunny and very hot, so hot that the neighbors of the streets through which we passed were encouraged to relieve our sweating with water in all kinds of containers, and even showered us with hoses from windows and balconies. All these selfless attentions were received with enormous gratitude. Not a cloud was to be seen on the horizon.
The numerous and diverse groups of pilgrims arrived at the esplanade and, after passing through the controls where everyone had to prove that they had an invitation to the event, we occupied our respective plots or reserved chairs. Many groups set up tents or umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun for the rest of the day. There were also tents scattered all over the esplanade where the sacred forms that would be given the following day at the communion of the Eucharist presided over by Benedict XVI and that would close the World Youth Day events in Madrid were kept with all due respect.
In mid-afternoon a small cloud appeared in the south, which did not instill any fear in people, since no weather forecast predicted the slightest incidence for that afternoon or for the next day; but the cloud grew, slowly at first and then faster and faster, until the whole sky we had in sight was completely dark and extremely threatening. Suddenly a gale arose, then it began to rain and finally a furious storm was unleashed that could well be described as a "perfect storm": the wind threatened to lift into the air the entire structure set up for the podium and the altar, in fact there were some doors and other elements that flew off. The ground was completely muddy and waterlogged, all the people's clothes were soaked with water and many could be seen praying on their knees in the mud.
Exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
Due to these completely unexpected events, the comments heard everywhere were along the lines that the exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, planned as the last act of the evening, would be suspended; but, suddenly, we saw the cross of the monstrance of Arfe appear on the dais, which rose, in the midst of an overwhelming silence -we were still more than a million people- until it was all there, majestic and dazzling, in full view of everyone on the dais, next to the altar. It was the monstrance of Arfe, brought from Toledo for the occasion, one of the most beautiful works of goldsmithing ever created.
I do not feel capable of describing what happened afterwards. I will only write down the facts and let everyone's imagination run wild: for a long time, all of us kneeling on the muddy ground, in absolute silence, we prayed and adored the Blessed Sacrament exposed in the monstrance, each one of us inwardly.
At the end of the ceremony, the Pope addressed us a few affectionate words, thanking us for our presence and encouraging us to rest before meeting again the next day for Holy Mass. I remember verbatim a phrase he said to us: "we have lived an adventure together." And it was true: an exciting adventure.
An explanation of the facts
I heard the priest Mr. Javier Cremades, who was part of the team of organizers of the event at Cuatro Vientos and who was present that evening, tell me that the Pope's closest collaborators insisted on suspending the exposition and adoration with the Blessed Sacrament, because they feared that some misfortune could occur, due to the damage that the windstorm had caused to the structure of the platform where the Pope was going to pray, together with the many people accompanying him -especially ecclesiastics-. But Benedict XVI, according to Bishop Javier, stood firm and gave the order for the Monstrance of Arfe to be raised and for the exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament to be celebrated as planned.
I also remember that Mr. Javier, in a personal capacity, told us that he was convinced that the gale and the storm of that evening in Madrid was the work of the devil, in an attempt to sabotage the event. This interpretation is by no means out of the question, remember, as I said above, that no weather forecast predicted rain for that day in Madrid.
My humble opinion on these facts is that Benedict XVI had, in whatever way, the certainty that indeed the devil had tried to sabotage the exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and also that no one was going to suffer any harm, since the devil only has the power to frighten us men, but cannot cause us harm.
The authorJulio Iñiguez Estremiana
Physicist. High School Mathematics, Physics and Religion teacher.
Missionary gift is the initiative of five friends who, for a period of time, become unique Wise Men to bring gifts to hospitals, shelters and homes for the elderly. Thanks to the help of dozens of individuals and companies, the gifts distributed number in the thousands and they hope to reach even more people.
It's Christmas, the season of gifts. While many people wake up in their homes on Three Kings' Day and open the presents from the East, not a few are left without savoring the delights of that magical day.
The project Missionary gift seeks to ensure that those who usually have nothing to unwrap receive gifts and can thus feel some of that Christmas spirit, because those who receive a gift feel that someone loves them: 4,000 gifts have been given out!
I sit down for a coffee with Laura, María, Bea, Aída and Antonio, five friends who are becoming ever closer thanks to the parish faith group in which they participate. Undoubtedly this desire to treat God and make him known has contributed to the intense work for this beautiful initiative that brings joy to so many people.
At first they thought only of children, but thanks to a friend of mine, who works at CaritasThey realized that all ages are excited to receive gifts.
María tells me that this project started during the Covid period and has grown exponentially: "we started with 16 beneficiary centers and now we are at 60. Of the individual beneficiaries most are children but there are many elderly.". They included residences for people with few resources, but they also have some hospital, palliative care centers or shelters: "all comes from donations, both from individuals and companies". They campaigned since mid-November with many posters. They publicized it in networks, states of whatsapp and groups of friends. Also by the parishes. People bring them gifts, used things, but it is essential that they are kept in good condition. Their motto is that if it's not good enough for me, it's not good enough for anyone. Many people also give cash donations. Companies, stores or department stores make numerous donations of their products. Some stores, for example, delivered boxes full of scarves. The outpouring of generosity has been impressive.
The five They are in charge of this adventure, receiving donations, contacting the centers to find out how many residents there are, what they would like to receive or on what dates the gifts would be best for them: "We are always looking for the best time to receive them.We would love to receive, for example, seventy scarves, as happened on one occasion.
Filter materials. They sort gifts by age. Then they land the volunteers, who wrap throughout the weekends: "We made forms for people to sign up so we could distribute the shifts, from ten to two and from four to eight. We had a group of 60 volunteers in a single morning, of all ages, packing gifts. They are groups of all kinds: high school, scouts, adults, elderly ladies, strangers... In total we have been almost 400 volunteers in all the weekends". They are asked if they have the availability of a car or van to deliver and are assigned a center.
"Packages for us?" nuns tell of the great surprise and disbelief of the residents, who were not expecting anything. This beautiful initiative has been accompanied by many coincidenceswhich they attribute to providence. A friend of Laura's, when she told her about the project, confessed that she had asked her friends not to give her anything for her birthday this year, but to give her money so that she could donate it to whoever needed it: "and when I was looking for someone to give it to, you showed up!".
Christmas is different when you stop navel gazing: there is so much to do! The creativity, enthusiasm and generous sacrifice of these five friends has brought joy to so many who were going to be left without gifts.
Kénosis is a group of young people from Regnum Christi with a musical project on the rise. With Christ at the center, they sing to bring God to all through music.
Kénosis is a Christian rock band that already has more than three thousand listeners on platforms like Spotify. Their mission is to bring God closer to everyone through music. This group of young people came in second place in the last edition of the Madrid Live Talent contest. In Omnes they talk about their musical journey and their vision of Christian music.
Can you start by telling your story as a group?
Kénosis arose as a response to a situation that some of us observed. At the beginning a few of us started singing in the Regnum Christi adorations and in the masses, and we were seeing how the songs helped people to get closer to God, how they came out of the masses or the Eucharistic hours and thanked us that a certain song had helped them a lot in their prayer. In addition to this, some of us also began to make our own songs and to share them among those who we saw that we had a gift for music.
Group logo (Photo: Regnum Christi)
So, the summer of 2021 all this led to the decision to gather these people together and formalize an apostolate whose mission is to give glory to God with our music and to help people come closer to Him through it. We began to meet from time to time to rehearse, especially geared to the Eucharistic hours and to record our first song, ResurrectedWe always had a great atmosphere in rehearsals, of friendship, family and prayer, which we saw was the fruit of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the project. This was followed by communions, weddings, funerals... We even entered a Catholic music contest in Madrid and came in second place! And so to this day, open to new people who want to share this apostolate.
How would you define Catholic music?
Probably because there are so many in the group the answer to this question is somewhat different. But from my point of view, Catholic music is all that which, inspired by the Holy Spirit, puts words to intuitions, feelings, gratitude, petitions to, for and to Christ. And those words are the ones that help others to pray, because many times our heart does not find the words and, although Christ reads directly what is in it, as human beings we need to express it through words.
What makes you different from sacred music?
Again there may be nuances among the group. But in general we believe that the church music is the one designed for specific moments and celebrations of the liturgy or in religious contexts. And in this sense part of our music is sacred, because sacred does not imply a specific style, but it is true that we expand the framework beyond this music, making songs that can be taken to the day to day, to play in the car, to sing with friends, in the shower, in the studio .... And it is very important to emphasize and make us aware that being a Christian, having faith, is not a thing with schedules, but it is a way of life, that our whole life, every second is a prayer, a being with Christ even when we are not in a church or in front of the Blessed Sacrament, is also part of what we want our music to do in people.
How is your creative process to compose the songs of Kénosis?
Let's say that we have two types of composition. On the one hand, there are those who have this complete gift, in the sense that they write lyrics and music, incredible songs. These people can have different creative processes, as a result of the Word, of personal prayer, even some are inspired by the Holy Spirit while they sleep, they wake up and record what has arisen in their heads and then polish it and give it form. Some of these songs are already ready and others have small changes according to the group as a whole, because in the end that's what we are. The second way is more as a group, we get together, invoke the Holy Spirit and put together lyrics, prayers or things that we have not been able to put to music. Together, each one with our gifts, we give it form and we put music, we make some twist of the words or we include new things.
Why is music a good way to get closer to God?
In addition to the fact that music puts words to intuitions of the heartbeat that are difficult to express, we believe that music also elevates man, makes him transcend in a limited sense, bringing him closer to God. The rhythms, the melodies go to a very intimate part of the human being, which is where the religious experience really starts. It manages to go through your worries, your labor life issues, your problems, to go to the core of what we are and from there connect with what the music is expressing. This happens in general with all music, it elevates people to another plane, it "evades" them. But when it is music with a transcendental sense it does not evade you to nothingness or your problems, but it evades you with a sense towards the Meaning.
Jesus, the just. Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord (A)
Joseph Evans comments on the readings for the Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord (A) and Luis Herrera offers a brief video homily.
Joseph Evans-January 6, 2023-Reading time: 2minutes
Matthew's account of the baptism of Jesus, the great feast we celebrate today, places the events at the Jordan River in a very Jewish context. Matthew's gospel was written especially for the Jews, both converts from Judaism and those not yet converted, to convince them that Jesus was the Messiah they longed for. And this is shown in the way he describes the baptism of Christ performed by John.
The text we read today is preceded in today's Gospel by an account of the Baptist's ministry, in which he lambastes the religious leaders of Israel, the Pharisees and Sadducees, calling them "breed of vipers". In Luke's version, John says this "to those who came to be baptized."in general. By restricting this rebuke to the religious elite of Israel, Matthew approaches Christ's baptism from the point of view of the renewal of Israel (whereas Luke has a more universal vision).
Jesus will later make it clear, in the Sermon on the Mount (not surprisingly, in Matthew's version), that he had come "to give fullness". (in Greek: plerosai) to the law (Mt 5:17). And in Matthew's account, when John resists baptizing him, our Lord insists using exactly the same word: "It is fitting that we should thus fulfill (plerosai) all justice." (Mt 3:15).
"Justice" (dikaiosuné) is a key word throughout the Bible. It will be widely used by St. Paul. At best it can refer to holy, "righteous" men, like St. Joseph (Mt 1:19). But it can also be misunderstood if we think that we can be pleasing to God by our own works and ritual offerings (Lk 18:11-12). Fundamentally, it refers to fidelity to God's law. Jesus is "the righteous one" par excellence (Acts 22:14). Righteousness was often linked to the elimination of sin: sacrifices were offered to God to atone for sins, to be in a righteous state before him. That was what the Old Testament sacrifices sought, without success, in Paul's opinion. Jesus insists on being baptized by John to make it clear that, although he was sinless, he is entering into human sin, as he enters into water, to be covered or "soaked" in it. He is going to take our sins upon himself. As Isaiah prophesies in his visions of the "man of sorrows," foreseeing the suffering Messiah, Jesus, "my servant will justify many". (Is 53:11). He is truly righteous, free from sin, in a state of righteousness before God (He is God), and can make us righteous and free from sin.
Understanding Matthew's account of baptism in its Jewish context gives us great hope. Jesus begins his public ministry with this remarkable episode, in which the Trinity is revealed and Jesus is declared the Son of God. But the precise focus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament hopes. What Israel's numerous sacrifices could not achieve, Jesus will achieve: the reconciliation of humanity with the heavenly Father.
Homily on the readings of the Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord (A)
The priest Luis Herrera Campo offers its nanomiliaa small one-minute reflection for these readings.
On the 5th, at 9:30 a.m., Pope Francis presided at the funeral Mass for Benedict XVI in St. Peter's Square. More than 400 bishops and four thousand priests concelebrated. Also in attendance were 120 cardinals. More than 50,000 faithful were present at the Mass (in addition to the 165,000 faithful of the previous days, who were able to pay their respects to Pope Benedict XVI). tribute in St. Peter's Basilica). About 1,000 journalists were accredited. The prayers for the Pope Emeritus and all the rites that preceded and followed the funeral were broadcast live on Vatican television.
International representatives
The funeral of Benedict XVI was attended by official delegations from Germany and Italy, led by President Sergio Mattarella and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, together with representatives of royal houses, among them Queen Sofia, mother of Felipe VI, King of Spain, delegations from governments and international institutions, as well as many other representatives of the Italian and German governments. ecumenical representativesMetropolitans Emmanuel of Chalcedon and Polycarp of Italy, for the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, and Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations. Bishops from many Orthodox Churches of Europe, America and Asia were also present. Also present was the moderator of the Ecumenical Council of Churches, Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm.
Funeral Mass
The Mass lasted two hours and the readings were - as usual - in several languages. "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit," Francis began his homily, with the last words spoken by the Lord on the cross. Pope Francis thanked Benedict XVI for the "wisdom, delicacy and dedication" that "he has been able to spread over the years." Francis referred to Ratzinger "as the Teacher, he carries on his shoulders the weariness of intercession and the weariness of anointing for his people, especially where goodness is in struggle and his brothers see their dignity endangered." "To love means to be willing to suffer" and "to give the sheep the true good," which Francis said is "the nourishment of God's presence."
Pope Francis bids farewell to Benedict XVI
The Pope also underscored his predecessor's "passionate quest" to communicate the Gospel and urged the Church to "follow in his footsteps." At the end of the homily he referred directly to the Pope Emeritus, pronouncing his name: "Benedict, faithful friend of the Bridegroom, may your joy be perfect in hearing definitively and forever his voice.". Pope Francis presided at the Mass, which was concelebrated as principal officiant by the Dean of the College of Cardinals, the Italian Giovanni Battista Re.
The transfer of the coffin
At the end of the Eucharistic celebration, Pope Francis presided over the rite of the Ultima Commendatio (the last recommendation) and the Valedictio (the farewell). The coffin of the Pope Emeritus was then transferred to St. Peter's Basilica and then to the Vatican Grottoes for burial. During the rite, a ribbon was privately placed around the coffin, with seals from the Chapter of St. Peter's, the Pontifical Household and the Office for Liturgical Celebrations. The cypress coffin was then placed inside a larger zinc coffin that has been welded and sealed. This zinc coffin was then placed in turn in a wooden box, which will be placed in the place previously occupied, until the beatification, by the coffin of St. John Paul II.
By 12:30 p.m. St. Peter's Square has emptied. The flags of Bavaria remain, flying alongside those of Germany and Vatican City. The crowd walks through Via della Conciliazionewhere you can still see the barriers being removed elsewhere. The Basilica and the square are currently closed to the public, but will reopen at 4:30 p.m., as shown on the giant screens.
A Pope who marked the lives of many
Little by little, the faithful who attended the funeral of Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, are leaving the vicinity of St. Peter's. Among the many religious and faithful there are many foreigners and families with children who braved the cold to pay their last tribute to Ratzinger, like an American priest, George Wohl, 28, who said "I live in Rome, where I study dogmatic theology, but I am Canadian." "I was in Quebec, at home, on vacation. But I came back earlier, I wanted to concelebrate for Pope Benedict, a great man and a great Pontiff', or like a 26-year-old German from Bonn, who says (while crying and hugging his fiancée Margaretha): 'It's as if my father had died. Sorry, I can't talk, for us it's as if our father had died."
Three thoughts from the Pope at Benedict XVI's funeral Mass
At the Funeral Mass celebrated in St. Peter's Square for Benedict XVI, Pope Francis focused his homily on the example of Jesus Christ, the Shepherd who gives his life to the Father on the cross, a model fulfilled in "Benedict, faithful friend of the Bridegroom."
Francisco Otamendi-January 5, 2023-Reading time: 4minutes
The homily of the Holy Father Francis in the sober The funeral Mass for Benedict XVI, as the Pope Emeritus wanted, was centered on Jesus Christ, and could be summarized in three ideas.
In the first place, the surrender of the Lord into the hands of his Father as Shepherd and model of shepherds. This is how the Roman Pontiff began his homily: "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit (Lk 23:46). These are the last words that the Lord pronounced on the cross; his last sigh, we could say, capable of confirming what characterized his whole life: a continuous surrender into the hands of his Father".
Secondly, the Pope outlined the profiles and characteristics of the Lord's surrender in the hands of his Father God: grateful dedication of service; prayerful and adoring surrender; and sustained by the consolation of the Spirit.
Finally, the Pope pointed out how this model of Pastor has been fulfilled in Benedict XVI.
In the final part, after quoting St. Gregory the Great, the Holy Father gave a broad outline of the funeral Mass: "It is the faithful People of God who, gathered together, accompany and entrust the life of the one who has been their shepherd. Like the women of the Gospel at the tomb, we are here with the fragrance of gratitude and the ointment of hope to show him, once again, the love that is not lost; we want to do so with the same unction, wisdom, delicacy and dedication that he knew how to bestow over the years."
Finally, the Pope concluded by returning to the opening words of his brief homily, with an express mention of the deceased Pope emeritus: "Together we want to say: 'Father, into your hands we commit his spirit: Father, into your hands we commit his spirit. Benedict, faithful friend of the Bridegroom, may your joy be perfect in hearing his voice definitively and forever!".
These words were reminiscent of the words he mentioned at the end of the first Angelus of this year, on the Solemnity of the Mother of God, the day after the death of Benedict XVI, whom he called a faithful servant of the Gospel and of the Church":
"The beginning of a new year is entrusted to Mary Most Holy, whom we celebrate today as Mother of God. In these hours we invoke her intercession in particular for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who yesterday morning left this world. We unite all of us together, with one heart and one soul, in giving thanks to God for the gift of this faithful servant of the Gospel and of the Church".
"He allowed himself to be chiseled by the will of God."
In his beautiful homily, the Pope, who referred to Jesus throughout, described the "hands of forgiveness and compassion, hands of healing and mercy, hands of anointing and blessing, which impelled him to give himself also into the hands of his brothers. The Lord, open to the stories he encountered on his way, allowed himself to be chiseled by the will of God, carrying on his shoulders all the consequences and difficulties of the Gospel, until he saw his hands full of love: 'Look at my hands,' he said to Thomas (Jn 20:27), and he says it to each one of us".
"Wounded hands that reach out and never cease to offer themselves, so that we may know the love that God has for us and believe in him (cf. 1 Jn 4:16)," the Roman Pontiff continued. Father, into your hands I commend my spirit' is the invitation and the program of life that whispers and wants to mold like a potter (cf. Is 29:16) the heart of the shepherd, until the same sentiments of Christ Jesus (cf. Phil 2:5) beat in it.
In enumerating the features of this dedication, the Pope spoke of a "grateful dedication of service to the Lord and to his people that is born of having accepted a totally gratuitous gift: "You belong to me... you belong to them," the Lord babbles; "you are under the protection of my hands, under the protection of my heart. Stay in the hollow of my hands and give me yours".
"Prayerful dedication, silently shaped and refined in the midst of the crossroads and contradictions that the shepherd must face (cf. 1 Pet 1:6-7) and the invitation entrusted to him to feed the flock (cf. Jn 21:17)," the Holy Father continued. "Like the Master, he carries on his shoulders the weariness of intercession and the weariness of anointing for his people, especially where goodness must struggle and brothers and sisters see their dignity threatened (cf. Heb 5:7-9)."
"In this intercessory encounter, the Lord generates the gentleness capable of understanding, welcoming, waiting and betting beyond the misunderstandings that this can provoke. Invisible and elusive meekness, which comes from knowing in whose hands one places one's trust (cf. 2 Tim 1:12)," he added.
"Pastoring means being willing to suffer."
"Prayerful and adoring trust," Francis noted, "capable of interpreting the actions of the shepherd and of adapting his heart and his decisions to the times of God (cf. Jn 21:18): To shepherd means to love, and to love means also to be ready to suffer. To love means: to give the sheep the true good, the nourishment of God's truth, of God's word, the nourishment of his presence."
And also, finally, "dedication sustained by the comfort of the Spirit, who always precedes him in the mission: in the passionate quest to communicate the beauty and joy of the Gospel (cf. Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et exsultate57), in the fruitful witness of those who, like Mary, remain in many ways at the foot of the cross, in that painful but robust peace which neither besieges nor subjugates; and in the obstinate but patient hope that the Lord will fulfill his promise, as he promised to our fathers and to his descendants forever (cf. Lk 1:54-55)".
"Entrust our brother to the hands of the Father".
"We too," the Pope stressed, "firmly united to the Lord's last words and to the witness that marked his life, wish, as an ecclesial community, to follow in his footsteps and entrust our brother to the hands of the Father: may these hands of mercy find their lamp lit with the oil of the Gospel, which he poured out and witnessed to during his life (cf. Mt 25:6-7)."
Benedict XVI is a figure that made headlines, inspired students and moved millions of people, but always with a humility and serenity that those who knew the Pope Emeritus emphasize.
Among the various encounters I had with the professor, later Cardinal and then Pope Benedict, one stands out: the unexpected honor of speaking about the New Evangelization in conversations with his "Student Circle" at the summer residence in Castel Gandolfo in August 2011. I coupled my experience with the predominantly agnostic audience at the Technical University (TU) of Dresden with a look at encouraging philosophical developments, for precisely in the postmodern era many thinkers are (again) making use of the "Thesaurus"biblical. My theme, "Athens and Jerusalem", was dedicated to the Pope as a "theorist of reason".
In the beautiful but simple setting of Castel Gandolfo, we met again with the Professor who, still somewhat tired and hunched over from the World Youth Day in Madrid, nevertheless followed the conferences attentively and addressed the 60 students, humorously containing their longer intellectual disquisitions and bringing them back to the theme, and also correcting philological or other speculations. There was a joyful atmosphere of friendship, permeated also by the atmosphere of a university seminary, when the Holy Father encouraged his "students" to take a position or raised objections. Above all, the remarkable simplicity of his demeanor was impressive, as I had already experienced on several occasions. There was no "court," and one could move freely through the designated rooms and enjoy the wonderful view of Lake Albano and the irrigated gardens, as far as a Rome blurred in the mist.
The character of Benedict XVI
The classic Angelus prayer with a brief address by the Pope took place at noon on Sunday. Already an hour before, the inner courtyard of Castel Gandolfo was packed with pilgrims. The enthusiasm was already palpable, like a wave, long before the Pope appeared and, with some difficulty, restored calm. The naturalness and great joy with which they greeted him was noticeable, and I thought with shame about the Central European media, which had developed a real mastery in underestimating even great and visible successes, such as World Youth Day. One wondered why not a few media deform, or want to deform, his image. His unmistakable and calm charisma, his depth and wisdom undoubtedly reached those who had their eyes open. When I relate these meetings to the first one at Rothenfels Castle (Burg Rothenfels) in 1976, they still have something in common: the tranquility, the profound kindness, the serenity.
In the last impressions, something else prevailed: humility. And this attitude is probably the most surprising thing for a Pope. Perhaps it seems strange to underline this impression by turning to Goethe: "The greatest people I have ever known, and who had heaven and earth free before their eyes, were humble and knew what they had to appreciate gradually" (Artemis Gedenkausgabe 18, 515). "Gradually" means to know a hierarchy of goods, to have developed a capacity to discern in diversity what is important. And again, in another tone: "All persons endowed with natural strength, both physical and spiritual, are as a rule modest" (Ibid. 8, 147).
The Pope and public opinion
The late Pope Emeritus needs no such judgments, but it is remarkable how this immediate impression of humility and reserve is often overlooked, perhaps even hastily or deliberately twisted. This allusion can be applied to what are possibly the silliest media reproaches leveled at him, from "Panzerkardinal" to "God's rottweiler" (actually, one resists repeating this nonsense). These errors are a new confirmation of a stupidity that is evil, or of a malice that is stupidity (or perhaps just desperation). But they are also a sign of a climate that sensed something invincible in this man and in his ministry, and that is why he wanted to intervene, with an instinct of distortion and a desire to misunderstand that nevertheless, and for that reason, hurts.
This places man and his task in close proximity. It is implied whenever approval and contradiction meet. Hans Urs von Balthasar wrote with impressive acuity about the first Pope: "Peter must have looked quite ridiculous when he was crucified with his feet up; it was just a good joke ..., and the way his own juice was constantly dripping from his nose. ... It is all very well that the crucifixion is here upside down; avoid any confusion, and in spite of this, an evocative reflection of the unique, pure, upright, is created in the murky waters of the Christian-too Christian. Penance is done for unthinkable faults, piled up until the system collapsed".
And Balthasar expresses the tremendous thought that ministry in the Church, from its first representative, has to do with vicariously bearing guilt. "Woe to us, if there is no longer the point where the sin of us all gathers to manifest itself, just as the poison circulating in the organism concentrates in one place and bursts out like an abscess. And so blessed is the office - be it pope, bishops, or simple priests who stand firm, or anyone who takes allusion when it is said 'the Church should' - who gives himself to this function of being the focus of the disease" (Clarifications. On the examination of spiritsFribourg 1971, 9).
For those who find these statements too bitter, there are the fruits of this bitterness. They come from Jacob's ceaseless struggle, without which the old and the new Israel are unthinkable. This intertwining of challenge and blessing, of resistance and victory, of night and final dawn, is a message of the essence of God and the essence of the elect. God's power does not come by smashing. It demands a maximum of strength, a "optimum virtutis"but it does not overwhelm. As resistance it even wants to be grasped as love. What comes as resistance and apparent counter-power, comes - when the good fight is fought - as blessing. That is why there is something steely and unattainable in the Pope's calm and vulnerable figure. Precisely his trips abroad, considered in advance a failure, for example the trip to England, or also to the difficult Germany, became remarkable victories. An Italian rock singer considered him "cool". It may be an unsubtle buzzword, but it hits the nail on the head.
I apologize for quoting Goethe for the third time, this time for the sake of a depth that is comparable in these two Germans. The quote comes from Goethe's great geological essay on granite rocks, an image that - in my opinion - is also somewhat symbolic of Joseph Ratzinger's way of being: "So lonely, I say, does man feel that he only wants to open his soul to the oldest, earliest and deepest feelings of truth".
Benedict XVI and the Logos
So the last thought goes to the truth that is above this pontificate. When was the vindication of reason last defended by a Pope in such a relentless, yet attractive way? And when was the reasonableness of faith and the ecumenism of reason, existing already since Greek antiquity, which can bring together philosophies, theologies and sciences? The Song of Songs of the Logos by Benedict XVI accesses precisely to the "court of the Gentiles", and has stimulated a conversation that leaves the stagnation of the postmodern void of meaning. Jerusalem "has to do" with Athens, and that despite all the verdicts, be they of a sectarian orthodoxy, on the one hand, or of a sectarian science, on the other. "You can't tighten a rope if you only hold it on one side," said Heiner Müller, the playwright of the German Democratic Republic, in connection with the (apparently lost) beyond (Lettre international 24, 1994). Thus, with Joseph Ratzinger, patristics awakens to an unexpected new life, which owes to the Logos the discernment of the spirits, in order to implant the wisdom of the ancient world in the young Christianity. In this way, it not only "saves" antiquity and the early Church for the new age, but also rescues the present moment from its contradictory shrugging of shoulders about truth. There is a piety of thought, which is at the same time conversion to reality.
This ability to clarify the ungraspable, the controversial, with faith in the possibility of truth, was already in place from the beginning, and became visible very early on. Let us listen to the voice of Ida Friederike Görres (1901-1971), the incorruptible. In a letter of November 28, 1968, to Paulus Gordan, a Benedictine in Beuron, she writes about the "ecclesiastical distress" that is observed throughout the country in the face of the rapid collapse of a certain provincial Catholicism as a result of the propaganda of 1968. But now, she adds, she has found her "prophet in Israel", a young Professor Ratzinger in Tübingen, unknown to her until then, who could become "the theological conscience of the German Church".
"Ecce, unus propheta in Israel". With these lines I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
The world bids its last farewell to Benedict XVI, this January 5, after intense days in which thousands of faithful and public figures have shown their affection and respect for the Pope Emeritus by visiting his body exposed in St. Peter's Basilica.
María José Atienza / Paloma López-January 5, 2023-Reading time: 2minutes
The morning of December 31, 2022 was marked on the world's calendar by the announcement of the Holy See's announcement of the death of Benedict XVI at 9:34 a.m. that same morning.
The last day of the year, the Pope emeritus passed away at the Vatican This has given rise to a cascade of information about his life, farewells from people close to him or not and, of course, the affectionate reaction of most of the Catholic faithful.
Hardly had Benedict XVI's spiritual testament been published, when already, some people approached the Mater Ecclesiae monastery to pay their respects and pray before the deceased.
Pope Francis, on his part, welcomed the new year praying to the Virgin MaryThe day of his solemnity, for the soul of his predecessor.
In the early morning of January 2, the body of Benedict XVI was transferred to St. Peter's Basilica, where it has been on display for five days for those who wish to view it, could come to bid farewell to the wise pope whose spiritual and scholarly thought has left an indelible mark on the Twentieth Century Theology.
"The greatest theologian ever to sit in the Chair of Peter."
In this vein, one of the people who knew Benedict XVI best is his biographer, Peter Seewald, who, in a recent interview with Thomas Kycia of OSV News, describes Joseph Ratzinger as "a very intelligent head, who does not put himself in the foreground, but rather, from the knowledge of the ChurchFrom the witnesses of the Gospel, from the tradition of Catholicism and from his own strength of thought and inspiration, he can tell you something that transforms a person of our time, a modern person".
In the same interview he recalls that Pope Francis affirms that the teaching of Benedict XVI is indispensable for the future of the Church and that it will become ever greater and more powerful with time. Seewald points out that the Pope Emeritus has been "without a doubt, the theologian the greatest who has ever sat in the chair of Peter".
The intense week, not only in the Vatican but throughout the world, will end with the funeral presided over by Pope Francis and attended by representatives of various religious denominations and personalities from the civil, cultural and political spheres.
Nevertheless, Joseph Ratzinger's funeral has nothing to do with those of his predecessors. In this case, there are only two official delegations corresponding to the nations of Germany, the pontiff's homeland, and Italy.
A simple funeralas requested by the Benedict XVIHe will rest in the tomb in the Vatican grottoes occupied by his predecessor, St. John Paul II, before being transferred to St. Peter's Basilica after his canonization.
The author of the article, a doctor in Political Science and Public International Law, has recently written "The Voice of Ethical Reason. Benedict XVI from London's Westminster Hall and Berlin's Reichstag".
José Ramón Garitagoitia-January 5, 2023-Reading time: 6minutes
Joseph Ratzinger (1927-2022) felt deeply an academic vocation from his youth. When John Paul II appointed him Archbishop of Munich and Freising in 1977, he found it difficult to leave his teaching position at the University of Regensburg.
Some time later, in 1982, he was called to Rome to work with the Polish pope as one of his closest collaborators. He accepted, but it was not an easy decision. On several occasions he asked to be relieved of his duties in the Vatican, and St. John Paul II responded by confirming him in his post: he needed him close to him, until the end.
After Wojtyla's death, the 78-year-old former professor from Regensburg became, on April 19, 2005, the 264th successor of St. Peter. He chose the name Benedict, in symbolic continuity with Benedict XV, who acceded to the Chair of Rome in the turbulent times of the First World War.
Seeing the unbelievable come true was a shock for him: "I was convinced that there were better and younger ones". From his deep dimension of faith, he abandoned himself to God. "I would have to slowly familiarize myself with what I could do, and I would always limit myself to the next step," he would explain with simplicity years later.
At the inauguration of his pontificate, Benedict XVI alluded to those who wander in contemporary deserts: "the desert of poverty, the desert of hunger and thirst; the desert of abandonment, of loneliness, of broken love (...), of the darkness of God, of the emptiness of souls that are no longer aware of the dignity and direction of the human being". From that day until his resignation on February 28, 2013, he put his enormous intellectual power at the service of the mission he received. He visited different parts of the world on 24 occasions. Each trip was a great effort for him: "they always represent great demands for me," he acknowledged with simplicity.
The pope teacher
Five years after his election, he gave a wide-ranging interview to journalist Peter Seewald, published under the title Light of the World. The conversation covers a wide range of topics, including the pontificate, the crises of the Church, ways forward, contemporary society and the cultural panorama in the transition from the 20th to the 21st century.
As far as his mission as Roman Pontiff is concerned, he would have to rely heavily on his collaborators, and leave many things in their hands in order to focus on the specific: "to preserve the inner vision of the whole, the recollection, from which the vision of the essential can then come".
John Paul II was a giant in many ways. By his presence alone, by his voice and gestures, he had a wide media resonance. The German pope's personality was different: "You don't necessarily have the same height, nor the same voice, has it been a problem?", Seewlad asked him. The answer shows doubts about his capacity for endurance: "sometimes I am worried and wonder if from a purely physical point of view I can hold out to the end".
From that simple attitude, he was determined to fulfill his mission: "I simply said to myself: I am the way I am. I do not try to be someone else. What I can give I give, and what I cannot give I do not try to give. I do not try to make of myself something that I am not, I have been chosen - the cardinals are guilty of this - and I do what I can".
When the journalist asked him for a key to understanding the pontificate, he referred to his academic vocation: "I think that, since God has made a professor pope, he wanted precisely this aspect of reflexivity, and especially the struggle for the unity of faith and reason, to come to the fore".
The pontificate of reason
The seven years and ten months he spent at the head of the Catholic Church will go down in history as a pontificate of reason. In carrying out his mission, he took the advice of the philosopher Jürgen Habermas (Düsseldorf, 1929) at the colloquium they held in Munich in January 2004: to make proposals that could be understood by the general public. The dialogue between the two intellectuals on the 'pre-political moral foundations of the liberal state' was now behind them, but the confronting ideas were as topical as ever.
In his interventions, he sought to contribute to the internalization of ideas by raising questions and making arguments about the great treasure of being a person and about the spiritual transformation of the world accessible to his interlocutors: "This is the great task facing us at this time. We can only hope that the inner strength of faith, which is present in man, will then become powerful in the public arena, shaping thought at the public level and not allowing society to simply fall into the abyss. He insisted that the human being is subject to a higher set of standards. It is precisely these demands that make greater happiness possible: "only through them do we reach the height, and only then can we experience the beauty of being. I consider it of great importance to emphasize this".
He was firmly convinced that happiness is a challenge and a goal accessible to all, but he needs to find the way: "Being human is like a mountain expedition, which includes some arduous slopes. But when we reach the top we are able to experience for the first time how beautiful it is to be there. Emphasizing this is of particular interest to me." Comfort is not the best way to live, nor is well-being the only content of happiness.
From modern areopagi
Benedict XVI did not shy away from complicated issues, and always posed the questions in a positive way. He aimed high in his arguments about the nature and destiny of persons, and the moral demands of society. The most varied areopagi of contemporary society opened their doors to him, with great impact on public opinion.
I keep an indelible memory of his words in Auschwitz (2006) on the silence of God, which I listened to while closely contemplating his suffering face.
That same year, he was invited to his former alma mater, lhe University of Regensburg. He dedicated his master class to explaining the relationship between religion and reason. In the speech he prepared for the opening of the academic year at the University of La Sapienza (2008) in Rome, he wondered what a pope could say in a public university.
He addressed the emergence of the medieval university as a reflection on the truth of the person in the different disciplines. The foundation of human rights was the focus of his address to the UN General Assembly (2008), and in the Collège des Bernardins de Paris shared with the French intelligentsia the sources of European culture.
Benedict XVI's visit to the United Kingdom in September 2010 also had an unquestionable political dimension. A very special moment was his speech at Westminster Hall, where he addressed the British society from the oldest parliament in the world: 1800 guests, representing the political, social, academic, cultural and business worlds of the United Kingdom, along with the diplomatic corps, and members of both Houses of Parliament, Lords and Commons.
In the same place where the Lord Chancellor Thomas More had been tried and condemned to death in 1535, he received a warm welcome. Aware of the moment and the surroundings, he dedicated his speech to stressing the importance of the constant dialogue between faith and reason, and the role of religion in the political process.
The sources of European culture
The following year, on the occasion of his visit to Germany, he addressed the federal parliament in the Berlin Reichstag. From this emblematic place, he spoke on the ethical foundations of political options, democracy and the rule of law. He addressed justice and political service, with their objectives and limits. Following his scholastic style he asked himself some questions and offered answers: "How can we recognize what is just? How can we distinguish between right and wrong, between true right and only apparent right?"
He explained that Western culture, including juridical culture, developed in a humanist humus that permeated everything, including areas considered not strictly religious. It was a consequence of the common sources of European culture, which had left its mark both in the Enlightenment and in the Declaration of Human Rights of 1948. But in the second part of the 20th century there was a change in the cultural situation to which it was necessary to respond, and to free reason from its self-enclosure: "where the exclusive domain of positivist reason rules - and this is largely the case with our public conscience - the classical sources of knowledge of ethos and law are left out of play". It was urgent to open a public debate on the question, and he acknowledged that this had been the main purpose of his speech in the Reichstag.
The pope-professor always spoke in a kind and respectful manner, with intellectual rigor. In each of these places he argued about what was of interest to others, whatever their ideology, creed or political condition. He always thoroughly reasoned his proposals on the objectives and responsibilities of a society worthy of the human condition.
The authorJosé Ramón Garitagoitia
D. in Political Science and Public International Law
Encounters of the "grandfather of the world" with the "grandfather of Italy".
Lino Banfi and Benedict XVI, one the "grandfather of Italy" and the other the "grandfather of the world" had at least two meetings, as the actor himself recalls.
Francisco Otamendi-January 5, 2023-Reading time: 3minutes
The first time I heard about the Italian actor Lino Banfi was from Banfi himself, live on air, when he addressed Benedict XVI at the 2006 World Meeting of Families in Valencia and told him that he was "the grandfather of Italy," and Pope Benedict "the grandfather of the world."
There are at least two meetings of the Italian actor Lino Banfi with Benedict XVI; one as Pope in Valencia, and another as Pope Emeritus in 2016. And there is also a record of an audience with Pope Francis on March 2, 2022.
It was July 2006 in Valencia, maybe some of you remember. The sun was shining brightly. Valencia and many Spanish families poured their hearts out to Benedict XVI, to "the grandfather of the world", as the actor Lino Banfi, who was also known as "the grandfather of Italy", affectionately called him. Banfi was then 69 years old, maybe 70, and his name is actually Pasquale Zagaria.
The successor of St. John Paul II, who until 2005 had been his staunch supporter, was unpacking central ideas on marriage and the family, which have become the patrimony of humanity.
"The family is a necessary good for peoples, an indispensable foundation for society and a great treasure for spouses throughout their lives," said Benedict XVI. "It is an irreplaceable good for children, who must be the fruit of love, of the total and generous self-giving of parents. Proclaiming the integral truth of the family, founded on marriage as the domestic Church and sanctuary of life, is a great responsibility for everyone. I therefore invite governments and legislators to reflect on the evident good that peaceful and harmonious homes ensure for man, for the family, the nerve center of society, as the Holy See recalls in the Charter of the Rights of the Family".
Later, in the same festive and testimonial meeting, the then Pope Benedict XVI referred directly to grandparents, like Lino Banfi: "I wish to refer now to grandparents, who are so important in families. They can be, and so often are, the guarantors of the affection and tenderness that every human being needs to give and receive. They give the little ones the perspective of time, they are the memory and richness of families. Let us hope that, under no circumstances, they are excluded from the family circle. They are a treasure that we cannot take away from the new generations, especially when they give testimony of faith in the face of the approaching death".
Years later, in 2013
A few years later, in October 2013, months after his resignation, they met again, this time in the Mater Ecclesiae monastery. After a meeting of about 35 minutes, Lino Banfi said that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI "plays the piano, reads, studies and prays" and is "very well," he recalled on RT radio, according to Europa Press.
The Italian actor stressed that he had found the Pope Emeritus "very serene" and recalled his participation in the World Meeting of Families in Valencia, when he spoke in a "Spanish-Pugliese" and called Benedict XVI "grandfather of the world", who in Valencia was 79 years old, ten years older than Lino Banfi.
In 2022, with Lolo Kiko
On March 2 last year, before the general audience, Pope Francis had a meeting with the Italian actor Lino Banfi, the "grandfather of Italy". The Press Office of the Holy See shared the testimony of Banfi, who asked the Holy Father for "a prayer for peace in Ukraine and another for my wife Lucia, because yesterday we celebrated 60 years of marriage".
"The Pope and I are the same age, we were born in 1936: I reminded him of that, pointing out that I am five months older," the comedian commented. "I find it extraordinary that he chose to give a catechesis on old age, which is not the age of 'discarding'... on the contrary! I am pleased to be called 'grandfather of Italy', and I told the Pope that he really is the 'grandfather of the world', because the elderly are fundamental for the future... more and more!".
But, "precisely because I am old," Banfi continued, "I confided to the Pope that I never thought I would see another war in Europe, and that I feel close to the suffering people, like a grandfather, praying for peace."
A few years before the pandemic, in the midst of the Synod of Bishops on young people, faith and vocational discernment, Pope Francis had a meeting in which he advised grandparents on how to pass on the faith to their grandchildren. He recalled "a very beautiful memory. When I was in the Philippines, people greeted me calling me: Lolo Kiko! Grandfather Francesco! Lolo Kiko, they were shouting! I was very happy to see that they felt close to me as a grandfather," the Pope said.
How to have a wise grandfather at home'.
In a report by Omnes In recent years, when journalists have asked Pope Francis about his relationship with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, he has said: "it's like having a brotherly relationship, really"; "I feel like having a wise grandfather at home"; "it does me good to listen to him"; "he also encourages me a lot". "Like having the wise grandfather at home," Francis repeated at the meeting with the elderly in September 2014.
A book will collect the spiritual thought of Benedict XVI
Dio è sempre nuovo (God is always new) is the title of the book to be published by Libreria Editrice Vaticana, the official publishing house of the Holy See, with a foreword by Pope Francis.
"God is always new because he is the source and reason for beauty, grace and truth. God is never repetitive, God surprises us, God brings newness," is how Pope Francis sums up in his foreword the apt title under which the Vatican publishing house collects a "spiritual synthesis" of the writings of Benedict XVI in which, as Francis emphasizes, "his ability to show the depth of the Christian faith is always new".
The book, published by the Libreria editrice Vaticanawhich will be published on January 14, addresses, in the words of the prologue, "a range of spiritual themes and is an incentive for us to remain open to the horizon of eternity that Christianity carries in its DNA. Benedict XVI's thought and magisterium is and will continue to be fruitful in time, because he has been able to focus on the fundamental references of our Christian life: first of all, the person and word of Jesus Christ, and then the theological virtues, that is, charity, hope and faith. And for this the whole Church will be grateful to him".
Pope Francis also wanted to express in this prologue his gratitude to God "for having given us Pope Benedict XVI: with his word and his witness, he taught us that through reflection, thought, study, listening, dialogue and, above all, prayer, it is possible to serve the Church and do good to all humanity; he offered us living intellectual tools so that every believer could give reasons for his hope using a way of thinking and communicating understandable to his contemporaries". His intention was constant: to enter into dialogue with everyone to seek together the ways through which we can find God".
In his almost eight years of pontificate, Benedict XVI experienced some amusing moments among which stand out, for example, some original audiences such as the one granted to a group of circus performers in which the Pope petted a lion cub or the gift of a Formula 1 steering wheel.
AhNow you can enjoy a 20% discount on your subscription to Rome Reports Premiumthe international news agency specializing in the activities of the Pope and the Vatican.
Pope Francis was today in the Paul VI Hall with faithful from all over the world who attended the general audience, many of them also said goodbye to the Pope Emeritus. Benedict XVI.
The Holy Father began the audience by mentioning Benedict XVIwhose "acute and educated thought was not self-referential, but ecclesial, because he always wanted to accompany us to the encounter with Jesus. Jesus, the Risen Crucified One, the Living One and the Lord, was the goal to which Pope Benedict led us, taking us by the hand".
Making yourself known
With his preaching at today's audience, the Pope concludes the catechesis on discernmentwhich has been going on since August. To close this cycle, Francis referred to "spiritual accompaniment, important first of all for self-knowledge, which we have seen is an indispensable condition for discernment".
In spiritual accompaniment, the Pope said, "it is important, first of all, to make ourselves known, without being afraid to share our most fragile aspects, in which we discover ourselves to be more sensitive, weak or fearful of being judged. Fragility is, in fact, our true richness, which we must learn to respect and welcome, because, offered to God, it makes us capable of tenderness, mercy and love. It makes us human. This fragility is not so much something negative as part of the beauty of human nature, because "God, in order to make us like himself, wanted to share to the very end our fragility".
Spiritual accompaniment and discernment
Spiritual accompaniment is a necessary tool for discernment, because "if it is docile to the Holy Spirit, it helps to unmask even serious misunderstandings in our consideration of ourselves and in our relationship with the Lord". Through a spiritual accompaniment that resembles the confidences of the Gospel characters with Christ, God can be found. There are examples of this in the Gospel accounts that recall that "people who have a true encounter with Jesus are not afraid to open their hearts to him, to present to him their vulnerability and inadequacy. In this way, their sharing becomes an experience of salvation, of forgiveness freely received".
The Holy Father assures us that "telling someone else what we have experienced or what we are looking for helps, first of all, to bring clarity to our interior, bringing to light the many thoughts that inhabit us and that often disturb us with their insistent refrains". Through accompaniment, "we discover with surprise different ways of seeing things, signs of goodness that have always been present in us".
However, it is important to remember that "the one who accompanies does not replace the Lord, does not do the work in place of the one being accompanied, but walks at his side, encourages him to read what is moving in his heart, the place par excellence where the Lord speaks".
The basics of accompaniment spiritual
The Pope did not want to forget the pillars on which spiritual accompaniment is based. Thus, he says that "accompaniment can be fruitful if, on both sides, we have experienced the filiation and the spiritual fraternity. We discover that we are children of God when we discover that we are brothers and sisters, children of the same Father. This is why it is indispensable to be part of an itinerant community. We do not go to the Lord alone. As in the Gospel story of the paralytic, we are often sustained and healed thanks to the faith of another person". When these foundations are not firm, "accompaniment can give rise to unrealistic expectations, misunderstandings and forms of dependence that leave the person in an infantile state".
Maria, teacher
It is not only in Jesus that one finds a teacher who teaches how to live accompaniment, the Pope highlights the figure of St. Mary'sShe is a "teacher of discernment: she speaks little, listens much and guards her heart. When she speaks, Francis said in the audience, she does so with wisdom. "In the Gospel of John, there is a very brief phrase pronounced by Mary that is a watchword for Christians of all times:"Do what He tells you" (cf. 2:5)".
This wisdom of the Virgin is born because "Mary knows that the Lord speaks to the heart of each one of us, and asks us to translate this word into actions and choices". She knew how to incarnate all this in her life, in such a way that "she is present at the fundamental moments of Jesus' life, especially at the supreme hour of his death on the cross".
Discernment, art and gift
The Pope concluded this last catechesis on discernment by affirming that discernment "is an art, an art that can be learned and that has its own rules. If it is learned well, it allows us to live our spiritual experience in an ever more beautiful and ordered way. Above all, discernment is a gift from God, which must always be asked for, without ever presuming to be an expert and self-sufficient".
It is important to keep in mind that "the voice of the Lord is always recognizable, it has a unique style, it is a voice that soothes, encourages and reassures in difficulties". This voice is the one that throughout the Bible repeats "Do not be afraid". Knowing this, "if we trust in his word, we will play the game of life well, and we will be able to help others. As the PsalmHis Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (cf. 119.105).
The "political" challenges of Benedict XVI's foreign travels
His personal secretary, Georg Gänswein, reflects on the political and diplomatic contribution of some of the most significant speeches delivered during his Apostolic Journeys by Benedict XVI to European and international institutions.
As the many reports of these days show, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was also a Pontiff who maintained the tradition of his predecessors of undertaking Apostolic Journeys abroad, and not only to Italy. A series inaugurated four months into his pontificate when he traveled to his homeland for World Youth Day in Cologne.
He returned to Germany twice more, in 2006 (to Bavaria, where the well-known "Regensburg incident" took place) and in 2011, on an official visit to the country.
In total, Benedict XVI has made 24 apostolic trips abroad, several to Europe (three times to Spain), but also to Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Cuba), the United States (2008), Africa (Cameroon, Benin) and Australia (2008), as OMNES also reported in recent days.
Confirmation in faith
Evidently, the first reason for these trips outside the Vatican to distant countries is of a spiritual nature; the Vicar of Christ goes on pilgrimage to lands inhabited by baptized Catholics - even where they are in the minority - to confirm them in the faith and to bring them the closeness and blessing of the whole Church.
There are also political reasons, since these are visits to a specific country, with its own institutional representation that welcomes him -and above all invites him-, with its own traditions and cultures, problems, challenges and future prospects, which each Pontiff carries out to value and integrate into the whole of his magisterium, always leaving seeds of possible growth and development.
This was, therefore, also the case of Benedict XVI, who during his seven-year term at the head of the universal Church did not fail to meet with various political and cultural leaders of European countries and international realities.
This experience - and the speeches he delivered from time to time on his various travels - allows us to extract a series of reflections on fundamental questions of society, such as the relationship between justice and religious freedom, the confrontation between faith and reason, the dynamics that exist between law and law, and so on.
Ratzinger-style diplomacy
On these themes, his private secretary, Monsignor Georg Gänswein, offered in 2014, a year after the resignation of Benedict XVI, some reflections that highlight precisely the "political" impact of Ratzinger's formatted diplomacy, dwelling on five major speeches of the Pope Emeritus, addressed to as many different contexts and audiences, but from which emerge certain "key ideas" developed "in an organic and coherent manner."
The first of these speeches highlighted by the Prefect of the Pontifical Household is undoubtedly the one delivered onn Regensburg, Germany, September 12, 2006.The real importance of this pronouncement, pronounced in an academic context and conceptually based on the relationship between faith and reason and on the God-logos, does not, of course, lie in the criticisms that followed. Evidently, the real importance of this pronouncement does not lie in the criticisms that followed.
A second speech was delivered at the United Nations in New York two years later, focused on human rights and the project that sixty years earlier led to the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Gänswein then highlighted as significant the speech he delivered at the Collège des Bernardins de Paris (September 12, 2008), addressed to the cultural elites of a country considered secularized and hostile to religions. Benedict XVI recalled here the contribution of the Christian faith to the development of European civilization.
In 2010, on September 17, Benedict XVI spoke in London in the seat of that Parliament which, among other things, decreed the death of Thomas More as a result of religious dissension. On that occasion he was able to appreciate the liberal democratic tradition, while denouncing the attacks on religious freedom that were taking place in the West.
Lastly, of political and diplomatic importance were his speech to the German Bundestag on September 22, 2011, in which Benedict XVI addressed the question of the foundation of the legal order and the limits of the consequent positivism dominant throughout the twentieth century in Europe.
Based on these pronouncements, Benedict XVI's Particular Secretary glimpses a common thread in three perspectives.
Religion and Law
The first of these has to do with the core of Benedict XVI's thought on the contribution of religion to public debate and, consequently, to the construction of the juridical order. This can be seen very well in the speech to the Bundestag in Berlin, when Ratzinger states: "In history, juridical orders have almost always been religiously motivated: on the basis of a reference to the divine will, what is just among men is decided.
Contrary to other great religions, Christianity has never imposed on the State and society a revealed law, a juridical order derived from a revelation. Instead, it has referred to nature and reason as the true sources of law, it has referred to the harmony between objective and subjective reason, a harmony which, however, presupposes that both spheres are founded on the creative Reason of God".
He had proposed a similar concept at Westminster Hall, to allay fears that see religion as an "Authority" that somehow imposes itself in legal and political matters, thwarting freedom and dialogue with others.
Benedict XVI's proposal, rather, has a universal vision and is situated precisely in the interrelation between reason and nature. Gänswein reflects: "The first and fundamental contribution of Benedict XVI is the reminder that the ultimate sources of law are to be found in reason and nature, not in a mandate, whoever it may be".
Reason and nature
A second pedagogical perspective concerns the area of the relationship between reason and nature, in which "the destiny of democratic institutions is at stake, their capacity to produce the "common good", that is, the possibility, on the one hand, of deciding by majority vote a large part of the matter to be legally regulated and, on the other, of continually striving to recognize and reaffirm what cannot be voted on", recalls Monsignor Gänswein.
In his public speeches, Benedict XVI openly denounces the temptation to reduce reason to something measurable and compares it to a concrete bunker without windows. Rather: "We must reopen the windows, we must see anew the immensity of the world, the sky and the earth, and learn to use all this in a just way," he said in Berlin.
That is why we should not be afraid to measure ourselves with reality, thinking that the only way to access it is to reduce it to preconstituted or even preconceived schemes. Here there is practically 'a correction of modern rationalism, which makes it possible to re-establish a correct relationship between reason and reality. A positivist or self-sufficient reason is incapable of getting out of the swamp of uncertainties", comments Gänswein.
Interrelation between reason and faith
Finally, a fundamental paradigm of the entire pontificate, the interrelationship between reason and faith, shines brightly in the speeches that the then Pontiff delivered with the European continent as a reference point. "The culture of Europe was born of the encounter between Jerusalem, Athens and Rome; of the encounter between faith in the God of Israel, the philosophical reason of the Greeks and the juridical thought of Rome. This triple encounter shapes the intimate identity of Europe," Ratzinger said again in his address to the Bundestag.
The reflection on how the Christian faith has contributed to the rehabilitation of reason emerges instead from the content of the speech at the Collège des Berardins in Paris, when the emeritus cites the example of Western monasticism as an opportunity for the rebirth of a civilization until now "buried under the ruins of the devastation of barbarism" - recalls Gänswein - having "overturned old orders and old certainties".
In short, in Benedict XVI's view there is a profound relationship of friendship between faith and reason, and neither wants to subjugate the other. He said at Westminster Hall: "the world of reason and the world of faith - the world of secular rationality and the world of religious belief - need each other and should not be afraid to engage in a profound and continuous dialogue, for the sake of our civilization. Religion, therefore, for any legislator, is not at all a problem to be solved, legislators are not a problem to be solved, 'but a vital contribution to the national debate'.
It will take years, perhaps decades, to appreciate the intellectual, human and spiritual stature of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died on Saturday morning, December 31.
There are people who stand out for some eminent personality trait - for example, an artistic talent or an outstanding intelligence - but who are prevented from shining to their full potential by a certain awkwardness of character: a fiery genius, an excessive sensitivity or a shyness covered with insecurity.
Sometimes it is not a temperamental factor, but a setback or setback external to them, such as an adverse historical circumstance. And it can also be a combination of both, in an unfortunate cocktail. Fortunately, the passage of time often does justice and puts everyone in their rightful place.
This is what happened to artists such as Il Caravaggio or Vincent Van Gogh. More than one saint has left this world shrouded in controversy. I think I am not exaggerating when I say that it will take years, perhaps decades, to appreciate the intellectual, human and spiritual stature of Benedict XVI.
In the days following its recent death, last December 31In the past, there have been those who have pointed out, with presumptuous ignorance - double ignorance - his past in the Hitler Youth or have accused him of covering up the cases of pederasty perpetrated by clerics in the bosom of the Church.
However, a fact that no one can disqualify is the decision he made in 2013 to resign from the See of Peter in the face of the growing physical and psychological limitations caused by age. And it is precisely there where, if one has a minimum of intellectual honesty, one begins to glimpse the greatness of Joseph Ratzinger, a man deeply faithful to that God to whom he dedicated his best forces and to himself.
The emeritus began his pontificate by presenting himself to the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square and to the world as a humble worker in the Lord's vineyard. Anyone who had his résumé at hand at the time would have had no choice but to frown and attribute false modesty to him. But Ratzinger was not lying. That is how he felt and that is how he had tried to spend his whole life.
He could have been one of the most prolific theologians of the twentieth century, but he accepted the invitation to become pastor of the Munich diocese and to work in the ungrateful Congregation for the Doctrine of the FaithHe was a good bookkeeper, even though he was better at books than sheep, and even though he knew that the inquisitorial stigma would be turned against him and would accompany him from then on.
His shyness was his worst defect, but surely also his best virtue, for it became the safeguard of his humility and, consequently, of an unwavering faith.
He never pretended to defend himself against criticism. He only had time for the mission entrusted to him in the service of the Church. It was only at the end of his days that he decided to put black on white. in response to allegations of a cover-up of a pedophile priest while he was bishop of Munich. He wrote a letter in which he clarified the situation, but above all in which he again asked forgiveness on behalf of the entire institution for the worst scourge of its millennial history.
Ratzinger's magisterium as Roman Pontiff is delight for the ear, nourishment for the intelligence and balm for the heart. Through him, he has acted as "pater familias", in the evangelical way, extracting from the trunk of doctrine what is good and giving it exquisitely chewed to his children. Generations of Christians will be nourished by his teachings over time.
Two external factors have worked against this pontificate, which will go down in the history books for its abrupt and unexpected epilogue: on the one hand, the prevailing relativism that the Pope himself denounced and tried to fight with his best weapons.
A relativism that has engendered, together with superficiality, that presumptuous ignorance to which I referred earlier. On the other hand, the choice of advisors and allies who did not know how to accompany him on a troubled journey. And so were unleashed crises such as that of Lefebvre's children, the misinterpretation of the Regensburg speech, the Vatileaks scandal and even the late response of the institution - not Pope Benedict - to the condemnation of pedophilia.
It is said that when he was thinking of resigning the pontificate, he shared this doubt with several of his closest advisors. They all tried to dissuade him, but he had already made up his mind in the presence of God. Time later proved that he was right to disregard their words.
History will call this generation unjust for not having understood Benedict XVI and for not having appreciated him in all his magnitude. We will have to excuse ourselves by saying that his shyness, in this age of image, did not help, or that biased and lying headlines prevented us from doing so. But in any case, I hope that she will be more accurate than us and make shine for the next generations the figure of this man of God, who under a clumsy and fragile appearance carried within him a giant.
The list of religious representatives who will attend Benedict XVI's funeral in Rome this Thursday, January 5, has been published. These attendees will join the thousands of people who are expected to go to the Vatican to bid farewell to the Pope Emeritus.
The representatives of many religious denominations want to attend the funeral of Benedict XVI to be held this Thursday, January 5 in Rome. These names join those of so many people who will be mobilized over the next few days to give a last farewell to the Pope emeritus.
Orthodox representatives
Thus, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople expects the attendance of its eminences Polycarp of Italy and Emmanuel of Chalcedon. Bishop Gennadios of Botswana is also expected as Greek Orthodox representative.
The Moscow Patriarchate, for its part, in RussiaThe funeral will be attended by the Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations, Antony of Volokolamsk, and the Assistant of the Department for External Church Relations, Ivan Nikolaev. The Serbian Patriarchate will be represented by the Bishop of Bec.
From Romania, the bishop of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Northern Italy, Monsignor Siluan, and his auxiliary bishop, Athanasius, will attend on behalf of the Romanian Patriarchate.
The Patriarchates of Bulgaria and Georgia will be represented by Ivan Ivanov, Administrator of the Bulgarian communities in Italy, and the pastor of the Georgian community in Rome, Ioane Khelaia, respectively.
The Church of Cyprus will send Metropolitan Bishop Basil of Constance, and the Greek Church will be represented by Metropolitan Ignatius of Dimitriades. Representing North Macedonia will be His Highness Josif of Tetovo-Gostivar and Deacon Stefan Gogovski.
On behalf of the Orthodox Church in America (IOA), IOA Primate Tikhon and its secretary, Alessandro Margheritino, will attend the funeral.
The Bishop for Italy of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate, Monsignor Bernabé El Soryany, will also be present. From the Armenian Apostolic Church, the representative to the Holy See, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Bagrat Galstanyan from the Diocese of Tavush in Armenia, and the Pontifical Legate for Central Europe, Tiran Petrosyan, are expected to attend. From the same church, but from Cilicia, Archbishop Nareg Alemezian will attend.
Abraham Mar Stephanos, metropolitan for the United Kingdom and Europe, will represent the Syrian Malankara Church; and Mar Odisho Oraham, bishop for Scandinavia and Germany, is the envoy from the Assyrian Church of the East.
Veterocatholic representatives
The Old Catholic Church in Utrecht will be represented by Bishop Heinrich Lederleitner, from Austria.
Anglican representatives
On behalf of the Anglican Communion, the Archbishop of Canterbury's representative to the Holy See and Director of the Anglican Center in Rome, Ian Ernest; the representative of the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, Msgr. Christopher Hill; and the suffragan bishop of the Diocese in Europe, Bishop David Hamid, will travel to Rome.
Methodist representatives
Matthew Laferty, Director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office in Rome.
Lutheran representatives
On the other hand, the Lutheran parish of Rome will be represented by Pastor Michael Jonas, of the Evangelical Lutheran Community of Rome.
Representatives of the Ecumenical Council
Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, Moderator of the Ecumenical Council of Churches, will visit the Vatican on behalf of the Ecumenical Council of Churches.
Evangelical representatives
Samuel Chiang, Assistant General Secretary for Ministries of the World Evangelical Alliance, is the representative of evangelicals at the funeral.
Youth representatives
Finally, representing the Young Men's Christian Association in Italy will be the President of the Congress, Federico Serra; the President of the National Committee, Maurizio Donnangelo; and the Secretary General of the Federation, Alessandro Indovina.
The excesses of inclusive language, which sometimes verge on the ridiculous, or the steamroller of gender ideology, which threatens to turn anyone who refuses to say that white is black into a criminal, are only examples of a practice well known to rulers of all times.
January 3, 2023-Reading time: 2minutes
"War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength." These are the three party slogans that crown the pharaonic edifice of the Ministry of Truth in the novel 1984. The manipulation of language reaches similar levels today.
I am not at all conspiratorial, but I think we are not far from the crushing dystopian society imagined by George Orwell. There, the so-called "neo-language" served the omnipresent Big Brother to control citizens; here, ideologies use language to sweeten what we would not swallow if they called things by their name.
The excesses of inclusive language, which sometimes verge on the ridiculous, or the steamroller of gender ideology, which threatens to turn anyone who refuses to say that white is black into a criminal, are only examples of a practice well known to rulers of all times.
The last ones to complain about the manipulation of the language have been the associations of large families that understand as an aggression the new law that the Spanish Government is preparing. In the explanatory memorandum of the draft bill, which has been revealed by the newspaper ABC, the Government clearly recognizes the ideological nature of the law, stating that "the family no longer exists, but families in the plural".
According to the regulation, the concept of large family disappears, recognizing instead up to 16 different types of families, including (what a thing!) the one composed of only one person.
Large families rightly protest that "if everything is family, nothing is family anymore", alleging the lack of recognition, in the current demographic context, of the social role they play.
In spite of the fact that, year after year, the family continues to appear in first place in the ranking of the most valued institutions, the truth is that, as social uses make it smaller and smaller and more fragile, its role is becoming more and more blurred. Some people already say that the real family are friends, because they are "the ones one chooses", so Big Brother is fulfilling, step by step, its social engineering project consisting of eliminating ties to achieve individuals who are more and more lonely, more uprooted, more dependent on the State and, therefore, more manipulable. Emptying the word family of its meaning, it brings us closer and closer to the herd -or to the pack or the flock, whichever you prefer-; it makes us less human and more that other thing they want to turn us into.
The name of things, and also of people, is essential to avoid confusion, to know what we are talking about, who we are talking about. What would happen if, in search of effective equality, we all called each other the same name? Well, the world would be in chaos, nobody would know who is who, not even oneself.
Today we celebrate, precisely, the feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, a term that means, in Hebrew, "God saves", clearly indicating the mission of the child. May we know how to call things by their name and not allow ourselves to be manipulated by these false saviors of humanity. Because humanity has already been saved by a simple man who learned to be saved and to bring this concept to its fullness in that school of humanity called family. His name, above all names: Jesus. Let us turn to him when we are confused.
Journalist. Graduate in Communication Sciences and Bachelor in Religious Sciences. He works in the Diocesan Delegation of Media in Malaga. His numerous "threads" on Twitter about faith and daily life have a great popularity.
The ecological question in Benedict XVI maintains an interesting balance between the one who opens himself to the present world, valuing the positive aspects that it incorporates, while at the same time he knows how to illuminate with the light of the most authentic Christianity the problems and expectations of his contemporaries.
It seems to me that it is not necessary to extend the long list of acknowledgements that the theological and pastoral work of Pope Benedict has deserved in recent days on the occasion of his death. Nor am I going to waste a minute answering the ravings of those who criticize him without hardly knowing his writings and without having met him personally.
It seems much more appropriate to me to emphasize another dimension of his thought-perhaps not nuclear, but certainly important-that is close to my heart. It will thus serve as a modest tribute and gratitude to a great intellectual, a wise and good man, to whom it fell to lead the Church in the last 40 years - first as a fundamental support of St. John Paul II and then as Bishop of Rome - towards an authentic renewal of the Church in the 21st century, assuming the most substantial and fruitful aspects of the Council, combining Tradition with openness to Modernity, in a dynamic fidelity that always asks itself what Jesus Christ would ask of us if he were to preach to our contemporaries.
I am referring to the vision of Benedict XVI on environmental issues, so much debated today. I find Benedict XVI's position on this subject particularly appealing, since it exemplifies very well that balance between those who are open to today's world, valuing the positive aspects it incorporates, while at the same time knowing how to illuminate with the light of the most authentic Christianity the problems and expectations of his contemporaries.
For many Christians, these are issues that are foreign - at best - to our faith, if not an occasion to weaken the Christian message with spurious or openly pagan interests. For others, the Church cannot remain silent in the face of any question of intellectual transcendence and broad social interest.
The trajectory of the ecclesiastical magisterium on the so-called "ecological question" seems, at first glance, very recent, although there are very interesting references to the admiration and openness to nature in authors as relevant as St. Basil, St. Augustine or St. Benedict.
However, the analysis of the recent magisterium starts from some allusions in texts of St. John XXIII, St. Paul VI, and some more specific writings of St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI, leading to the encyclical dedicated to this topic by Pope Francis in 2015. The text of the current pope is very profound and relevant, with some original notes, but which does not come out of a vacuum: it draws on the writings of his predecessors, in addition to the documents produced by various episcopal conferences. I would now like to focus on Pope Benedict's contributions to this trajectory.
It is worth remembering that Benedict XVI was German, and that in Germany environmental sensitivity is a basic component of everyday life (it is worth remembering that it is one of the few countries in the world to have a Green Party with broad parliamentary representation).
– Supernatural ecological issue in Benedict XVI
His references to the "ecological question" are both frequent and profound. For example, in four years of his eight-year pontificate, he dedicated to this theme central references in his Messages for the World Day of Peace.
In the 2007 issue, he introduces an extremely important theme, the concept of human ecology, giving it both a moral and doctrinal interpretation: "If humanity is truly interested in peace, it must always bear in mind the interrelationship between natural ecology, that is, respect for nature, and human ecology. Experience shows that every disrespectful attitude towards the environment leads to damage to human coexistence, and vice versa" (n. 8).
Benedict XVI was also the first to directly connect environmental justice with future generations, something that is now fully included in international legislation as a moral principle, even if it is legally complicated to apply. Recalling that... "Respect for the environment does not mean that material or animal nature is more important than man", he affirmed that we cannot use nature "...in a selfish way, at the full disposal of our own interests, because future generations also have the right to benefit from creation, exercising in it the same responsible freedom that we claim for ourselves" (Benedict XVI, Message for the World Day of Peace, 2008, n. 7).
However, the human ecology proposed by Benedict XVI goes further. It refers to the profound connection between natural equilibrium and human equilibrium, proposing that we be guided by natural law, linking human nature with "natural" nature, because after all we are part of the same natural substratum. The truth of man and nature lead to an attitude of respect and care: they are not separate aspects.
In this sense, he seconds what St. John Paul II has already pointed out, that environmental degradation is linked to the moral degradation of man, since both imply contempt for God's creative design, but Benedict XVI extends this to various facets of moral action: "If the right to life and to natural death is not respected, if conception, gestation and birth of man are made artificial, if human embryos are sacrificed to research, the common conscience ends up losing the concept of human ecology and with it environmental ecology. It is a contradiction to ask the new generations to respect the natural environment, when education and laws do not help them to respect themselves.
The book of nature is one and indivisible, both with regard to life, sexuality, marriage, the family, social relations, in a word, integral human development" (Caritas in veritate, 2009, n. 51). From this arises the concept more recently developed by Pope Francis of integral ecology, which refers to the care of nature and of people, for after all, this planet is our common home.
There can be no discontinuity between these two aspects, neither at one extreme, nor at the other. He who cares for the environment, denigrating the people who live on it, would be as misguided as he who degrades the environment gratuitously in order to supposedly favor people. There is only one crisis - as Pope Francis so often mentions - both social and environmental.
The solution to the environmental problem, then, is not only technical, but also moral. It is necessary for each person to discover which aspects of his or her life can be renewed. This is the framework of the concept of ecological conversion, which Pope Francis likes so much, but which was proposed by John Paul II, and extended by Benedict XVI, concretized in personal changes: "We need an effective change of mentality that leads us to adopt new lifestyles, "whereby the search for truth, beauty and goodness, as well as communion with others for a common growth, are the elements that determine the choices of consumption, savings and investments" (Benedict XVI, Caritas in veritate, 2009, n. 51). 51).
Benedict XVI's allusions to the environmental question in his memorable address to the German parliament are also worthy of note. There he pointed out that respect for nature is also a way of recognizing an objective truth that we do not create, but to which we owe recognition.
That is why he indicated that: "We must listen to the language of nature and respond to it coherently", linking this recognition to that of human nature itself: "Man is not only a freedom that he creates for himself. Man does not create himself. He is spirit and will, but also nature, and his will is just when he respects nature, listens to it, and when he accepts himself for what he is, and admits that he has not created himself. In this way, and only in this way, true human freedom is realized".
In summary, in the very broad magisterium of Benedict XVI, the ecological dimension is proposed as something central to the Christian experience, starting from a conception of God the Creator, who has beautified the world around us with an immense biodiversity, of God the Redeemer, who wanted to share our human nature, living in harmony with his environment, and of God the Sanctifier, who uses natural matter as a vehicle of Grace in the sacraments.
Pope Francis has reminded us of this in his encyclical and his many allusions in his magisterium, but also previous popes, especially Benedict XVI, deserve a place of honor among the precedents of this magisterium.
The authorEmilio Chuvieco
Professor of Geography at the University of Alcalá.
Mayte Rodríguez: "Jews and Christians must work and dialogue on everything that unites us".
A few weeks ago, the chapter house of the Almudena Cathedral in Madrid became an interreligious meeting point for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Center for Judeo-Christian Studies. Half a century "being the Church's official institution for dialogue with Judaism." as Mayte Rodríguez, director of the Center, points out.
The history of the Center for Judeo-Christian StudiesThe Sisters of Our Lady of Sion, dependent on the archbishopric of Madrid, cannot be understood without mentioning the congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion.
This congregation, founded under the inspiration of Theodore and Alphonse Ratisbonne, two brothers of Jewish origin, who converted to Catholicism and were ordained priests, has as its charism the work and prayer in the Church to reveal God's faithful love for the Jewish people and to bring about the kingdom of God on earth through fraternal collaboration.
This has been the line of these 50 years of work, as Mayte Rodriguez, a laywoman who came to know the charism of the Sisters of Sion shortly after arriving in Spain and who, since then, has been part of this Center of Studies, emphasizes in this interview.
When was the Center for Judeo-Christian Studies founded?
-Around 1960, Sister Esperanza and Sister Ionel arrived in Spain. The first thing they did was to go to the Jewish community, which welcomed them with open arms. It was there that the foundation of the Judeo-Christian Friendship, approved by the Archbishopric of Madrid.
We are talking about before Vatican Council II. After the Council, Cardinal Tarancón decided to erect a Center for Judeo-Christian StudiesThe Church is an official institution of the Church.
In fact, we are the only official institution of the Church for dialogue with Judaism here in Spain. The Center, as such was established on September 21, 1972, entrusting its management to the Congregation of Our Lady of Sion.
Why is the Congregation established in Spain?
-To understand this, we must refer to the Seelisberg meeting: in the summer of 1947, a large group of Jews and Christians from 19 countries met in Seelisberg, Switzerland. Among them were Jacques Maritain and Jules Isaac. That meeting was key. There, it became clear, among other things, how a certain part of the horror of the recent Jewish holocaust could have come from an erroneous vision of Christians towards Jews. We are referring to ideas such as the Jews being "guilty of the death of Christ". Seelisberg promotes what we know as "Jewish-Christian friendships".
It is true that, in Spain, not being a participant in World War II, perhaps we did not have the same perception regarding the persecution of the Jews as we had in France or Germany, but in Spain there was an evident Sephardic, Jewish root. Not in vain, the Jews are divided into Sephardic and Ashkenazi, the first of Spanish origin, and the rest, of Central European roots.
In this story, what role does the statement play Nostra Aetate?
-In recent years, Church documents have multiplied in this regard. It must be recognized that there have been centuries of misunderstandings and this has led to misunderstandings, misunderstandings, etc.
Much progress has been made in recent years. In this regard, the contribution of the Second Vatican Council and, especially, of the declaration Nostra Aetate, has been fundamental. This is due, in my opinion, to three persons: St. John XXIII, Jules Isaac and Cardinal Agustin Bea SJ.
After this meeting with Seelisberg, Jules Isaac asked for an interview with St. John XXIII. In that interview he expressed his sorrow because, although he did not find any anti-Semitic point in the Gospels, he wondered where the historical animosity towards the Jewish people came from. In that conversation, Isaac asks the Pope: "Holiness, can I bring hope to my people?", to which John XXIII replied: "You are entitled to more than just hope." After that interview, the Pope entrusted Cardinal Agustin Bea with the preparation of what would later become the declaration Nostra Aetate. This declaration was very controversial: for some sectors of the Church it fell short, and for others it was excessive. There was also misunderstanding on the part of the other confessions. In the end Nostra Aetate came through and that was the beginning of the change. Not only on the part of the Catholics, but, in the case of the Jewish community, how they saw us Christians.
Has there also been a change of mentality on the part of the Jewish community?
-We must bear in mind that for the Jews, we Christians have often been considered as a kind of sect, a heresy of Judaism.
Significant steps have been taken in recent years. For example, in recent documents the Jews recognize that we Christians are part of God's infinite plan. Not only that, but in a certain way, we follow parallel paths and when God wills, we will meet. In the meantime, we have to work and dialogue in everything that unites us. This is very important.
It is really paradoxical, but what unites us the most with our older brothers in faith is also what separates us the most: the figure of Christ. Jesus was Jewish, his mother was Jewish, the apostles were Jewish... The big difference is that for us he is the Messiah and for them he is a great rabbi. At this point, I often refer to the name of the center's magazine, El Olivo. This magazine owes its name to these words from chapter 11 of the letter to the Romans: "If the root is holy, so are the branches. On the other hand, if some of the branches were broken off, while you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in their place and made partaker of the root and sap of the olive tree." The Jews are the trunk, and if we are holy it is because they are holy too. Many times, within the Christians themselves we appreciate that there is a distant vision of the Jewish people. I think it is more a lack of interest than anything else. However, thanks to God we see that this is changing and there is more openness. But much more is needed.
Now that 50 years have passed, what is the Center's outlook for the future?
-I think that this Center is something that God wants, so He will know what to do for the future. We have been through, and are still going through, a lot of ups and downs. Every morning, when I arrive at the Center, I go to the chapel we have here and say to the Lord, "I am very happy. "This is yours, let's see what you do!". I think it is that, a work of God. We work for his people and by his people, and those of us who feel this affection see it that way.
In the Center almost all of us are volunteers, even the magnificent cadre of teachers of our conferences do it voluntarily. When the Sisters of Sion arrived in Spain and gathered a group of intellectuals, politicians, etc. the key point was that they loved the Jewish people and wanted to spread their culture, and that is what we continue to do. In addition to lecture series on various topics related to Judaism and Christianity, we have Hebrew courses, open to everyone. Most of the people who come here are older, because they have more time and are interested in learning about the history of the Jewish people or the relationship with Christians. We would like more young people to come, but with the limited time they have, it is difficult. We also have a very good library, open to scholars and teachers, on everything related to the Jewish and Christian world.
How would you define the current relationship with the Jewish community?
-Excellent. Thank God, we have a fraternal relationship. There is a constant cooperation among us and it is necessary to emphasize that they help us in many different ways: both to maintain this Center and to collaborate many times in charitable works of the Church, for example, in Caritas campaigns or food collections. Some of the most endearing moments are when we accompany each other on special occasions. We celebrate with them holidays such as Yom Kippur o Purim and they come on January 20, which is the annual holiday of our center. We have to take into account that, in addition, many of the Jews living in Spain have gone to Catholic schools or universities and our holidays are very close to them.
Thousands of people visit the mortal remains of Benedict XVI
Thousands of people are lining up these days to say their last goodbye to the Pope Emeritus. The Vatican protocol is working for an unprecedented funeral that will be presided over by Pope Francis.
It has been an intense day, the first of the days in which it has been possible to pay a last homage and prayer to Benedict XVI in the Vatican Basilica.
The transfer of the mortal remains of Benedict XVI to St. Peter's Basilica took place at 7:00 a.m. this morning, and the arrival at the Basilica was at 7:15 a.m. The brief rite was presided over by Card. The brief rite was presided over by Card. Gambetti, which lasted until 7:40.
The Basilica was then prepared for the arrival of the faithful who visited the Pope Emeritus. From the beginning, at 9:00 a.m., when the Basilica was opened, and throughout Monday, there was always a sense of calm in the queues, without many selfies, with recollection.
The first images of the mortal remains of Benedict XVI have raised some comments among the faithful and pilgrims. When John Paul II died in 2005, he did not wear a miter or crozier when he rested in his private chapel. While Benedict did.
One of the great doubts of an unprecedented event such as the death of an emeritus pontiff was the funeral rite and the protocol that would be established.
The clothing provides some clues, since Benedict XVI was dressed in papal red, but without the pallium: the ornament that is placed around the neck and that indicates the power exercised at the moment of his death. The absence of the pallium indicates that the German had just retired. Benedict XVI was clothed in red pontifical vestments, the color reserved for pontiffs. He wears a solemn red chasuble and a miter with golden borders.
As he renounced to be pontiff, he also does not wear the "pastoral cross", the cane topped with a cross that has a meaning parallel to that of the pallium. Nor does he wear burgundy-colored shoes, which in papal tradition evoke the blood shed by the martyrs following in the footsteps of Christ.
In addition, Benedict is holding an intertwined rosary in his hands. He is leaning on a catafalque covered by a red velvet cloth and supported by two brown cushions. Next to him is a lighted candle. An interesting fact: Pope Emeritus Benedict lies on the altar wearing the chasuble he wore at the closing Mass of the 2008 World Youth Day in Sydney.
Archbishop Ganswein, Pope Benedict's personal secretary, was present at the tomb from the beginning of the morning and received the condolences of numerous personalities throughout the day, beginning with Matarella, President of the Italian Republic, and the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni.
Long lines in St. Peter's Square to bid farewell to Benedict XVI
Throughout the day there have been long lines in St. Peter's Square to bid farewell to Benedict XVI. The incoming and outgoing are crisscrossing and preparations for Thursday's funeral are beginning. We are also in a very special situation, since we did not experience what we did when John Paul II, the reigning Pope, passed away. Benedict XVI has been retired for 10 years, but St. Peter's Square is once again alive and young. We have been able to see many young pilgrims, for whom Benedict XVI was, is and will continue to be a reference in their Christian life. We are before a pope who deeply believed in the power of the Truth, who loved the Truth, who died loving the Truth on his lips.
We begin to count on many reactions after the disappearance of the first "pope emeritus" in history, a pope who has produced an enormous doctrinal work: 3 encyclicals, 275 letters, 125 apostolic constitutions, 4 apostolic exhortations, 67 apostolic letters, 13 Motu proprios, 199 messages, 349 homilies, and about 1500 speeches.
Gathering the impressions of tourists and pilgrims, it is common to hear assessments such as those of an Italian family, originally from Milan, who emphasize (a middle-aged couple) that Benedict was above all an affable person, with a simple and direct eloquence, typical of an extraordinarily educated person, with a rare ability to capture the heart with a concept and an idea".
Not very different is the memory of Mr. Lluís Clavell, former rector of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross and professor of metaphysics at the same university. "He came to see us twice. Once just to be with us and answer our questions. And from his thoughtful answers you could tell he had a rare ability to listen. To answer first you have to listen well. Ratzinger possessed both qualities.
We were also able to hear on the radio the statements of Cardinal Pell, who confirmed: "Pope Ratzinger was a Christian gentleman. A true German professor, a man of exquisite manners, of high culture, a gentleman of the old school, very, very educated."
Other people in the square said, like the Italian nun Lucia: "I have been here since very early in the morning. I owed it to him to greet him at this moment, after all he has done for the Church. At his side, thousands of people queued all day long to enter the Basilica. Some 35,000 people are expected to visit the chapel every day, which will remain open until Wednesday. Today it has been confirmed that 40,000 people have passed through the Basilica.
The first faithful to enter the basilica were a group of priests from India. The coincidence of Benedict XVI's death with the Christmas vacations meant that many of the onlookers were mere tourists. Like Jennifer K., an American who, together with several friends, emphasized how "lucky" she was to have been in Rome during these days. "I am sad about the death of Benedict XVI, but for us it was a great coincidence that he caught us in Rome, and here we are". Others, like a group of Spaniards a few meters away, took advantage of their vacation trip to attend the funeral. "We do it out of respect for Benedict, although the truth is we haven't known him very well," said Luis Mesa, 36.
For other personalities, such as Sister Alessandra Smerilli, secretary of one of the most important Dicasteries of the Holy See, the testament of Pope Benedict XVI recalls his humble origins, his relationship with his family. A simple testament, simple his life, he remained steadfast before God moment by moment". Others, like Gustavo Entrala, the Spanish communicator who helped Benedict send his first tweet, have recalled online how he and his team got Pope Benedict XVI on social media. Today, @Pontifex is an undisputed success. And that had its origin with the previous Pope, advised by the Spanish communicator.
According to the Archbishop of Malta, Charles Scicluna, it was Benedict XVI who first began to confront "the dark side" of sexual abuse committed by clerics, promoting a series of measures that today form the core of the Church's "zero tolerance" policy. Before his election to the papacy, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger "played a decisive role in the long process of updating legislation and procedures" to deal with serious crimes such as the sexual abuse of minors, Scicluna said. As both Vatican prefect and pope, Scicluna said, Benedict XVI led the reform "in constant dialogue with canonical experts" and promoted "formation at all levels." During his eight years as pope, Scicluna said, Benedict spent time each week reviewing cases of abusive priests who needed decisions.
In a quick review of Benedict's legacy, which so many remember today, we could mention that "Faith and reason meet again in a new way" and that during his pontificate he repeated many times that man is capable of truth and must search for it. That it needs criteria to be verified and must go hand in hand with real tolerance. The measure of truth for Catholics is the Son of God. With respect to Vatican II, he always remembered "The hermeneutics of the reform". He fought so that the meaning of the Second Vatican Council would be truly understood, as a search for a "synthesis of fidelity and dynamism". In the area of the New Evangelization, he insisted on "Rediscovering the joy of believing": for Benedict, the new evangelization should be charged with finding ways to make the proclamation of salvation more effective, without which personal existence remains contradictory and deprived of what is essential. but he also insisted strongly on the importance of dialogue with everyone. Although Benedict XVI was always firm in his defense of the faith, he sought to smooth out differences and build bridges within and outside the Church. Moved by a desire for unity, he tried to attract those who for one reason or another had turned away from Rome.
Funeral arrangements
Preparations for the solemn funeral of Pope Benedict XVI, scheduled for Thursday the 5th, are in full swing. Joseph Ratzinger's funeral will be that of a Roman Pontiff, with the rites and veneration that the Church has always paid to the successor (Benedict was the 265th) of the Apostle Peter.
Although Vatican protocol, usually very precise and detailed for the farewell of a Pope, is for the first time in its two thousand year history recording the funeral of a Pontiff celebrated by his successor, Pope Francis. And so work is underway to draft new rules.
But what are the Ultima Commendatio and the Valedictiothe blessings that precede the burial? The Latin translation of the first sounds like "the last commendation". As the Roman liturgical ritual prescribes, at the end of the liturgy of the word (i.e., the readings of Bible and Gospel passages, accompanied by hymns, the homily, the profession of faith and the universal or prayer of the faithful) the celebrant with the concelebrants sprinkles the coffin with holy water and incense. This is followed by a prayer, which is usually: "We commit the mortal body of our brother (or sister) to the earth in expectation of his resurrection; may the Lord receive his soul into the glorious communion of saints; may he open the arms of his mercy, so that this our brother, redeemed from death, absolved from all guilt, reconciled with the Father and carried on the shoulders of the Good Shepherd, may share in the eternal glory in the Kingdom of Heaven".
The Valedictio, from the Latin greeting "Vale", which the Romans said or wrote when greeting each other and which is equivalent to our "See you later" with the addition of a wish for health and peace, represents the last farewell to the deceased. The most commonly used is "Come, ye saints of God, make haste, ye angels of the Lord". Receive his soul and present it to the throne of the Most High. May Christ, who has called you, receive you, and may the angels lead you with Abraham to paradise. Receive his soul and present it to the throne of the Most High. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. Receive his soul and present it to the throne of the Most High'.
The coffin is then taken to the place of burial, which for Pope Ratzinger should be, according to his request, the loculus of the Vatican Grottoes where the body of John Paul II was deposited before being transferred to the upper part of the Basilica.
Friends of Monkole 2022: more than 400,000 euros in 11 projects
Since its foundation 12 years ago, Friends of Monkole has already helped more than 1,000 pregnant women at the Monkole Hospital Center, located in one of the poorest neighborhoods of Kinshasa (DR Congo).
– Supernatural Friends of Monkole Foundationhas managed to finance its 11 solidarity projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo with more than 400,000 euros, "which is a record figure, around 40% more than in 2021, thanks to our donors and the aid received from various institutions and public and private organizations", as explained Enrique Barrio, president of the foundation. More than 35,000 people, especially women and children, have benefited, directly or indirectly, thanks to these projects.
The projects to which the money has been allocated have ranged from rickets operations in children (20,000 euros), hip prosthesis interventions (18,290.5 euros), Forfait Mamá, birth assistance for 107 mothers (29,000 euros), Neonatology (39,200 euros, including a 20,000 euro grant from the Ordesa Foundation), to the Elikia Project: uterine cancer screening (29,700 euros).
Other projects are the Dental Project with the support of the Asturias Dental Association (5,600 euros), Nursing School (90,000 euros), Training in Africa with doctors from Europe (10,605.89 euros), rehabilitation of the Kimbondo sanitary antenna (6,000 euros, with the support of the Junta de Castilla y León), shipment of industrial washing and ironing machines (50,251.27 euros, with the support of the Junta de Castilla y León), sanitary well in Niangara (17,800 euros), production of oxygen (30,700 euros), creation of Popular Canteens for the production of oxygen (30,700 euros).251.27 euros, with the help of the Junta de Castilla y León), sanitary well in Niangara (17,800 euros), production of oxygen (30,700 euros), creation of Cantinas Populares for child nutrition (7,000 euros together with the Roviralta Foundation, the María Felicidad Jiménez Ferrer Fund and Moneytrans), campaign against HIV (48,531.78 euros with the City Council of Valladolid). In total, the aid sent amounts to a total of 402,679.44 euros.
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The body of Benedict XVI has been transferred to St. Peter's Basilica to receive the last farewell of the faithful. The funeral will be officiated by Pope Francis on January 5.
The Vatican is preparing for the funeral of Benedict XVI. The body of the emeritus Pontiff can be visited, since the morning of January 2, in St. Peter's Basilica.
On Thursday, January 5 at 9:30 a.m., Pope Francis will officiate at his funeral in which there will be only two official delegations. On the one hand, that of Italy and, on the other hand, that of Germany, as the country of origin of Benedict XVI.
The Vatican confirmed that his remains will rest in the crypt of the popes, near the tomb of St. Peter.
AhNow you can enjoy a 20% discount on your subscription to Rome Reports Premiumthe international news agency specializing in the activities of the Pope and the Vatican.
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The "Clavigero Vaticano", heir to the ancient Marshal of the Conclave, has 2,798 keys, with which to access the most inaccessible parts of the Vatican Museums.
This is the story of Gianni Crea, the "Gianni Crea".Clavigero Vatican"The Vatican Museum is one of the custodians authorized to use the 2,797 keys that open and close the papal treasures, that is, the Vatican Museums, no less than eleven different collections on display to the public beyond the Leonine Wall in Vatican City. The Sistine Chapel, Raphael's Rooms and Loggia, the Roman marbles, the Gregorian-Egyptian and Etruscan museums, the Gallery of Tapestries, the Gallery of Candelabra, the Gallery of Maps, the Borgia Apartment and the Apartment of St. Pius V, and one could go on and on.
There is no place in the world so rich in art, genius, taste and faith. An exclusive journey that strikes the heart and mind, no one can remain indifferent, no one feels excluded, it is the secular miracle of great art. Paolo Ondarza reported on December 13 in Vatican News.
The route of the clavigero
Every day he opens and closes the doors of the seven kilometers of the Vatican Museums' exhibition route. It is just after 5 a.m. when it all begins. In front of the bistro that in a few hours' time will welcome visitors from all over the world, the clavigero opens a door: it leads to the bunker that houses, protected by a climate control system designed to prevent rust, the 2,798 keys that open the 11 sectors of the Museums. They are tested weekly, one by one, to check the operation of the locks and ensure their integrity.
"There are three keys more important than the others: the number '1' opens the monumental door at the exit of the Vatican Museums; the '401' weighs about half a kilo, was forged in 1700 and is the oldest and opens the entrance door of the Pio Clementino Museum, the first nucleus of the Vatican Museums; and finally the most precious, the key without number, forged in 1870, opens the door of the Sistine Chapel, seat of the Conclave since 1492", explains Gianni Crea, clavigero since 1999. The unnumbered key is kept inside a safe in an envelope sealed by the management of the Vatican Museum. Every morning, the ritual with which it is extracted evokes the fascination of distant centuries and the historical bond between the clavigeros -and the former Marshal of the Conclave and Custodian of the Holy Roman Church: the one who until 1966 was entrusted with the task of sealing all the accesses to the Holy Roman Church. sacellum when the cardinals met to elect the pope.
The clavigero begins at dawn, in solitude, the route that he will repeat at dusk. He opens, one after the other, the five hundred doors and windows of the entire itinerary to visit the papal collections, going through five centuries of history in about an hour. Open the heavy gate of the Pio Clementino Museum. Pass through the oldest core of the Vatican collection, passing through the Library to the Raphael Rooms. Learn all the secrets of the Vatican Museums, such as the rudimentary seismographs, hidden in the walls of the Room of the Immaculate Conception painted in the nineteenth century by Francesco Podesti: they were used to check the stability of the building after any seismic tremor.
The beam of light from the flashlight with which he inspects each room in the dark brings out of the gloom the immortal beauty of frescoes and sculptures, revealing secrets and details that the eye can barely catch in broad daylight, when the museum is crowded.
Along the ancient corridor of the Maps, the unusual inverted representation of Sicily and Calabria is a real eye-catcher. They are so represented because they are observed from Rome on two of the 40 giant maps that run 120 meters along the largest topographical representation ever made of Italy, from north to south, in extreme detail. It was commissioned by Gregory XIII Boncompagni to the best landscape painters of the sixteenth century. Leaving behind open doors and gates, the passage of the clavigero evokes for a moment the historic "giant leap for mankind" of July 20, 1969. In fact, the lower galleries display fragments of moon rocks from the Apollo 11 expedition, donated by U.S. President Richard Nixon, along with the flag of the Vatican City State carried into space by the astronauts on that memorable date.
All types of keys
Ancient and modern keys, iron or aluminum, hand-forged, worn by time, today even electronic, the keys also open rooms inaccessible to the public, which the guardian has the duty to inspect daily: subway warehouses that guard, shrouded in mystery, anonymous portraits from Roman times whose gaze interrogates whoever comes across them; warehouses and attics on whose walls ancient custodians have left over the centuries traces of their passage with graffiti and inscriptions in pencil.
It is about 7 o'clock in the morning. The last door to open is the most awaited one. Made of wood, with a brass handle in the shape of an "S." "S" stands for "secret", which means reserved, closed; it is the room where the scrutiny and election of the Successor of Peter takes place: the Sistine Chapel.
The guardian of the gates
"Being clavigero is a task that almost gives you the feeling of guarding history. On the occasion of the election of the Pope, 12 keys allow the clavigero to close the entire area surrounding the Sistine Chapel. Immediately afterwards, scrupulously observing an ancient protocol, it is up to him to follow, together with the competent authorities, the work of the locksmith who places the seals to keep the secret of everything that happens inside the most famous chapel in the world; then, the clavigero deposit the keys in a metal box: it will remain in the custody of the Gendarmerie until the new Pope has been elected".
Until the pontificate of St. John Paul IIOnce the cardinals had entered the Conclave, they could not leave the area around the Sistine Chapel until the election had taken place: they were housed, in a state of seclusion, inside various rooms of the Vatican Palaces, adapted as dormitories for the occasion. Immediately after the "extra omnes"It was the duty of the Marshal of the Conclave to make sure that all the doors, windows and peepholes in the area where the cardinals were staying were securely locked. At the end of the control, this security agent would place the keys inside a red bag. Here they remained until the white smoke.
Being a layman belonging to the Roman aristocracy, the Marshal of the Conclave played a key role during the vacant see. Initially it was the Roman House of Savelli that held the title, inherited from 1712 until its suppression under Paul VI by the eldest son of the House of Chigi. In fact, the flag of the Marshal bears the coat of arms of the noble family of Sienese origin together with the symbol of the camarlengo and the two keys, not crossed as in the papal coats of arms, but separated and hanging laterally.
The Sistine Chapel is where the clavigera route ends, which since 2017 has been available by appointment. "When I started in 1999," says Gianni Crea, "there were three of us, but I had to wait three years to be able to open the Sistine Chapel. I imagined that moment for a long time and the emotion is still indescribable: every day I find it hard to believe that I have the honor of opening the center of Christianity to visitors from all over the world."
On the walls frescoed by artists of the fifteenth century, a painting by Pietro Perugino, Raphael's teacher, is striking for its high semantic and symbolic value. It represents the "Handing over of the keys to St. Peter". One is gilded and turned towards Christ, the other silvered: they respectively recall the power over the Kingdom of Heaven and the spiritual authority of the papacy on earth.
"To you I will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven": this is the command of Jesus to the apostle Peter, the "clavigero of heaven".
The Wisdom of the Magi. Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord (A)
Joseph Evans comments on the readings for the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord (A) and Luis Herrera offers a brief video homily.
Joseph Evans-January 2, 2023-Reading time: 2minutes
The Magi saw an extraordinary star, which illuminated the sky of their eastern lands. They knew the prophetic writings of Israel that announced the birth of a great Messiah, a Savior King, and they saw this omen as a sign that such a king had been born. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, they went out to worship him. And so, as Pope Benedict XVI pointed out, they were led to Jesus by the star and by the sacred books of Israel, or, in other words, by creation and by the word of God. They made use of what God had sent them. The star was not an unequivocal sign. Its movement invited to follow it, but it was not an explicit message. The Magi were not given a full explanation or a clear map. Likewise, their knowledge of the Scriptures would have been limited. As we have said, they would have heard of the prophecies of the Messiah, but probably did not have their own copies of them. They had heard and were willing to listen; for those with open hearts, even a little information is enough.
The Magi were wise precisely because they made use of what God gave them. They did not complain that God did not give them more explicit instructions, that the plan was so unknown and so uncertain. Wisdom consists in making good use of what we have, however little, and in fighting against the wish to have more, or something different.
The experts of Jerusalem, the high priests and the scribes had much more knowledge than the Magi. But the Magi were wise, and the experts were not. The latter knew the theory, but their more perfect knowledge did not lead them to act. They were able to tell Herod that the Messiah was to be born: "In Bethlehem of Judea, for so the prophet has written: 'And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means the last of the towns of Judah; for out of you shall come forth a leader who will shepherd my people Israel'". But, whether out of indifference or fear of the king, we did not hear that any of them followed the star.
Wisdom is versatile and willing to follow in the dark, as the Magi followed the star in the night. But there is always a star in that darkness, whether it is our conscience, the teaching of the Church or the advice of a wise priest or friend.
Following the star, at the end of their journey they found the one who is the light of the world. All partial truths, if we follow them with sincerity, lead to the fullness of truth, which is Jesus Christ himself, even if that truth comes "wrapped" in poverty and weakness. They presented their gifts and were directed to return to their own land. "by another way" safe from Herod. The generous willingness to seek the truth ends up leading to God, and He shows us a safe way to follow Him in ordinary life, "in our own land".
Homily on the readings of the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord (A)
The priest Luis Herrera Campo offers its nanomiliaa small one-minute reflection for these readings.
Pope Francis joined the faithful today for the Angelus prayer. As usual, he addressed a few words to the people at the beginning of this new year 2023.
Francis began by mentioning his predecessor, Benedict XVIwho died yesterday morning. Thus, he said: "the beginning of a new year is entrusted to Mary Most Holy, whom we celebrate today as Mother of God. In these hours we invoke her intercession in particular for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who left this world yesterday morning. We unite all of us together, with one heart and one soul, in giving thanks to God for the gift of this faithful servant of the Gospel and of the Church".
A Mother who does not speak, but teaches
The Holy Father turned his gaze to Mary Most Holy to ask everyone two questions: "With what language does the Blessed Virgin speak to us? What can we learn from her for this year that is opening?"
The Pope is quick to give us the answer: "Mary does not speak. She welcomes with surprise the mystery she is living, she keeps everything in her heart and, above all, she takes care of the Child, who, as the Gospel says, was "lying in the manger" (Lk 2:16). This verb "to lay" means to place with care. And it tells us that Mary's own language is that of motherhood: to take tender care of the Child. This is Mary's greatness: while the angels make a feast, the shepherds come and all praise God aloud for the event that has happened, Mary does not speak, she does not entertain the guests by explaining what has happened to her, she does not steal the limelight; on the contrary, she places the Child at the center, caring for him with love".
With delicacy, the Pope affirmed: "This is the typical language of motherhood: the tenderness of care. In fact, after having carried in their wombs for nine months the gift of a mysterious prodigy, mothers continue to place their children at the center of all their attention: they feed them, hold them in their arms, lay them gently in their cribs. Caring: this is also the language of the Mother of God.
Learning the language of Mary
Francis concluded his message by saying: "Mary carries life in her womb and thus speaks to us of our future. But at the same time she reminds us that, if we really want the new year to be good, if we want to rebuild hope, we must abandon languages, gestures and choices inspired by selfishness and learn the language of love, which is care. This is the commitment: to care for our life, our time, our soul; to care for creation and the environment in which we live; and, what is more, to care for our neighbor, those whom the Lord has placed at our side, as well as our brothers and sisters who are in need and call for our attention and compassion".
Since this challenge cannot be met without help, the Pope asked that "we implore Mary Most Holy, Mother of God, that in this age polluted by distrust and indifference, she may make us capable of compassion and care, capable of 'being moved and stopping before the other as often as necessary' (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 169)".
Pope Francis celebrated Holy Mass today for the Solemnity of Mary Most Holy Mother of God. St. Peter's Basilica was filled with the faithful, whom the Holy Father addressed during his homily.
The Pope began by emphasizing that Mary's motherhood is a truth of faith, but at the same time it is "a most beautiful piece of news: God has a Mother and in this way he has linked himself forever with our humanity, like a son with his mother, to the point that our humanity is his humanity". Francis affirms that in being born of Mary, God "showed his concrete love for our humanity, embracing it in a real and full way."
Being born of the Virgin Mary, the Pope continued, God shows us that "he does not love us in words, but in deeds".
Mary, bearer of hope
The title of "Mother of God" that Holy Mary has, penetrated "the heart of the holy People of God, in the most familiar and homely prayer, which accompanies the rhythm of the days, the most painful moments and the most audacious hopes: the Hail Mary".
The Pope affirms that "to this invocation, the Mother of God always responds, she listens to our petitions, she blesses us with her Son in her arms, she brings us the tenderness of God made flesh. She gives us, in a word, hope. And we, at the beginning of this year, need hope, as the earth needs rain".
Francis wanted to ask for a special prayer, with Our Lady as intercessor, for all those who suffer the consequences of war, for those who no longer pray, for those who live in the midst of violence and indifference.
Pastors, examples for today's Christians
"Through the hands of a Mother, the peace of God wants to enter our homes, our hearts, our world. But how can we welcome her?" Pope Francis gives the keys and begins by looking at "those who first saw the Mother with the Child, the shepherds of Bethlehem."
The Pope says of them that "they were poor, perhaps also rather rude, and that
night they were working. It was precisely they, and not the wise, much less the powerful, who first recognized the God who was close to them, the God who came poor and who loves to be with the poor. The Gospel underlines two very simple gestures of the shepherds, which, however, are not always easy. The shepherds went and saw: go and see".
Of this first attitude of setting out to "go", the Pope says: "It was night, they had to tend their flocks and they were surely tired; they could have waited for daybreak, waited for the sun to rise to go and see a Child lying in a manger. Instead, they went quickly, because important things need to be reacted to promptly, not postponed".
This, Francis affirms, teaches us that "to welcome God and his peace we cannot remain immobile and comfortable waiting for things to get better. We have to get up, take advantage of the opportunities that grace gives us, go, take risks. Today, at the beginning of the year, instead of sitting down to think and wait for things to change, it would be good for us to ask ourselves: "Where do I want to go this year? Who am I going to do good for? Many, in the Church and in society, are waiting for the good that you and only you can do, they are waiting for your service. And before the laziness that anesthetizes and the indifference that paralyzes, before the risk of limiting ourselves to sit in front of a screen, with our hands on a keyboard, the pastors today encourage us to go, to be moved by what is happening in the world, to get our hands dirty to do good, to give up so many habits and comforts to open ourselves to the novelties of God, which are found in the humility of service, in the courage to take charge".
The second aspect of the shepherds that the Pope highlights was that they saw a Child in a manger. "It is important to see, to embrace with the gaze, to remain, like the shepherds, in front of the Child who is in the arms of the Mother. Without saying anything, without asking anything, without doing anything. To look in silence, to adore, to welcome with our eyes the consoling tenderness of God made man; of Mary, his Mother and ours. At the beginning of the year, among so many novelties we would like to experience and so many things we would like to do, let us take time to see, that is, to open our eyes and keep them open to what is truly important: God and others.
The look, the challenge for the new year
This contemplation of the Child should also lead us to our neighbor. We must ask ourselves, concludes the Pope, "how many times, because of our haste, we do not even have time to spend a minute in the company of the Lord, to listen to his Word, to pray, to adore, to praise. The same thing happens with regard to others: in a hurry or caught up in the limelight, there is no time to listen to the wife, the husband, to talk to the children, to ask them how they are feeling inside, not only how their studies and health are going. And how much good it does us to listen to the elderly, to grandfather and grandmother, to look at the depth of life and rediscover the roots. Let us ask ourselves then if we are able to see those who live next to us, those who live in our condominium, those we meet every day in the streets".
Francis ends his homily with an invitation: "Let us rediscover, in the impulse to go and in the amazement of seeing, the secrets to make this year truly new".
Bishop Arjan Dodaj: Testimony of the bishop who came from the Iron Curtain
Archbishop Arjan Dodaj is Archbishop of Tirana-Durrës. Educated in atheism, in his youth he emigrated to Italy to work. There he met Christ and his priestly vocation in the Fraternity of the Sons of the Cross.
Archbishop Arjan Dodaj is Archbishop of Tirana-Durrës (Albania). His life was not easy. He was born in Laç-Kurbin, in the same archdiocese, on January 21, 1977. In 1993, when he was only 16 years old, after completing his primary and secondary studies in his hometown, he emigrated to Italy and settled in Cuneo, where he began to work.
"At that time we were coming out of the Iron Curtain in which our country was, and pluralism appeared and, with it, the possibility of democracy, so many Albanians tried to find a better future in the West. Personally, I tried several times to escape, especially to Italy," he tells the CARF Foundation.
He worked as a welder - more than 10 hours a day - and finally in the Congregation of the Fraternity of the Sons of the Cross, he discovered his Christian faith. He was educated in atheism, but when he met Christ, he was baptized and God called him to the priesthood.
He was ordained a priest on May 11, 2003 by Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Basilica. Now, he is the first bishop of the Fraternity. "For me, being a bishop is not a point of arrival, but a call to even greater vigilance, even greater service and an ever more humble response."
Some members of his congregation are studying at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross to receive adequate training to face all the challenges worldwide.
With regard to the apostolic challenges of his country, he explained the duty they have to transmit that a fraternal relationship with other confessions is possible. "In Albania the relationship with Islam and the Orthodox Church is very special, not to say unique. Pope Francis himself has taken it to the world as an example of fraternal cooperation. It is clear that this is a gift that we can never take for granted, but must cultivate, accompany and support, every day. This is precisely why we often meet with the various religious leaders in various commissions, to present them with valuable initiatives in the fields of culture, education, women, immigrants and charity," he says.
Benedict XVI thanked God for his family, his homeland, asked for and granted forgiveness and marked a single path: Jesus Christ: "I have seen and I see how from the tangle of hypotheses the reasonableness of faith has emerged and is emerging again".
The Holy See has released the spiritual testament of the Pope Emeritus. In a few simple words, the inner greatness of Benedict XVI is evident. A testament in which the Pope gives thanks for his family, for the faith and for the dedication of many of his friends; he asks forgiveness of those he may have hurt and makes a clear and unequivocal call to look only to Jesus Christ and not to be deceived by false certainties. Stand firm in the faith! is the spiritual legacy of one of the greatest theologians of the Church.
Full text of Benedict XVI's spiritual testament
If at this late hour of my life I look back over the decades I have passed through, I see first of all how many reasons I have to give thanks.
First of all, I thank God himself, the giver of all good, who gave me life and guided me in various moments of confusion; he always lifted me up when I began to slip and always gave me back the light of his countenance.
In retrospect I see and understand that even the dark and tiring stretches of this road were for my salvation and that it was in them that He guided me well.
I thank my parents, who gave me life in a difficult time and who, at the cost of great sacrifices, with their love prepared for me a magnificent home that, like a clear light, illuminates all my days to this day.
My father's lucid faith taught us children to believe, and as a sign he has always stood firm in the midst of all my scientific achievements; my mother's deep devotion and great kindness are a legacy I can never thank her enough.
My sister has assisted me for decades selflessly and with affectionate care; my brother, with the lucidity of his judgments, his vigorous resolution and the serenity of his heart, has always paved the way for me; without this constant preceding and accompanying, I would not have been able to find the right path.
From the bottom of my heart I thank God for the many friends, men and women, that He has always placed at my side; for the collaborators in all the stages of my journey; for the teachers and students He has given me. With gratitude I entrust them all to His goodness.
And I want to thank the Lord for my beautiful homeland in the Bavarian Pre-Alps, in which I have always seen the splendor of the Creator himself shine forth. I thank the people of my homeland because in them I have experienced again and again the beauty of faith. I pray that our land may remain a land of faith and I beg you, dear compatriots: do not let yourselves be turned away from the faith.
And finally, I thank God for all the beauty that I have been able to experience in all the stages of my journey, but especially in Rome and in Italy, which has become my second homeland.
To all those whom I have harmed in any way, I apologize from the bottom of my heart.
What I said before to my compatriots, I say now to all those in the Church who are entrusted to my service: stand firm in the faith! Do not be confused. Often the impression is given that science-the natural sciences, on the one hand, and historical research (especially the exegesis of Sacred Scripture), on the other-is capable of offering irrefutable results in contradiction with the Catholic faith.
I have lived through the transformations of the natural sciences for a long time, and I have been able to see how, on the contrary, the apparent certainties against faith have vanished, proving not to be science, but philosophical interpretations only apparently belonging to science; just as, on the other hand, it is in dialogue with the natural sciences that faith has also learned to better understand the limit of the scope of its claims, and therefore its specificity.
For sixty years now I have been following the path of Theology, in particular of the biblical sciences, and with the succession of different generations I have seen the collapse of theses that seemed immovable, proving to be mere hypotheses: the liberal generation (Harnack, Jülicher, etc.), the existentialist generation (Bultmann, etc.), the Marxist generation.
I have seen and see how out of the tangle of hypotheses the reasonableness of faith has emerged and is emerging again.
Jesus Christ is truly the way, the truth and the life, and the Church, with all her inadequacies, is truly his body.
Finally, I humbly ask: pray for me, that the Lord, in spite of all my sins and inadequacies, may receive me into the eternal dwellings. To all those entrusted to my care, day by day, goes my heartfelt prayer.
Pope on Benedict XVI: "Only God knows the strength of his sacrifices offered for the Church".
Pope Francis presided over the recitation of Vespers and the Te Deum of thanksgiving in St. Peter's Basilica on the last evening of the year 2022 in a ceremony marked by the memory of Benedict XVI.
The recitation of Vespers and the Te Deum on December 31 was marked by the death of the Pope Emeritus. In his homily on this last day of 2022, Vespers of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, Pope Francis highlighted the figure of the Pope Emeritus and focused his words on the virtue of goodness, which is key in today's world.
Benedict XVI, an example of goodness
Freedom was the first concept on which Pope Francis wished to reflect. He referred to it when he recalled that Christ "was not born in a woman but of a woman. This is essentially different, it means that God wanted to take flesh from a woman, he did not use her but asked her consent and with her he began the slow journey of the gestation of a humanity free from sin and full of grace and truth".
"Mary's virginal motherhood is the way that reveals God's extreme respect for our freedom. This way of his of coming to save us is the way by which he also invites us to follow him, to continue together with him to weave a new, free and reconciled humanity". The Pope dwelt on this word "reconciled humanity" to explain that "it is a way of relating to one another from which many human virtues, such as goodness, derive".
It was at this moment that his words recalled "our beloved Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI who left us this morning. With restrained emotion, the Pope said that "we remember his person, so noble, so gentle. And we feel so much gratitude in our hearts: gratitude to God for having given him to the Church and to the world; gratitude to him for all the good he has done, and especially for his witness of faith and prayer, especially in these last years of his retired life. God alone knows the value and power of his intercession, of his sacrifices offered for the good of the Church".
The harms of consumer individualism
The Pope wanted to offer this idea of goodness and dialogue as the path to follow in society, pointing out that "goodness is an important factor in the culture of dialogue, and dialogue is indispensable if we want to live in peace, like brothers, who do not always get along well - it is normal - but who nevertheless talk to each other, listen to each other and try to understand and meet each other".
Francis encouraged us to humanize our societies by exercising this goodness on a daily basis and wanted to point out how "the damage of consumer individualism is there for all to see", since our neighbor, others, "appear as obstacles to our peace of mind, to our comfort. Others "bother" us, bother us, take away our time and resources to do what we like".
Against this backdrop, goodness, Pope Francis stressed, "is an antidote to cruelty, which unfortunately can creep like poison into the heart and intoxicate relationships; to the distracted anxiety and frenzy that make us focus on ourselves and close ourselves off from others".
Francis wanted to recall the three words of coexistence, 'permission', or 'pardon', and 'thank you'. They are the "words of goodness", the Pope affirmed.
Francis again referred to these three attitudes to reflect on whether we put them into practice in our lives, in a world that never seems to be kind.
Finally, the Pope turned his gaze to Our Lady who shows how God wanted to be conceived in Mary's womb, like any child, "Let us not pass quickly, let us pause to contemplate and meditate, for here is an essential part of the mystery of salvation," the Pope encouraged, "and let us try to learn God's 'method', his infinite respect, his 'goodness' so to speak, because in the divine maternity of the Virgin is the way to a more human world."
The Pope joined in the recitation of the Te Deum in thanksgiving for the year lived and also for the legacy of the Pope Emeritus and then visited the manger installed outside St. Peter's Square.
As reported by the Holy See, the remains of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI will rest in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery until the early hours of Monday, January 2. During these first two days, no official visits or public prayers are planned.
The body of Joseph Ratzinger will be exposed for the visit of the faithful in St. Peter's Basilica, which will be open on Monday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., starting at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, January 2.
Funeral Mass presided by Pope Francis
The funeral presided over by the Holy Father will be held in St. Peter's Square on Thursday, January 5, at 9:30 a.m.
On January 5, 2023, at 9:30 a.m., in the atrium of St. Peter's Basilica, the Holy Father Francis will preside at the Funeral Mass for the late Supreme Pontiff Emeritus Benedict XVI. At the end of the Eucharistic celebration, the Ultima Commendatio and the Valedictio will take place.
No ticket is required to participate. Those wishing to concelebrate may contact the Office for Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff. The official delegations present will be those of Germany and Italy.
The coffin of the Supreme Pontiff Emeritus will be taken to St. Peter's Basilica and then to the Vatican Grottoes for burial.
I am one of those young people who today see how their Pope, Benedict XVI, has left the world quietly. With the same humility with which, ten years ago, he gave way to his successor to lead the Church of Christ.
Yes, I am one of the Pope's youth who has gone to Heaven today.
Yes, I am one of those young people who chanted the name of Benedict XVI in the streets of Madrid and at the Cuatro Vientos airfield more than ten summers ago.
Of that youth for which an 83-year-old man endured more than 40 degrees in the sun and a gale of air and rain at night, clinging to the Cross.
From those young people whom the Pope taught that - just as we resisted in the rain that night - with Christ we could also overcome all of life's obstacles.
I am one of those young people in whom that Pope, with his fragile constitution, placed his trust, those young people whom he asked, without ambiguity, to be always joyful and to bear witness in all circumstances.
I am one of those young people who today sees how their Pope leaves the world quietly. With the same humility with which, ten years ago, he gave way to his successor to lead the Church of Christ.
Yes, I am one of those young people who should thank Benedict XVI for all that he has taught them, not only through his words, but also through his example of dedication even in difficulties.
Today is a day to thank God for Joseph Ratzinger, because one day he chose him and placed him at our service.
Today is a day to pray for him, to pray to him and to pray for the Church of Christ. Today, as then, we are still the Pope's youth. Of the one who was and of the one to come.
For today, as then, we proclaim that this is our Pope, that this is our Church, that we are, if not in age, in heart, his joy and his crown.
Director of Omnes. Degree in Communication, with more than 15 years of experience in Church communication. She has collaborated in media such as COPE or RNE.
The Pope Emeritus died at 9:34 a.m. on the morning of the last day of the year 2022. Since his resignation, Benedict XVI had been living in the Mater Ecclesiae monastery in Vatican territory, where he passed away.
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The death of the Pope Emeritus has marked the last months of 2022. An already difficult year for the one who was the Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church for almost eight years.
Religious and civil personalities from all over the world have shown their respect and admiration for Joseph Ratzinger and have highlighted his humanity and his theological legacy, especially focused on charity.
Msgr. Georg Bätzing. President of the German Bishops' Conference
The first communiqué of the president of the German bishops, Benedict XVI's homeland, states "as Church in Germany, we think with gratitude of Pope Benedict XVI: he was born in our country, here was his home, here he helped to shape the life of the Church as a professor of theology and bishop". As the Church in Germany, we think with gratitude of Pope Benedict XVI: he was born in our country, here was his home, here he helped to shape the life of the Church as a professor of theology and bishop". of Benedict XVI he highlights his "personality that gave hope and direction to the Church even in difficult times. Pope Benedict made the voice of the Gospel heard, opportunely or inopportunely". Bishop Bätzing highlighted the former Archbishop of Munich's "theological thinking, his capacity for political judgment and his personal interaction with many people distinguished Pope Benedict XVI. I think with great respect of his courageous decision to resign as Pope in 2013."
Juan José Omella. President of the Spanish Episcopal Conference
The president of the Spanish bishops, in a video released by the EEC before the death of the Pope Emeritus, thanked "his profound ministry as Pope, his theological writings and his deep love for the Church". Omella asked "that he pray to the Father so that we do not deviate from the path that leads to God made man". He also wanted to emphasize that "his closeness to the Church on pilgrimage in Spain will remain forever" and recalled the "three occasions on which he visited Spain as well as the proclamation of the doctorate of St. John of Avila".
World leaders
The main political leaders of Europe have joined the condolences for the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, recalling the historical importance of his figure and theological legacy.
From Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz described Benedict XVI as "a theologian and a special leader for the Church, capable of transcending borders, who placed his life at the service of the universal Church and who has spoken, and will continue to speak, to the hearts and minds of men with the spiritual, cultural and intellectual depth of his Magisterium.
The Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, for her part, described the Pope Emeritus as "a great man of history whom history will not forget" while Emmanuel Macron highlighted the work of Benedict XVI "with soul and intelligence for a more fraternal world".
Also from Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki, described Benedict XVI as one of the greatest theologians of our time and called on believers and non-believers alike to continue his "great legacy".
The President of the European Commission, the German Ursula Von der Leyen, focused her recollection on the "signal" that Benedict XVI sent with his resignation, which showed how the Pope Emeritus "saw himself first as a servant of God and of the Church".
The British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, also joined in the condolences, recalling the "historic visit he made to the United Kingdom in 2010, both for Catholics and non-Catholics".
Ángel Fernández Artime. Rector Major of the Salesians
The Superior of the Salesian Family issued a communiqué in which he emphasized that "a great Pope, a great believer, a great theologian and thinker, a man capable of building bridges of communication with the most diverse philosophers, theologians and intellectuals, has gone to meet his Lord. A Pope respected and who will be even more valued in the coming years and decades; a man and a Pope who knew how to live in simplicity and silence. May the God of life keep him with him. As sons of Don Bosco, and as he taught all his Salesians, today we also say: Long live the Pope!
Pontifical Mission Societies
The Pontifical Mission Societies also wanted to express their sorrow for the death of the Pope Emeritus of whom they emphasize that in "his eight years of pontificate, the Holy Father Benedict XVI infected us with his love for God, not only through his magisterium and his brilliant exposition of doctrine, but, above all, through the witness of his life. As pastor of the universal Church, the Pope wished to spread the faith and love of God to the whole world. The Pontifical Mission Societies were a privileged instrument for this purpose, as he himself expressed in his Messages for World Mission Sunday, the Domund.
Spanish Caritas
The Spanish delegation of Caritas has expressed its sorrow at the news of the death of Benedict XVI, and wanted to highlight his "especially significant magisterium for Caritas Española through his encyclicals "Deus caritas est" and "Caritas in veritate".
They also note that "after a long life of admirable service to the Word and the Truth, Benedict XVI leaves us the legacy of one of the great Popes in the history of the Church as an apostle of charity and hope".
Eight years are few compared to the almost twenty-seven years of the previous pontificate. St. John Paul II was the Pope -and perhaps the most visible and mediatic human being in history. He also had a lot of good stage presence, a long experience as a bishop and a special sensitivity in dealing with the media. Benedict XVI, on the other hand, at 78 years of age, had to learn how to greet the crowds.
Iras of Islam
Since the famous Regensburg Speech it became clear that the new Pope was not a "media man". Although it was a speech of great intellectual quality, a marginal quote on religious intolerance focused attention because it aroused the wrath of Islamism.
But it also produced the unexpected and unusual offer of dialogue from an important group of Muslim intellectuals. The anecdote reflects some of the characteristics of the Pontificate. A certain administrative solitude, because any astute communicator who had read the speech could have warned him of what was about to happen. A certain disagreement with the uses and criteria of the media, which need simple profiles, phrases for headlines and gestures for photos. But also an unusual depth that places the Christian faith in dialogue with the sciences, with politics, with religions. And this depth of a faith that evangelizes by seeking dialogue will probably be the mark left by the Pontificate of Benedict XVI.
He came to the Pontificate with the wisdom of so many years of theological reflection, with an enormous experience of the situation of the Church, with some issues that seemed to him to have been poorly resolved and with full awareness of the limitations imposed by his age. In a short time, without adopting any pose, he adjusted to his exhausting ministry and his personality became transparent: serene, simple and kind. At the same time, he never lost a certain academic seriousness when he delivered his speeches, because he was convinced of what he was saying.
Keynote speeches
To his three important encyclicals, where ancient concerns can be easily discovered, we must add his ordinary magisterium, with some very important speeches in his travels (Regensburg, UN, Westminster), and above all with many "minor" interventions, which have his stamp: especially the audiences and the brief Angelus. In the audiences, he traced the history of theology and Christian thought from the first figures of the Gospel. And, lately, he has offered us precious considerations on faith.
His mind has expressed itself with particular vitality in smaller and more informal contexts, perhaps because they allowed him more freedom. Paradoxically, one of the most important texts of his Pontificate is his first address to the Curia (December 22, 2005). It was a simple meeting to congratulate Christmas. But there he made a profound diagnosis of the meaning of the Second Vatican Council, and its true interpretation as a reform and not as a rupture in the tradition of the Church. And he added an accurate discernment on religious freedom, a great theme of the political culture of modernity. He thus responded to the Lefevbrians, for whom the Council is heretical precisely because it changed the position of the Church on this point.
Curiously, in its farewell to the clergy of Rome, February 14, 2010returned to the meaning of the Council. Once again he made a clear-sighted assessment of its achievements, of its actuality, and also of the post-conciliar deviations and their causes.
We do not know to what extent he will want to live in retirement, but it would be wonderful if his ecclesial and theological wisdom could be collected in new works.
Three major issues
In his famous Christmas 2005 address, Benedict XVI said that the Council wanted to re-establish dialogue with the modern world and that it had posed three circles of questions. It does not take much insight to see that there have also been three major questions for Benedict XVI as a theologian, as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and as Pope. They are the relationship of faith with the human sciences (including biblical exegesis); the situation of the Church in a democratic context, especially in the former Christian countries; and dialogue with other religions.
It is in this context that we must place his three books on Jesus of Nazareth, an old project, cherished for years, planned as an occupation for his desired retirement, and written in the free time of an exhausting schedule. For many years before, he had been concerned about an interpretation of Scripture that, in its effort to be scientific, seemed to forget faith. In the three books he tries to make a believing reading, which, at the same time, respects the scientific demands of exegesis. The prologues are particularly interesting.
Tests and challenges
When he came to the Pontificate, he was aware of the very difficult issues he had faced as Prefect. In particular the scandal of some priests and some religious institutions. He immediately ordered disciplinary measures and revitalized the canonical processes, quite forgotten by a certain post-conciliar "good will". He did not mind recognizing that this was what had made him suffer the most.
For other reasons, the Lefevbre schism has been an uncomfortable topic. But Benedict XVI did not want the schism to solidify. He has done everything possible to bring the traditionalists closer, overcoming any kind of outbursts of tone from some tense and difficult interlocutors, and fierce criticism from others who needed to feel progressive. It has advanced without being able to reach a conclusion.
Partly in response to the criticisms of one or the other, but above all for reasons of liturgical criteria, Benedict XVI has put an end to the post-conciliar dialectic between the "old" and the "new" liturgy. It makes no sense to oppose them, because the same Church and with the same authority has made one and the other. Disregarding labels, Benedict XVI wanted to make it clear that the Church has legitimately reformed its liturgy, but that the previous rite has never been officially abolished; for this reason, he has provided that it can be celebrated as an extraordinary form.
Benedict XVI loves the liturgy. He declares it in his biography. At his express wish, the volume dedicated to the liturgy was the first of his complete works to be published. Apart from his personal piety in the celebration, we have contemplated his interest in the style and beauty of liturgical vestments and objects, his attention to chant and sacred music and his recommendation to preserve Latin in the common parts of the liturgy, especially in mass celebrations. In addition, he has promoted the study of some particular questions (the "pro omnes-pro multis", the place of the gesture of peace, etc.).
Curial issues
Benedict XVI is a man of thought and not a man of management. As Prefect he had lived concentrated on his work and relatively isolated. For this reason, he has relied from the beginning on the people who constituted his circle of trust in the Congregation. In particular, his Secretary of State, Cardinal Bertone.
It is notorious how much the Pope has disliked the curial "moves", the difficulties to put order in economic matters or the surprising case of the steward and the leakage of documents. It is difficult to assess, without more information, how much all this may have influenced his decision to retire. However, from the reasons he himself gave, it can be deduced that he feels he needs someone with more energy than he has left to face the current challenges of Church governance; and that he considers that this should not wait.
As we contemplate with eyes of faith the problems that the Church has always faced, we can see how much we have to thank the Lord for the extraordinary list of Popes who have steered the barque of Peter in the last two centuries. All have been men of faith and each has given the best of himself. It is a list almost as good as that of the Popes of the first centuries, most of whom were martyrs. And much better than in other difficult centuries, such as the tenth or fifteenth, where even unworthy people reached the Pontificate. Difficult times purify the faith, while easy times gentrify it.
To Benedict XVI we owe many things, but especially his witness of faith, and a great discernment about the Council and about the evangelizing dialogue that the Church has to carry out with the modern world.
The truth of God the Creator and Redeemer, of which the Holy Father Benedict XVI was an incessant seeker, illuminates the twilight of the last years of his life spent in prayer, silence and exemplary humility.
December 31, 2022-Reading time: 4minutes
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has passed away. If anything has characterized his long life, from his childhood and teenage years as a seminarian in the minor seminary of the Archdiocese of Munich, located in Traunstein, in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps, to his last years as Pope Emeritus, it is undoubtedly his vocation of wanting to be a "Cooperator of the Truth": of the Truth of God, revealed in Christ for the Salvation of mankind.
Cooperator of the Truth, searching for it with the passion of his heart and the intellectual lucidity of a restless mind in his studies of Theology at the major seminary of Freissen, which found its confirmation in his doctoral thesis and in his dissertation for his qualification as a university professor.
The Theology of St. Augustine provides him with the theological horizon to understand and explain the being of the Church as "People and House of God", and from that of St. Bonaventure, from his "Itinerary of the Mind to God", he receives the intellectual inspiration to understand the Truth of the Living God who reveals himself in a history of Salvation, culminating in Christ, the Son of God, incarnated in the womb of a Virgin, Mary, crucified, dead and resurrected.
His two decades as professor of theology in Bonn and Münster, Tübingen and Regensburg, in which he combined teaching and research, lectures and publications with an extraordinary pedagogical fecundity, shone with an intelligence of the search for the truth revealed in God in which the dialogue Faith/Reason unfolds with a rigorous logical discipline and, at the same time, with an extraordinary spiritual sensitivity for the questions of his readers and listeners. How much his fascinating treatise on "Introduction to Christianity" helped the generations of young university students of that dramatic historical moment to find the way to the truth with a capital letter: to find the Living God beyond, but not against, the God of the philosophers!
The following stages of his biography as Archbishop-barely five years-and as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith-nearly twenty-five years-were centered on a service to the faith of the Church as a close and intimate collaborator of Pope St. John Paul II in the fulfillment of his first duty as successor of Peter, which is none other than "to confirm his brothers in the faith". His method of work was in accordance with the "Anselmian" principle of "Fides quaerens intellectum" - "Intellectus quaerens Fidem" ("faith seeking intelligence" and "intelligence seeking faith"). A principle put into practice with the exquisite care of a dialogue always attentive and always understanding of the opposing theses. The whole debate of the eighties of the last century around Liberation Theology is ample evidence of this.
Finally, his magisterium in the eight years of his pontificate is concentrated around the Truth of God which is Love (his encyclical "Deus Caritas est") and the ultimate foundation of Hope that does not disappoint (his encyclical "Spes Salvi"). The latest encyclical, "Caritas In Veritate" ("Love in Truth", CV), published on June 29, 2009, in the midst of the world financial crisis with its epicenter in the New York Stock Exchange - and which soon led to a serious social, political and cultural crisis - aims to show how faith in the living and true God, revealed in Christ, clears the way for true human progress - integral progress - or, in other words, opens the way for the achievement of a true and authentic humanism. The so-called "anthropological turn" of modern and postmodern thought, which he knew well, is not only emptied of meaning, but on the contrary, its significance for the transcendent good of the human person and society is authenticated and consolidated.
It is not surprising, then, that one of the practical conclusions of the encyclical is that "there is neither full development nor a universal common good without the spiritual and moral good of persons, considered in their totality of soul and body" (CV 76), and, at the same time, that "development needs Christians with arms raised to God in prayer, Christians aware that the truth-filled love, 'caritas in veritate,' from which authentic development proceeds, is not the result of our efforts but a gift" (CV 79).
In his homily at the Obradoiro Square in Santiago de Compostela on November 6, 2010 (during his second pastoral trip to Spain), he affirmed: "He alone - God - is absolute, indeclinable faithful love, infinite goal that can be seen behind all the admirable goods, truths and beauties of this world: admirable but insufficient for the heart of man. St. Teresa of Jesus understood this well when she wrote: 'God alone is enough'".
At the end of World Youth Day in Madrid, August 21, 2011, when he said farewell to Spain, he told us: "Spain is a great nation that, in open, pluralistic and respectful coexistence, knows how and can progress without renouncing its deeply Christian and Catholic soul", and that "young people respond diligently when they are sincerely and truthfully proposed the encounter with Jesus Christ, the only Redeemer of humanity".
The truth of God the Creator and Redeemer of man, the TRUTH that is He and He alone, of which the Holy Father Benedict XVI has been an incessant seeker, cooperator, witness and teacher throughout a whole life dedicated to Christ, illuminates the twilight of the last years of his life spent in prayer, silence and exemplary humility. In the prologue to the first volume of his monograph "Jesus of Nazareth", published in 2007, he confesses: "I certainly do not need to say expressly that this book is not in any way a magisterial act but only an expression of my personal search for the face of the Lord". A face that he will have already found in the eternal contemplation of his infinite Beauty. Thus we ask it, united in the prayer of the whole Church for him who always considered himself "her humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord".
The Pope Emeritus died at 9:34 a.m. this morning at the Mater Ecclesiae monastery in the Vatican, after a life of unwavering service to the Church. He was 95 years old. An eminent professor and preeminent theologian, he surprised the world with his resignation from the papacy in February 2013.
Benedict XVI died today at 9:34 a.m. at the Vatican's Mater Ecclesiae Monastery at the age of 95. The Pope Emeritus, who had been residing at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery since his resignation, had suffered a worsening of his health in recent days. Pope Francis, in fact, asked for prayers for the health of his predecessor during the weekly hearing on Wednesday, December 28.
Born in Marktl am Inn, diocese of Passau (Germany), Josep Ratzinger was born on April 16, 1927 (Holy Saturday), and was baptized on the same day. The cross would remain present in the life of the young man, priest, bishop and cardinal throughout his life.
Endowed with an exceptional intelligence and a palpable humanity for those who knew him, in the extensive biography that can be found in Omnesthe humility of a brilliant professor and eminent theologian, whose Opera Omnia offers an enlightened thought and analysis of the Church and man today.
The establishment of the Vatican's Joseph Ratzinger Foundation was a boost to the work and teaching of the Pope. This foundation has especially promoted the publication of the complete works, Opera Omnia, of Joseph Ratzinger. Although, for the moment, it is only available in its entirety in Italian, these volumes contain the fundamental characteristics of Joseph Ratzinger's theological thought.
In recent years, Benedict XVI had to suffer a new wave of contradictions with the accusation against him of not having acted with sufficient force in a case of abuse during his time as head of the Munich diocese. An accusation without hard evidence that led Swiss theologian Martin Rhonheimer to denounce an attempt to destroy the reputation of the theologian Joseph Ratzinger at the end of his life".
The frail health of the Pope Emeritus suffered a worsening in the last days of December 2022, although he was "lucid and stable" within gravity. This morning, in a very brief communiqué, the Holy See announced the death of the Pope Emeritus at 9:34 a.m. at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican.
As reported by Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, Pope Francis will preside over the funeral for the eternal repose of his predecessor on January 5 at 9:30 a.m. in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. Bruni also reported that Benedict XVI received the Anointing of the Sick last Wednesday at the end of Mass at the Monastery and in the presence of the Memores Domini, who had been assisting him daily for years. Before his death, the Pope Emeritus asked that everything be marked by simplicity, a quality with which he lived.
Benedict XVI, the Pope of the Word, in addition to his always inspiring addresses, left us three magnificent encyclicals and four apostolic exhortations. Love, truth, hope, the Word of God and liturgy were the main themes of his writings.
Benedict XVI has not only been "the pope of reason," but also the pope of love and hope, judging by the titles of his encyclicals. He has also been "the pope of the word", because of the inspiring speeches and homilies he has delivered during his brief but intense pontificate.
In these lines, we will focus mainly on the encyclicals and apostolic exhortations, in order to present a unified vision of the program of his pontificate.
Love, truth and hope
These are the three central pillars of his magisterium. Benedict XVI began his first encyclical, entitled Deus caritas est, dated Christmas Day 2005. First of all, love. He presented there a "revolution of love" that has not yet succeeded completely in our small world. There is still hunger, poverty, injustice and innocent deaths. For this "revolution of love" to be carried out once and for all, he reminded us, we must not forget two words: God and Christ.
Jesus Christ is "the love of God incarnate," which is made concrete not only in charity towards others, but above all on the cross and in the Eucharist. This is the source of all our love for God and neighbor: all true love and charity come from God. The eros can be transformed into agape Christian, after a process of purification. This is something that the Church could not forget and should remind this somewhat cruel world. Love can change the world, Benedict XVI repeated with a certainty that should make us think.
Then came a new encyclical, this time on hope. It appeared on November 30, the feast of St. Andrew, the apostle to whom Easterners profess a special devotion, and on the eve of Advent, a time of hope. Benedict XVI published this second encyclical on the second theological virtue, after the one dedicated to charity. He who, as prefect, had been the "guardian of the faith", now showed himself to be the pope of love and hope.
The title was taken from St. Paul: spe salvisaved by hope" (Rom 8:24). In the new encyclical, there was a marked ecumenical tone, especially when it referred to the doctrine of purgatory, in which it made explicit mention of Orthodox theology and presented it with a personalistic and Christocentric approach that was easy to understand (cf. n. 48).
Purgatory is an encounter with Christ who embraces and purifies us. At the same time, the German pope proposed a critical dialogue with a modernity that seeks hope.
Unlike the encyclical on hope, which was personally written by the pope from the first to the last line, in the Caritas in veritatemany minds and hands had worked on it. Benedict XVI had left his mark on it, already visible in the words of the title that indissolubly combine charity and truth, a decidedly Ratzingerian proposal. "Injecting the world with more truth and love," summed up a newspaper headline. "Only with charity - enlightened by faith and reason - is it possible to achieve development goals endowed with human value," the German pope affirmed.
It was the first social encyclical of his pontificate, published eighteen years after John Paul II's last social encyclical, Centesimus annusof 1991. Newspapers, radio and television stations around the world were eager to hear what the pope had to say about the current economic situation. Caritas in veritateHowever, he went beyond the crisis. "The present difficulties will pass in a few years, but the message of the encyclical will remain," Monsignor Martino guaranteed.
Bread and Word
Sacramentum caritatis, sacrament of love: this was the title of the German pope's apostolic letter on the Eucharist, which was the result of the synod of bishops held in Rome in October 2005. It was a meeting convened by John Paul II for the whole Church to reflect on what is "its center and summit". Jesus is there," he recalled: "the Eucharist is Christ himself and, therefore, the Eucharist "makes the Church," as St. John Paul II had written.
Now, as a mature fruit, this apostolic exhortation came out as a continuation of Benedict XVI's first and until then last encyclical, significantly entitled God is love. He had spoken of the Eucharist as the ultimate manifestation of love on the part of Jesus and as the center of the whole Church. The synod's proposals had already been published in internetThe new apostolic letter, at the request of Pope Ratzinger himself, was not a big surprise. It was a matter of applying what Vatican II had already said, the new apostolic letter insisted.
On September 30, 2010, the feast of St. Jerome, a new document was published entitled Verbum Domini, the word of the Lord. The theme was logically Scripture and was a mature fruit of the synod that had taken place two years earlier on this same topic.clearly, as did the participants in the synod, he emphasized first of all that "the Christian faith is not a "religion of the Book": Christianity is the "religion of the word of God", not of a written and mute word, but of the incarnate and living Word" (n. 7).
Christianity is not the religion of a Book (as Judaism or Islam can be), but of a Person: that of Jesus Christ, true God and true man. However, this Person - Jesus Christ - had spoken at length and preached sublime parables. The word of God is a direct access to the Son of God, who constitutes the summit of all revelation, the Word made flesh.
New evangelization
After laying the foundations on love, truth and hope, as well as the places where Jesus Christ is found - the Bread and the Word - Benedict XVI launched into the "new evangelization" already proposed by John Paul II.
The post-synodal apostolic exhortation Africae munus (2011) brought together the fruits of the work of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. "Africa, land of a new Pentecost, have confidence in God [...] Africa, Good News for the Church, make it so for the whole world," the Pope said there. The 138-page document contains a wide variety of topics, but it can be summarized in a single point: to remain on the spiritual plane, so as not to become a Catholic party. According to Benedict XVI, the role in favor of reconciliation, justice and peace can be maintained if the Church remains faithful to its spiritual mission, reconciling humanity with God and with one another through Christ.
At Porta fidei (2011), the German pope announced the Year of Faith, in perfect continuity with the new evangelization, in the context of the Second Vatican Council, fifty years after its beginning. In this sense, today's Christian has two privileged instruments at his disposal to concretize and carry out this new evangelization: the Council, which is now fifty years old; and its Catechismpromulgated by John Paul II. "In order to have access to a systematic knowledge of the content of the faith, everyone can find in the Catechism of the Catholic Church a precious and indispensable subsidy. It is one of the most important fruits of the Second Vatican Council" (n. 11), his successor added. The Year of Faith was the year of the Council and its catechism.
Faith is "a great yes" that contains and implies in turn the whole of human existence. Faith and life, belief and experience are mutually intertwined in the act of faith. Evangelization thus consists first of all in showing the beauty and rationality of faith, in bringing the light of God to the people of our time with conviction and joy. Time will give us this first text of Pope Francis, Lumen fidei(2013), an encyclical "written by four hands" and which constituted the culmination of the Year of Faith. Faith, hope and charity constituted the legacy of Benedict XVI's pontificate, which contained at its core Jesus Christ himself present in the Bread and the Word. With this we were perfectly equipped for the new evangelization of this world now in crisis.
The destiny of the one who was to lead the Church under the name of Benedict XVI had become clear on the day of his predecessor's funeral when he delivered that moving homily that began with the word "Follow me".
In humility and in truth, in silence and in prayer. This is how Benedict XVI, Pope Emeritus, lived, and this is how he left. Elected to the papal throne on March 19, 2005, immediately after the "great Pope John Paul II", in his first words to the crowd from the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica he described himself as "a simple and humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord". And as such he appeared, with the sleeves of his black shirt protruding from his papal cassock, the sign of a choice that may not have been expected.
Shy, but very cultured, simple in manners but complex in thought and never banal. A tireless worker. He demonstrated this in the countless years he spent in the Roman Curia as an irreplaceable collaborator of his predecessor, in one of the most important and solid dicasteries, the then Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Also on the day of his election, he defined himself as an "insufficient instrument", comforted by the fact that the Lord would know how to use him in the best possible way, without lacking "his permanent help", with the complicity of his Blessed Mother Mary. He asked for prayers.
For almost eight years, until his resignation, which became effective on February 28, 2013, he did not give up in the face of any obstacle, he put (and put again) his hand to the plow and began to shore up in its fundamental elements the edifice of the Church, which had just landed with all humanity in a new millennium full of changes and "shocks", recently orphaned of an imposing spiritual guide, who had accompanied him by the hand for more than 27 years.
His destiny had become clear on the day of the funeral of St. John Paul II, when he delivered that moving homily that began with the word "Follow me. A few days earlier - at the Way of the Cross in the Colosseum, meditating on the ninth station, the third fall of Jesus - he had then "taken it upon himself" to denounce "filth in the Church," but also pride and self-sufficiency.
His dream was to return to his homeland, to devote himself to reading and to enjoy his passion for cats and his love of classical music. Instead, he had to take on all those problems he had learned to know so well, and also bear the brunt of criticism and misunderstanding, but he had to take on all those problems he had learned to know so well, and also bear the cross of criticism and misunderstanding. paving the way for a process of reform that his successor - Pope Francis - has been able to continue with ease. He did so with humility and in truth.
An unprecedented task that surpasses all human capabilities
"An unprecedented task, which truly surpasses all human capacity". On Sunday, April 24, 2005, Benedict XVI began his Petrine ministry as Bishop of Rome, in a St. Peter's Square packed with more than 400,000 people. And in outlining the gravity and weight of the mandate he felt he had to assume, he said that, in the end, his program of government would not be "to follow my own ideas, but to listen, with the whole Church, to the word and will of the Lord and to allow myself to be guided for Him, so that He himself may guide the Church in this hour of our history". God's will that "does not push us away, but purifies us - perhaps even painfully - and thus leads us to ourselves".
Be willing to suffer
The theme of suffering appears often in the investiture speech, as when he explains that "to love [the people God entrusts to us] means also to be ready to suffer", "to give the sheep the true good, the food of God's truth, of God's word, the food of his presence".
These words, read in retrospect, sound like a prophecy. Certainly, Benedict XVI was not spared any suffering, but he always lived it in a spirit of service and humility. Looking back over the almost eight years of his pontificate, some outstanding contributions that the first Pope Emeritus in history left as a legacy to the whole Church stand out.
The three encyclicals
The first contribution is undoubtedly magisterial. A few months into his pontificate, Benedict XVI signed his first Encyclical, "Deus caritas est" (God is love), in which he explains how man, created in the image of God-love, is capable of experiencing charity; initially written in German and signed on Christmas Day 2005, it was distributed the following month.
On November 30, 2007, "Spe salvi" (Saved in Hope) was published, which brings Christian hope face to face with modern forms of hope based on earthly achievements, which lead to replacing trust in God with a mere faith in progress. But only an infinite perspective such as that offered by God through Christ can give true joy.
The latest encyclical bearing his signature is dated June 29, 2009 and is entitled "Caritas in veritate" (Love in truth). Here the Pontiff reviews the Church's teachings on social justice and invites Christians to rediscover the ethics of commercial and economic relations, always placing the person and the values that preserve his or her good at the center.
He was preparing a fourth encyclical to complete the trilogy dedicated to the three theological virtues; it would be published by Pope Francis on June 29, 2013, in the Year of Faith, completing the main part of the work that Ratzinger had already prepared. It is entitled "Lumen fidei".
Four Post-Synodal Exhortations
Eucharist, Word, Africa and the Middle East are, for their part, the themes of the four apostolic exhortations that saw the light of day under the pontificate of Benedict XVI, crowning four Synods of Bishops that took place respectively in 2005, generating the "Sacramentum caritatis" (2006); in 2008, with the publication of "Verbum Domini" (2010); in 2009, which gave rise to the exhortation "Africae munus" (2011); and in 2010, which two years later gave rise to the document "Ecclesia in Medio Oriente".
Therein lies the importance of the sacraments, and the closeness to the peripheries of the world, places where the Church is very much alive, rich in vocations, but where the effort "from Rome" to be more present in those lands is often lacking.
The Jesus of Nazareth trilogy
Thanks to his passion for study and his qualities as a fine theologian, in the years of his pontificate Benedict XVI has also given the community of believers three important books on the historical figure of Jesus, published respectively in 2007, 2011 and 2012. The narrative journey begins with the "Infancy of Jesus" and continues through the public life of the Messiah, up to the resurrection.
It has been an unprecedented publishing success, and many believers have been edified by the account of the Person-Jesus. A pilgrim of the peoples, he did not interrupt his predecessor's tradition of apostolic journeys both in Italy and abroad; a series inaugurated four months into his pontificate by traveling to his homeland for World Youth Day in Cologne. He returned to Germany twice more, in 2006 (to Bavaria, where the well-known "Regensburg incident" occurred) and in 2011, on an official visit to the country. In total, Benedict XVI has made 24 apostolic trips abroad, several to Europe (three times to Spain), but also to Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Cuba), the United States (2008), Africa (Cameroon, Benin) and Australia (2008).
No doubt his trip to the Holy Land, visiting Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian National Authority in May 2009 was very significant, as was his visit to the Auschwitz concentration camp in the same month three years earlier, where he prayed to honor the memory of the Jews, Poles, Russians, Gypsies and representatives of twenty-five nations murdered by Nazi hatred.
He also made more than thirty pastoral visits and pilgrimages in Italy and as many in the diocese of Rome, visiting parishes, shrines, basilicas, prisons, hospitals and seminaries. For history will remain his visit to L'Aquila in 2009, immediately after the earthquake, when he went to pray over the remains of Celestine V, on whose tomb shrine he placed his pallium, a premonition that many have associated with his future resignation.
Accidents
At the beginning of his Petrine ministry, Benedict XVI had referred to the sufferings, and unfortunately this was one of the elements from which he was not spared at all, starting with some misunderstandings and controversies that had an international echo.
The first of these dates back to 2006, with the famous "lectio magistralis" at the University of Regensburg during his second trip to Germany, visiting Bavaria. In this case, the incident arose from the unfortunate quotation of a phrase of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologus on holy war, with references to the Prophet Muhammad. In his speech, the Pope had recalled the declaration "Nostra Aetate" and the attitude of the Church towards non-Christian religions, but by then the misunderstanding had already occurred, and in the Islamic world there were violent reactions.
Later, Benedict XVI publicly apologized, saying that he "regretted it" and making it clear that he did not share the thinking expressed in the quoted text. Fortunately, in the following years cultural and theological exchanges between Catholics and Muslims flourished, culminating even in a meeting at the Vatican between a delegation of Islamic theologians and intellectuals and the Pontiff himself. This was undoubtedly the prelude to the "Document on Human Fraternity" that Pope Francis was able to sign several years later in Abu Dhabi with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar.
A second incident took place in Rome, involving the capital's main university, "La Sapienza", where a group of more than 60 university professors opposed the visit of Benedict XVI, who had been invited by the then rector to speak at the inauguration of the academic year in 2008. After the flurry of controversy, the Holy See declined the invitation. Nine years later, in 2017, his successor Francis was instead able to visit another Roman civil university, "Roma Tre".
After the misunderstanding with the Muslims, in 2009 came the incident with the Jewish world. Benedict XVI had decided to remit the excommunication of four Lefebvrian bishops, among whom was Richard Williamson. After this gesture it came to light - through the Swedish television SVT - that in the past the Monsignor had publicly expressed denialist positions on the Shoah. Also in this case, the Holy See was forced to issue a note which, in addition to confirming the condemnation and remembrance of the genocide of the Jews, required Bishop Williamson to distance himself "absolutely unequivocally and publicly from his positions regarding the Shoah" before being admitted to episcopal functions in the Church, clarifying that these positions were not known to the Pope at the time of the remission of the excommunication.
Other criticisms arose during his trip to Cameroon and Angola in March 2009, when he stated on the plane that the distribution of condoms would not be a solution against AIDS; a statement stigmatized by governments, politicians, scientists and humanitarian organizations with repercussions also at the diplomatic level.
Fight against abuses
And yet, under the pontificate of Benedict XVI, the whole process of combating abuse in the Church, which Pope Francis has been able to continue with greater fluidity, gained irreversible momentum. Pope Ratzinger was the first pontiff to explicitly ask for forgiveness from victims of clerical abuse and to meet with them on several occasions, for example on trips abroad.
He was drastic in expelling several clergymen responsible for such crimes and in establishing the first stricter rules and guidelines against these phenomena.
One example among many is the treatment of the "Maciel case," which Ratzinger had already had occasion to examine in depth during his years as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.As Pontiff, he arranged for the Congregation of the Legionaries to receive an Apostolic Visitation, as a result of which a Pontifical Delegate was appointed - the late Cardinal Velasio De Paolis - which then led to the revision of the statutes and regulations, after the founder's guilt was publicly acknowledged and a complete process of renewal and healing was set in motion.
Another phenomenon is that of Ireland, following the publication of the Ryan and Murphy reports that denounced numerous cases of sexual abuse of minors by priests and religious from the 1930s to the year 2000, with attempts at cover-up by the local Church. Already in 2006, addressing the country's bishops who had come to Rome on an "ad limina" visit, Benedict XVI said that "the wounds caused by such acts are deep, and the task of restoring trust where they have been damaged is urgent." Moreover, it is necessary "to take every measure to avoid a repetition in the future, to ensure full respect for the principles of justice and, above all, to heal the victims and all those affected by these abominable crimes."
Four years later he wrote a pastoral letter to the Catholics of Ireland in which he confided to them that he "shared the dismay and sense of betrayal" they had experienced, and addressing the culprits he added: "you must answer for this before Almighty God, as well as before the duly constituted courts".
The Consistories
Throughout his pontificate, Benedict XVI presided over five consistories for the creation of new cardinals, creating a total of 90 "eminences", of whom 74 were electors. Significantly, in the last one, on November 24, 2012, besides being the second Consistory in the same year (since 1929 there had not been two different creations of cardinals in the same year), this time there were no European cardinals present, almost as if inaugurating a tradition of "fishing" collaborators of the Pope even far from Rome. Something that has become very common with Pope Francis.
It was the year of the creation of Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Metropolitan Archbishop of Manila (Philippines), or Baselios Cleemis Thottunka, Major Archbishop of Trivandrum of the Syro-Malankars (India), for example.
Disclaimer
The last act remaining in the history of Benedict XVI's pontificate is undoubtedly his resignation, announced on February 11, 2013 during a Consistory for certain causes of canonization as a "decision of great importance for the life of the Church."
Among the motivations that led him to this decision - made with absolute humility and a spirit of service to the Church, also in this case - was the awareness that "to steer the boat of St. Peter one also needs vigor of body and soul, vigor which, in recent months, has diminished in me to such an extent that I have to acknowledge my inability to administer well the ministry entrusted to me".
Words of a unique cleanliness, offered with heart in hand, and with the freedom of one who is not afraid to recognize his own limitations, while at the same time being ready to serve the Lord "no less suffering and praying".
Faithful to his word, Benedict XVI dedicated the last years of his life to pray for the Church, in the "hidden place" of the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, with his heart, with reflection and with all his inner strength, as he said in his last greeting to the faithful from the Loggia of the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo on February 28, almost ten years ago. As a pilgrim "in the last stage of his pilgrimage on this earth," which has now reached its fulfillment, watch over us from Heaven!
The Church bids farewell to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. His death, at the age of 95, leaves behind a vast theological and magisterial legacy without which the Church of the 21st century cannot be understood. In the photo: during WYD Madrid 2011.
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"The Bible is to be our main prayer book."
