He's one of the most senior figures in the church and knows the Vatican like the back of his hand. He was even, for a short time in March of this year, mooted as a possible successor to Pope Benedict. And he was one of the select handful of senior church officials who were in the Pope's Apostolic Palace when he broke the news to them personally.
I raised the subject of the scandals that had preceded the Pope's bombshell decision and, in particular the Vatileaks affair in which the Pope's butler, Paolo Gabriele, had leaked confidential documents exposing Vatican power struggles. Could that have been a factor in his resignation? His answer was unexpected. It could be one of the reasons," he told me. It can be one of the reasons.
I don't expect him to be enjoying that event. In the Vatican, young ambitious members of the church are advised to "hear a lot, see everything and say nothing". That such a senior figure should essentially countenance a departure from the official line is significant.
Essentially, Pope Benedict was a teaching Pope, a theologian and intellectual. His misfortune was to accede to the papacy at a time that there was a power vacuum, in which a number of middle-ranking members of the Roman curia, the Church's civil service, had turned into "little Borgias" as another clerical official put it. Don't take my word for it, this assessment comes from the highest source - the current leader of the Church.
And Pope Francis does not mince his words. He has described the curia as "narcissistic" and "self-referential". This is what Joseph Ratzinger had to deal with. Peter's Basilica to launch his Holy Year of Mercy. Benedict walked through the doorway right after Francis, gingerly negotiating the two steps with the help of a cane and his longtime assistant.
Pope Francis seemed taken aback by Benedict's frailty when he saw him at the Holy Door, and he asked the throngs of pilgrims in the piazza to send their prayers for his "good health. In a public letter written in February , Benedict stated that he was nearing the end of his life. Benedict has written a total of 66 books. We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!
Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives. He is the first pope from the Americas. He was married to Marie Antoinette and was executed for treason by guillotine in Benedict Arnold was an American Revolutionary War general best known for his defection from the Continental Army to the British side of the conflict in Max Weber was a 19th-century German sociologist and one of the founders of modern sociology.
He was condemned to hang as a war criminal in but took his own life instead. Erwin Rommel was one of German's most popular generals during World War II, however, after he was implicated in a plot to overthrow Hitler, Rommel took his life in Pope John Paul II made history in by becoming the first non-Italian pope in more than years. He is best known for his rigid views on Catholicism and topics such as birth control and homosexuality. Olivia Rodrigo —. Megan Thee Stallion —.
Bowen Yang —. See More. Yet, worse was to come. A man of Benedict's learning should have been able to discern the damage the ancient Roman method of promoveatur ut amoveatur — promote to remove, or, as we would say, kicking someone upstairs — had inflicted on the church through the centuries.
We know now precisely how nasty and reactionary this man is, but surely those traits were in evidence before that disastrous appointment was made. All was forgiven when, in a singular act of courage and foresight, Benedict XVI resigned the papacy, recognizing that modern medicine permits people to live long past the time when they have the requisite faculties to carry certain burdens, and that the tradition of dying in office needed to come to an end.
On his birthday, I will forget about his being a lousy judge of character, reread some of my favorite passages from his writings, and hope he is enjoying the day. His has been a singularly fascinating life and his contributions will long outlast his deficits. Send your thoughts and reactions to Letters to the Editor. Learn more here. Join now. Column Distinctly Catholic. Peter's Square at the Vatican April 4, In Introduction to Christianity , in discussing the sentence "I believe in Jesus Christ, His only son, our Lord," Ratzinger writes: After all that has gone before we shall dare to say first: Christian faith believes in Jesus of Nazareth as the exemplary man this is probably the best way to translate accurately the above-mentioned Pauline concept of the "last Adam".
Later in that same book, in examining the Creed's statements about the church, we get a glimpse of the future pope's non-modern, as opposed to anti-modern, ecclesiological premises: The saying about the communion of saints refers, first of all, to the eucharistic community, which through the Body of the Lord binds the Churches scattered all over the earth into one Church.
One passage in the first volume stood out to me at the time and still does, for its ability to capture that deep faith: Now, it is true that this leads us to the great question that will be with us throughout this entire book: What did Jesus actually bring, if not world peace, universal prosperity, and a better world?
Get Michael Sean Winters' email in your inbox. Email address. Join the Conversation Send your thoughts and reactions to Letters to the Editor. Most Recent Mother Cabrini Nov 11, Franciscan says her vocation put her on path to 'peace, joy, happiness' Nov 11, Failure to protect creation will mean facing 'God's judgment,' Pope Francis says Nov 11, Pope urges European solidarity with migrants amid new crisis Nov 11, More than 4, allegations of clergy abuse reported, annual audit shows Nov 11, Blessed are those who mourn now — and do something to make it better Nov 11, Berlin archbishop to name minister for gays, calls sidelining 'painful' Aug 10, Las Cruces lawmaker says politics led to denial of Communion Jul 20, Abuse allegation against retired Buffalo auxiliary under investigation Jul 14, Pope Francis goes to Rome hospital for intestinal surgery Jul 4, Pope Francis: Year four begins Mar 14,
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