(Death, Heaven, Purgatory, Hell)
Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults
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Reports Reveal Warmth and Openness
ROME, APRIL 23, 2005 (Zenit.org).-
Some media reports following the announcement of the new Pope rolled out
ready-made stereotypes of the man, portraying him as an inflexible
authoritarian. Other reports, especially in the British media, were obsessed by
the idea of a German Pope who had lived his teen years under the Nazi regime.
However, a number of personal testimonies published this week reveal an entirely
different personality. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, now archbishop of Genoa,
Italy, was for many years second-in-charge to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger at the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The Italian prelate was interviewed
Thursday by the newspaper Il Messaggero.
The archbishop spoke of a man of "great humanity, a lover of nature and of
music." Cardinal Bertone also testified to Cardinal Ratzinger's openness and
simplicity in dealing with people, and how over the years in Rome he has formed
friendships with many people.
Monsignor Alejandro Cifres, chief archivist for 14 years in the doctrinal
congregation, in articles published by the Spanish daily ABC on Thursday and
Friday also gave testimony concerning the new Pope.
When he first came to Rome in 1981 to take up his post as prefect of the
congregation he did not even take possession of the apartment that would
normally be his by right, as it was occupied by an elderly cardinal, whom he did
not wish to disturb. The apartment in which Cardinal Ratzinger has remained in
all these years in Rome, is not one as large or well-appointed as would normally
correspond to his post, and is adorned with secondhand furniture. It is also
located on the other side of St. Peter's Square from his office, instead of
being in the same building.
Monsignor Cifres commented that during his years of working at the Congregation
of the Doctrine of the Faith, it was Cardinal Ratzinger who gave the staff an
example of dedication, rising early and going to bed late so as to deal
expeditiously with the important matters that required attention.
Moreover, Monsignor Cifres explained that Cardinal Ratzinger on numerous
occasions had asked Pope John Paul II to be allowed to leave his post and return
to his theological studies. He repeated that desire to his staff on his 78th
birthday, just two days before the conclave started.
Along Borgo Pio
Friday's edition of the Italian newspaper La Repubblica published a number of
commentaries from shop-owners along the street close by where Cardinal Ratzinger
lived for some 24 years, Borgo Pio.
In the afternoons the future Pope would often go out for a walk along the
streets near his apartment and would stop to greet the shopkeepers along the
Borgo Pio. Mario, a fruit-seller, recalled how once the cardinal asked him which
apples to buy to best prepare a strudel. And electrician Angelo Mosca spoke of
the time he had gone to the cardinal’s apartment to fix a problem, and how he
had remained in a relaxed conversation with him for an hour, "just as if we were
old friends."
British journalist Charles Moore, writing in Wednesday's Telegraph, described a
meeting with Cardinal Ratzinger some years ago. Three things impressed Moore
about the prelate. First, "his embarrassing courtesy." Moore recounted how the
cardinal carefully read an article he had brought with him in which the
journalist described his conversion to Catholicism.
The second striking point was Cardinal Ratzinger's intellectual curiosity: "He
was not a man living in the past, but rather one tackling with a civilized and
clear mind the new challenges of human thought." The third characteristic was
the cardinal's open manner and willingness to answer any question put to him.
And another journalist, David Quinn, writing in Tuesday's Irish Independent,
described a meeting with Cardinal Ratzinger some 10 years ago. The cardinal
dedicated an hour to his questions. "During that time he was courtesy itself,
entirely gracious and patient with my questions," said Quinn.
Remembering a birthday
U.S. cardinals also recalled the new Pope's affability, noted an Associated
Press report Wednesday. Philadelphia Cardinal Justin Rigali said that in the
midst of the excitement during the conclave after the ballots were tallied,
Benedict XVI took the time to wish him a happy birthday. "With all the things he
had to think about, he had the very human touch," said Cardinal Rigali.
And the archbishop of New York, Cardinal Edward Egan, recalled how some years
ago Cardinal Ratzinger took the time to personally wish him well before he
became an archbishop. "'He is a very lovely and loving person," Cardinal Egan
said. "I think you're going to like him very much."
This opinion was echoed by Cardinal George Pell, archbishop of Sydney, who for
10 years was a consulting member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith. Describing his experiences of working with Cardinal Ratzinger to a
reporter from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Thursday, the
archbishop described the new Pope as "the soul of courtesy." And, "When people
generally see him in the way we have, who have worked with him, they will
understand this much more clearly," Cardinal Pell added.
Preserving the truth
During his years as prefect for the doctrinal congregation, Cardinal Ratzinger
took disciplinary action against a number of theologians who had departed from
the magisterium of the Church.
Father Thomas Frauenlob, rector of St. Michael's Seminary in Traunstein,
Germany, where the future Pope studied, commented to the Associated Press in a
report last Tuesday that "Only someone who knows tradition is able to shape the
future."
Father Frauenlob described Benedict XVI as "a subtle thinker with a deep
understanding of Catholic tradition and a personal touch he's not often given
credit for." An example of this was how Cardinal Ratzinger quickly agreed to
perform the seminary's 2003 confirmation service when no other bishop was
available. He swiftly agreed to come, confirming the 14 boys and taking time to
speak personally to each one after the ceremony.
And Daniel Johnson, writing in London's Times newspaper on Tuesday, also pointed
out how erroneous it is to expect that suddenly the new Pope will make drastic
changes to Church teaching. We cannot expect the Pope "to abandon the 'deposit
of faith,' which it is his sacred duty to preserve," noted Johnson.
Rocco Buttiglione, and Italian politician and expert on Pope John Paul II's
thought, was interviewed by the Italian newspaper La Repubblica on Wednesday.
Buttiglione, who first met the future Benedict XVI over 30 years ago, commented
that the German is a great theologian, "one of the greatest intellectuals of our
time," who also has a marked sense of humor.
One of the key ideas of the new Pope, Buttiglione explained, is that we need to
rediscover the eternal truths in the context of modern society. Modernity poses
many questions, but it is in Christ that we find the answers. It is in this
sense, Buttiglione continued, that Cardinal Ratzinger as prefect for the
doctrinal congregation took action, not as some kind of disciplinarian, but as
someone who wanted to preserve the essential elements of the Christian faith. A
task he will surely continue to carry out.