Pope Benedict Roundup

• The Pope Emeritus experiment is working, by Fr. Mark Drew. Catholic Herald 02/26/15. "Two years ago Benedict XVI became the first Pope Emeritus in the Catholic Church’s history. Thanks to his wisdom and restraint the historic innovation hasn’t led to disaster."
• Benedict XVI, Cardinal Jean Danielou, and a Modern World in Crisis Catholic World Report 02/16/15: "Theological giants Benedict XVI and one of his heroes – the controversial Cardinal Jean Danielou – have been hailed for illuminating through their respective works the ever-relevant answer to a modern world in crisis: Jesus Christ."
• Pope Benedict XVI’s Theology of Beauty and the New Evangelization, by Dr. Matthew J Ramage. Homiletic & Pastoral Review:

  Throughout his career, Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI has, time and again, emphasized that the via pulchritudinis, the way of beauty, constitutes a privileged path by which to advance the New Evangelization. In a de-Christianized society that is often hostile to the Church’s truth claims and moral norms, Benedict believes that recourse to the universal language of beauty is indispensable if today’s evangelist is to compellingly present the Gospel to would-be believers. In this brief reflection, we will explore the concept of beauty in Benedict’s theology and suggest areas in which it might be fruitfully applied by the Church today in her ministry of evangelization.

• The request of a retired pope – simply call me 'Father Benedict' Catholic News Agency. 12/9/14:

  Rather Benedict made his comments in a private conversation with journalist Jorg Bremer, who published bits of them in a Dec. 7 article for German newspaper F.A.Z.

  According to the journalist, Benedict explained that when he initially stepped down he wanted to be called “Father Benedict” rather than Pope Emeritus or Benedict XVI, but “I was too weak at that point to enforce it.”

  At least part of the reason for wanting his new title to simply be “Father” rather than Pope Emeritus or Benedict XVI is to put more space between him and the role of the pope, so that there is no confusion as to who the “true Pope” is, Bremer reported.

• Varieties of Neopolagianism: Ratzinger's reading of Joseph Peiper - Edmund Waldstein. Sancrucensis 12/15/14:

  The exercises [in Ratzinger's The Yes of Jesus Christ: Spiritual Exercises in Faith, Hope, and Love] are based on a close reading of Josef Pieper’s little books on faith, hope, and love, adapted for the purposes of a retreat. I have just been reading Pieper on hope, and it is interesting to see how Ratzinger modifies some of Pieper’s thoughts. A striking example is Ratzinger’s discussion of two forms of “Pelagianism.” This is perhaps the most famous passage in the whole book, since, according to Andrea Tornielli, the second of the two forms is the source of Pope Francis’s repeated (and somewhat puzzling) use of the term to describe traditionalists. I was struck by the fact that although Pieper discusses both of the phenomena that Ratzinger calls “Pelagian,” he only uses the term Pelagian for the first form— it is Ratzinger’s idea to call the second form by the same name. ...

• Scholars: No, Benedict XVI doesn’t support Kasper in synod debates Catholic World Report 11/25/14. "A new volume of Ratzinger’s collected works includes a revised essay on the reception of Communion by the divorced and remarried." See also:
  • In the Synod on the Family Even the Pope Emeritus Is Speaking Out, by Sandro Magister. 12/3/14
  • Benedict's Quiet Counsel to the Synod, by C.C. Pecknold. First Things 12/5/14
  • On Divorce: Ratzinger Then and Benedict Now, by David Cruz-Uribe Vox Nova.
• Priest Swaps Clerical Hats with ‘Sharp, Healthy’ Benedict XVI National Catholic Register 11/13/14. "A priest who met and exchanged zucchettos with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in early November marveled at the former pope’s joy, mental clarity and good health."
• Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry (Inebriate Me) reviews Joseph Ratzinger's Milestones:

  It is well known that the young Ratzinger, like all schoolmen his age, was pressed into wartime service by the Nazi thugs. What is less well known was that he eventually deserted–an offense punishable by summary execution. When you add the fact that one of Ratzinger’s cousins was murdered by the Nazis for the crime of having Down syndrome, the media narrative of Ratzinger as a “Hitleryouth” goes from ridiculous to downright monstrous. ...

• First Major Text of Benedict XVI Ratzinger following resignation - On Catholic Faith, Missions, and other Religions (full translation by Rorate Caeli of the "Message of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI for the naming of the reformed Aula Magna of the Pontifical Urbaniana University" presented October 1, 2014.