Pope Benedict Roundup

• The Church as communio: Revisiting Joseph Ratzinger's ecclesiology, by Veronica A. Arntz. Rorate Caeli 07/20/16. "In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, a lively debate occurred between Cardinals Walter Kasper and Joseph Ratzinger over the relationship of the universal and particular Church." A look back at the "Kasper-Ratzinger" debate.

• Benedict XVI discusses resignation, Vatican governance in forthcoming book-length interview CatholicCulture. 07/01/16:

  In a new book-length interview to be published in September, Pope-emeritus Benedict XVI speaks about his resignation, his reaction to the election of Pope Francis as his successor, and his challenges in governing the Church-- including troubles with a "gay lobby" inside the Vatican.

  The book-- an unprecedented collection of the memories of a former Roman Pontiff-- covers the full life of Benedict XVI, from his childhood through his youth under the Nazi regime and his service at the Vatican including his papacy. Entitled Final Conversations, the book is scheduled for worldwide publication on September 9, and will cover more than 250 pages.

• Benedict XVI to Francis: 'your goodness is a place where I feel protected' Catholic News Agency. 06/28/16:

  On Tuesday, Benedict XVI gave his second public speech since his final day as Pope, expressing gratitude for a lengthy priesthood and for Pope Francis' “goodness,” which he said moves him deeply.

  Speaking to Pope Francis and members of the College of Cardinals gathered inside the Vatican’s small Clementine Hall for the 65th anniversary of his priestly ordination, Benedict said the Greek word "Efkaristomen" (let us give thanks), expresses “all that there is to say” for the occasion.

  "Thank you, thank you everyone! Thank you Holy Father – your goodness, from the first day of your election, every day of my life here moves me interiorly, brings me inwardly more than the Vatican Gardens."

  "Your goodness is a place in which I feel protected," he said, and voiced his hope that Francis would be able to "move forward with all of us on this path of Divine Mercy, showing Jesus’ path to God." [read the rest]

• Joseph Ratzinger 65 Years Later, by Sandro Magister. Chiesa. 06/28/16. "And so on the Catholic priesthood fell the fury of Protestant criticism." At the anniversary of the priestly ordination of the future Benedict XVI, Cardinal Müller recounts his unyielding resistance to Luther’s followers.

• Pope Francis writes preface to Ratzinger / BXVI volume Radio Vaticana 06/22/16:

  Pope Francis has written the preface to the first volume in an anthology of the “selected works of Joseph Ratzinger / Benedict XVI” being published by Cantagalli in Italy. Titled, Insegnare e imparare l’amore di Dio, “To Teach and To Learn the Love of God”, to be published in six languages, including English.

  In the preface, Pope Francis writes, “Every time I have read the works of Joseph Ratzinger / Benedict XVI, it becomes increasingly clear that he has done and is doing ‘theology on his knees’.” The Holy Father goes on to explain that his predecessor, “[E]ven before being a great theologian and teacher of the faith,” is “a man who truly believes, who truly prays: you see he is a man who embodies holiness.”

• Not One Pope But Two, One "Active" and One "Contemplative", by Sandro Magister:

  The revolution of Pope Francis is turning the Church upside-down. But his meek predecessor named Benedict is not to be outdone.

  The resignation of the papacy was not his last act. Already in his withdrawal from the see of Peter, in that memorable February of 2013, Joseph Ratzinger made sure to say that in his election as pope there had been something that would remain "forever."

  In fact, he continues to wear the white tunic, continues to sign himself "Benedictus XVI, pope emeritus," continues to live "in the enclosure of Saint Peter," continues to have himself called "Holiness” and "Holy Father."

  And most recently the archbishop in closest contact with him, Georg Gänswein, has told us that Benedict "has by no means abandoned the office of Peter," but on the contrary has made it “an expanded ministry, with an active member and a contemplative member,” in "a collegial and synodal dimension, almost a shared ministry" ...

• Benedict XVI dismisses supposed new Fatima revelations as "pure invention" and "absolutely untrue" Holy See Press Office (English translation by Rorate Caeli). 05/21/16:

  Several articles have appeared recently, including declarations attributed to Professor Ingo Dollinger according to which Cardinal Ratzinger, after the publication of the Third Secret of Fatima (which took place in June 2000), had confided to him that the publication was not complete.

  In this regard, Pope emeritus Benedict XVI declares “never to have spoken with Professor Dollinger about Fatima”, clearly affirming that the remarks attributed to Professor Dollinger on the matter “are pure inventions, absolutely untrue”, and he confirms decisively that “the publication of the Third Secret of Fatima is complete”.

In Print ...

Heart to Heart: The Spiritual Christology of Joseph Ratzinger Pickwick Publications (May 13, 2016). 440 pages. In Behold the Pierced One, Joseph Ratzinger recounts how the composition of a 1981 paper on the Sacred Heart of Jesus had led him to "consider Christology more from the aspect of its spiritual appropriation" than he had done previously. Upon realizing that this same year was the 1300th anniversary of the Third Council of Constantinople, he decided to study the pronouncements of this Council, and came to believe "that the achievement of a spiritual Christology had also been the Council's ultimate goal." Ratzinger's conclusion in attempting to define a spiritual Christology was that "the whole of Christology--our speaking of Christ--is nothing other than the interpretation of his prayer: the entire person of Jesus is contained in his prayer." The spiritual Christology subsequently developed by Ratzinger is one of communio. Indeed, it is one of theosis. Through a personal and ecclesial participation in the prayer of Jesus, exercised in purity of heart, and consummated in the eucharistic celebration, one comes into communion with Jesus Christ and all the members of his Body, so that eventually one can say truly, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Gal 2:20).