The Pope Benedict Roundup

• Considering Benedict XVI's theology and papacy on his 94th birthday, by MIchael Sean Winters. National Catholic Reporter 04/16/21.
• Pope Benedict XVI, the Anchor That Kept Germany Rooted in Christ, by Fr. Raymond J. de Souza. National Catholic Register 04/21/21. In the late evening of his life, Ratzinger/Benedict can be understood as the Catholic Church’s singular, multi-generational response to the reforming agenda of German theology.
• Benedict XVI ‘grateful’ to Pope Francis for year of St. Joseph, by Elise Ann Allen. Crux News 04/03/01. Speaking with the German newspaper Die Tagespost, Benedict XVI said, "I am naturally particularly pleased that Pope Francis is so aware of the importance of Saint Joseph."
• The life, faith, and struggle of Joseph Ratzinger: An interview with Peter Seewald, by Carl Olson. Catholic World Report 04/15/21. The veteran German journalist discusses his new biography of Benedict XVI, and reflects in detail on Ratzinger’s childhood, personality, education, and role in key Church events:

  CWR: What sort of access have you had to him over the course of that time?

  Seewald: I was not a fan of his, but I asked myself the question: Who is Ratzinger really? He had long since been pigeonholed as the “Panzer Cardinal”, the “Great Inquisitor”, a grim fellow, therefore, an enemy of civilization. As soon as one blew this horn, one could be absolutely certain of the applause of journalist colleagues and the mainstream audience.

  CWR: What was different about you?

  Seewald: I had studied Ratzinger’s writings in advance and especially his diagnoses of the times. And I was somewhat stunned to see that Ratzinger’s analyses of the development of society had been largely confirmed. In addition, none of the contemporary witnesses I interviewed, fellow students, assistants, companions, who really knew Ratzinger, could confirm the image of the hardliner, on the contrary. With the exception of people like Hans Küng and Jürgen Drewermann, his notorious opponents. Of course, I also wanted to see for myself, on site, in the building of the former Holy Inquisition in Rome.

  CWR: That was an unforgettable moment?

  Seewald: Yes. The door to the visitors’ room, where I was waiting, opened and in stepped a not too tall, very modest and almost delicate-looking figure in a black cassock, who extended his hand to me in a friendly manner. His voice was soft and the handshake was not such that one had broken fingers afterwards. This was supposed to be a Panzer Cardinal? A prince of the Church greedy for power? Ratzinger made it easy for me to strike up a conversation with him. We sat down and started talking. ...

• Ratzinger's Way: A Review of Benedict XVI: A Life: Volume One: Youth in Nazi Germany to the Second Vatican Council 1927–1965, by Samuel Gregg. The Public Discourse 01/24/11.
• The Constantinian heathenism of the Church: Ratzinger and the crisis of our time, by Larry Chapp. Catholic World Report 02/04/21. The vapid lunacy of the post-conciliar Church was the product of the hollow and merely forensic “faith” of the pre-conciliar Church.
• Pope Benedict’s ‘Conscience Is Clear’ Regarding His 2013 Resignation, by Edward Pentin. National Catholic Register 03/01/21. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI speaks candidly on several topics including his decision to resign, Joe Biden's presidency, and Pope Francis traveling to Iraq in a new interview with an Italian newspaper. [Full Interview Here (Italian-English translation)].