Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVI

Following is a round-up of news and reviews and commentary on the Pope's new book. Consider this the 'anchor' post for this topic, meaning that if I run across any more pertinent links they will be updated here. -- Christopher

• Last month, Zenit News Service reported Pope Benedict's Jesus of Nazareth has sold more than 1.5 million copies, the statistic referring to the Italian, Slovenian, Greek, Polish and various English editions. According to Zenit "There are 42 editors worldwide who have agreements to publish "Jesus of Nazareth," and 30 translations are in the works."

• Pope's new book addresses key concerns for this pontificate: Christ is key" - John Allen Jr. notes with amusement the varied attempts by the press to make sense of the Pope's book:

  . . . The first wave of stories focused on comments in the book about Africa and capitalism, even though they amount to asides in a 448-page treatise on the Gospels. Other stories styled the book as a rebuke to The Da Vinci Code. (That red herring was encouraged by an indirect allusion to Dan Brown's potboiler from Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna in a Vatican news conference.) Still others seemed charmed by the fact that the pope wrote that because his book is not a magisterial act, "everyone is free to contradict me." Beyond those angles, there was little interest in follow-up, in large part because a pope discussing Jesus strikes most people as the ultimate in "dog bites man" developments -- that is, the most normal thing in the world.

  By the time anyone had actually read all 448 pages of Jesus of Nazareth, the moment for further analysis had already passed. Passed, that is, everywhere but here, where papal analysis never goes out of fashion. . . .

  and comes to his own conclusions about the Pope's motivation:

  What seems clear is that the motive for the book is also emerging as the core doctrinal concern of this pontificate: Christology. Put in a nutshell, Benedict's thesis in Jesus of Nazareth is that there can be no humane social order or true moral progress apart from a right relationship with God; try as it might, a world organized etsi Deus non daretur, "as if God does not exist," will be dysfunctional and ultimately inhumane. Jesus Christ, Benedict insists, is "the sign of God for human beings." Presenting humanity with the proper teaching about Jesus is, therefore, according to Benedict, the highest form of public service the church has to offer.

• A Portrait of Faith, by Lisa Miller. Newsweek May 21, 2007. With Jesus of Nazareth, Pope Benedict XVI fights back against 'the dictatorship of relativism' by showing the world his vision of the definitive truth of Christ. (Most amusing sentence: "Liberal Catholics worry that, in spite of assurances to the contrary, Benedict is writing an 'official' biography, and they have cause for concern.")

• Theme of papal book may also be hallmark of his papacy, panelists say, by Nancy Frazier O'Brien (Catholic News Service), covering a panel discussion with Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Conn., and Vatican analysts George Weigel and John Allen, at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington on May 15, 2007.

• From Michael Dubriel (Annunciations):

  A few months ago someone asked me what book I would recommend that they give to their adult children who no longer practiced the faith, without hesitation I named this book as the one. At the time I had only read some excerpts available online from Germany and Italy. It was an act of faith then, now that I have the book I know that my recommendation was justified.

• "A Pope’s Love of Writing", by Fr. Raymond J. de Souza. National Post, (Canada) May 17, 2007.

• Jesus of Nazareth: Review by Jeff Miller aka. The Curt Jester May 18, 2007: ". . . The chapter on the Our Father prayer is worth the price of the book alone. This is not just an academic exegesis of the Our Father prayer line-by-line, but a deep meditation into this prayer. Often we can repeat a prayer so often that it looses its freshness and his meditation on this prayer can shock us back into reality of what the prayer that Jesus gave us really means and indicates."

• Over at Catholic Analysis, Oswald Sobrino is periodically blogging a series of commenaries on Jesus of Nazareth.

• From the UK Times, a Jesus of Nazareth - Review by Geza Vermes The Times (London). May 19, 2007.

  See also: Response to Geza Vermes by Carl Olson @ Ignatius Insight; Mark Brumley on The Goodness and Divinity of Jesus and another Response to Geza Vermes by MetaCatholic.

• Benedict XVI on Jesus (Review), by Fr. Joseph O'Leary. Spirit of Vatican II May 25, 2007.

• Reading Benedict on Jesus, by Lawrence S. Cunningham (Commonweal) May 25, 2007:

  I have just finished reading and it is with some trepidation that I post this message since the blogosphere is cluttered with reactions. It is not my intention to review the work but let me say that I did think it is a powerful book. Those who think it only a work of devotion are mistaken as are those who think his approach to the scriptures is retrograde or those who hail it as the greatest thing since the Summa. . . .

• My Argument with the Pope, by Rabbi Jacob Neusner. Jerusalem Post May 29, 2007:

  In the Middle Ages rabbis were forced to engage with priests in disputations in the presence of kings and cardinals on which is the true religion, Judaism or Christianity. The outcome was predetermined. Christians won; they had the swords.

  But in the post-WW II era, disputations gave way to the conviction that the two religions say the same thing and the differences between them are dismissed as trivial. Now a new kind of disputation has begun, in which the truth of the two religions is subject to debate. That marks a return to the old disputations, with their intense seriousness about religious truth and their willingness to ask tough questions and engage with the answers.

  My book, A Rabbi Talks with Jesus, was one such contemporary exercise of disputation, and now, in 2007, the pope in his new book Jesus of Nazareth in detail has met the challenge point-by-point. Just imagine my amazement when I heard that a Christian reply is fully exposed in Pope Benedict XVI's reply to A Rabbi Talks with Jesus in his Jesus of Nazareth Chapter Four, on the sermon on the Mount. . . .

  In 1993, then-Cardinal Ratzinger heralded Neusner's book as "by far the most important book for the Jewish-Christian dialogue in the last decade.". Time magazine recently profiled Rabbi Neusner (The Pope's Favorite Rabbi, by David Van Biema. May 24, 2007).

• Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVI, by Joel Gillespie. June 12, 2007:

  Every so often a book comes along that deeply moves and inspires me as a person, and as a Christian. I can never know when this will happen. Many books disappoint, and many surprise.

  I am right in the middle of one of those amazing books. It is “Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration” by Joseph Ratzinger, otherwise known as Pope Benedict XVI.

  OK, I am an evangelical Protestant pastor. How can I speak such of a book by the Roman Catholic Pope of all people? . . .

• Christ First, Last and Always, by George Weigel. "The Catholic Difference" June 13, 2007:

  Time and again, whether he's writing about the temptations, the parables, the Lord's Prayer, or the miracles of Jesus' public ministry, Pope Benedict's method of reading the Gospels puts the edge back on stories and messages often dulled by familiarity. Reading the New Testament through the eyes of Joseph Ratzinger in Jesus of Nazareth thus becomes a way to read the Gospels afresh -- and to be reminded that, whether the New York Times thinks it's "news" or not, the proclamation of Jesus Christ is what the Church is for.

• Franz Michel Willam, the Theologian the Pope Has Rescued from Oblivion, by Sandro Magister. www.Chiesa. - Author in 1932 of a famous life of Christ, he had been forgotten by everyone. Benedict XVI cites him in "Jesus of Nazareth," and an Austrian scholar explains why. (Based on unpublished correspondence between the two).

• The Face of God: What Benedict's Jesus Offers, by Peter Steinfels. Commonweal August 17, 2007 / Volume CXXXIV, Number 14.

• God Made Visible: On the Foreword to Benedict XVI's Jesus of Nazareth, by Fr. James V. Schall, S.J. Ignatius Insight June 18, 2007.

• "God Is The Issue" | The Temptation in the Desert and the Kingdoms of This World, by Fr. James V. Schall, S.J. Ignatius Insight June 29, 2007.

• Related: The Pope's Jesus: Gerd Lüdemann and Benedict XVI - Review of Das Jesusbild des Papstes: Über Joseph Ratzingers kühnen Umgang mit den Quellen (Springe: zu Klampen Verlag, 2007), 157 pp.:

  Just months after Benedict XVI released Jesus of Nazareth, the New Testament scholar Gerd Lüdemann has produced this spirited book-length critique of “the Pope’s Jesus.” Lüdemann writes both as a post-Christian who is deeply sceptical about the claims of church doctrine, and as a rigorous advocate of the historical-critical method. A central contrast between Benedict and Lüdemann thus lies in their respective attitudes towards the biblical texts: while Benedict approaches the texts with basic trust and theological commitment, Lüdemann insists that it is “a blind alley” to privilege these texts and to assume that they are historically or theologically trustworthy (p. 23). . . .

  (See also: Ben Myers on Pope Benedict's Jesus of Nazareth August 10, 2007).

• Further reflections on Jesus of Nazareth - remarks from Ignatius Press' authors Roy Schoeman (author of Salvation is from the Jews) and Dr. Regis Martin, professor of Systematic Theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville.

• Jesus of Nazareth - review by Craig Blomberg, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor of New Testament Denver Evangelical Seminary:

  There are plenty of places where one might quibble with this or that minor point of exegesis. But they pale in comparison with the number of pages on end where the reviewer finds himself underlining, agreeing with, and including exclamation points, thank you's, and even smiling faces in the margins of his copy of the book. I am indebted to our graduate, Jon Haley, long-time church worker in Spain, for first calling this book to my attention and suggesting that it was worthy of review. Evangelical readers can derive considerable encouragement from the pope's positions and devotional inspiration from his applications.

• "Jesus of Nazareth" Gets a Special Reviewer: The Vicar of the Man Who Wrote It, by Sandro Magister [on Cardinal Ruini's review of Jesus of Nazareth]. December 14, 2007.

Pope Benedict Roundup

Pope Benedict in the News

During his May 23, 2007 general audience, Pope Benedict reflected on the highlights of his trip to Brazil, recalling especially his "meeting with the young people, hope not only of the future, but a vital force for the Church and society of today," the canonization of Friar Anthony of St Anne Galvãoand, the first native-born Saint of Brazil, and the culmination of the visit, "the inauguration of the Fifth General Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops' Conferences in the Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida." In his general audience, Benedict also took the opportunity to correct the record on colonization of Latin America". John Allen, Jr. reports:

In apparent response to criticism of his May 13 speech in Brazil in which the pope asserted Christianity was not an “imposition of a foreign culture” on indigenous peoples of the New World, Benedict XVI today acknowledged “the shadows that accompanied the evangelization of the Latin American continent.”

The pope said “the sufferings and the injustices inflicted by the colonizers on the indigenous populations, who often saw their fundamental human rights trampled upon,” cannot be forgotten.

Last Sunday, in an address to the bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean gathered in Aparecida, Brazil, for their Fifth General Conference, Benedict argued that Christianity was not imposed upon native peoples, but rather it was the fulfillment to which their religious experience pointed.

“The Utopia of going back to breathe life into the pre-Columbian religions, separating them from Christ and from the universal Church, would not be a step forward,” Benedict said in Aparecida.”Indeed, it would be a step back. In reality, it would be a retreat towards a stage in history anchored in the past.”

Afterwards, spokespersons for indigenous groups complained that the pope appeared to be denying the troubled history of European colonization. . . .

Benedict clarified his position on the subject as follows:

Certainly, the memory of a glorious past cannot ignore the shadows that accompany the work of evangelization of the Latin American Continent: it is not possible, in fact, to forget the suffering and the injustice inflicted by colonizers on the indigenous populations, whose fundamental human rights were often trampled upon.

But the obligation to recall such unjustifiable crimes - crimes, however, already condemned at the time by missionaries like Bartolomé de Las Casas and by theologians like Francisco de Vitoria of the University of Salamanca - must not prevent noting with gratitude the wonderful works accomplished by divine grace among those populations in the course of these centuries.

The Gospel has thus become on the Continent the supporting element of a dynamic synthesis which, with various facets and according to the different nations, nonetheless expresses the identity of the Latin American People.

Today, in the age of globalization, this Catholic identity is still present as the most adequate response, provided that it is animated by a serious spiritual formation and by the principles of the social doctrine of the Church.

• On April 27, the Vatican confirmed that Pope Benedict will visit the United Nations:

  Father Federico Lombardi, the director of the Vatican press office, said that the Holy Father has accepted the invitation that was extended to him by Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, who met with the Pope at the Vatican on April 18.

  For now "there is no date or program" for the Pope's trip, Father Lombardi said.

• On May 29th, 2007, Pope Benedict stressed the call to evangelization to which all Christians are beckoned, urging that every baptized person must become active in the Church's missionary activity:

  This appeal was made in the Pope's message for the 81st World Mission Day, which will be celebrated on Oct. 21 with the theme: "All the Churches for All the World."

  In the text, the Holy Father "invites local Churches on all continents to a joint awareness of the urgent need to relaunch missionary activity to meet the many grave challenges of our time." [. . .]

  "Faced with an increasingly secularized culture, which seems to be penetrating Western societies more and more, in light of the crisis of the family, the lack of vocations and a progressively aging clergy," the Pope explained, these ancient Churches "run the risk of closing in on themselves, of looking to the future with reduced hope and of lessening their missionary efforts."

  "Yet this is precisely the moment to open trustingly to the providence of God, who never abandons his people and who, through the power of the Holy Spirit, guides them towards the accomplishment of his eternal plan of salvation," the Holy Father said.

• Continuing his reflections on the early fathers of the Christian Church, Pope Benedict turned his attention to the teachings of Tertullian:

  He started the use of theology in Latin. His work brought decisive benefits which it would be unforgivable to underestimate. His influence covered different areas: linguistically, from the use of language and the recovery of classical culture, to singling out a common "Christian soul" in the world and in the formulation of new proposals of human coexistence. . . .

  His apologetic writings are above all the most famous. They manifest two key intentions: to refute the grave accusations that pagans directed against the new religion; and, more propositional and missionary, to proclaim the Gospel message in dialogue with the culture of the time.

  His writings are important as they also show the practical trends in the Christian community regarding Mary Most Holy, the Sacraments of the Eucharist, Matrimony and Reconciliation, Petrine primacy, prayer.... In a special way, in those times of persecution when Christians seemed to be a lost minority, the Apologist exhorted them to hope, which in his treatises is not simply a virtue in itself, but something that involves every aspect of Christian existence. . . .

  In his famous affirmation according to which our soul "is naturally Christian" (Apologeticus 17: 6), Tertullian evokes the perennial continuity between authentic human values and Christian ones. Also in his other reflection borrowed directly from the Gospel, according to which "the Christian cannot hate, not even his enemies" (cf. Apologeticus 37), is found the unavoidable moral resolve, the choice of faith which proposes "non-violence" as the rule of life. Indeed, no one can escape the dramatic aptness of this teaching, also in light of the heated debate on religions.

• In an interview with the Catholic newspaper Avvenire, Vatican Secretary of State Cardianal Tarcisio Bertone addressed some controversial issues that occupied the press during Benedict XVI's trip to Brazil Zenit News Service. June 4, 2007:

  Cardinal Bertone: There is nothing scandalous in the fact that the Pontiff's press conference was transcribed in a slightly different version from the original. Even the texts of the Wednesday audiences are sometimes published after an accurate revision.

  The Catechism of the Catholic Church, too, in its definitive edition, the "editio typica" of 1997, differs in many points from the first edition published in 1992. Those who read the recent document on limbo of the International Theological Commission can see that the "editio typica" of an encyclical -- in this instance, Pope John Paul II's "Evangelium Vitae" -- presents a different and more precise formulation on a certain point than the version that was originally published.

  Q: What can you say about the excommunication of legislators who have approved abortion?

  Cardinal Bertone: It seems clear to me that the Pope recalled that it is the responsibility of individual bishops to decide whether and when to excommunicate, that it is a penalty foreseen in the Code of Canon Law, and in this case it is a matter of "ferendae sententiae" [a non-automatic excommunication].

  Q: And in regard to the beatification of Archbishop Oscar Romero? Why does the published text not mention the fact that the Pope said he has no doubts that Archbishop Romero merits beatification?

  Cardinal Bertone: It is evident that the Pope wants to be very respectful of the work of the Congregation for Saints' Causes, the prefect of which was also present on the Pope's flight.

  Q: After this experience, do you think it is likely that there will be other press conferences with the Pope?

  Cardinal Bertone: That is for the Pope to decide. But everyone knows that Cardinal Ratzinger never had any fear of the press and he always kindly offered answers to journalists who stopped him on the street.

• On June 6, 2007, A man leaped over security barricades after the general audience and briefly held on to the popemobile before security guards restrained him.:

  he Pope, in fact, did not seem to notice the activity, as everything happened behind his back as he greeted the people.

  The Vatican later clarified that the 27-year-old man, of German nationality, suffers from a mental disability and was not trying to harm the Holy Father, but just wanted to attract attention.

  The episode lasted only a few seconds, . . .

  The offender was hospitalized at the Vatican's request to "undergo mandatory treatment in a specialized and protected center."

  Liveleak has video footage of the incident, and Father Z has a good post on the new security problems faced by Pope Benedict's popularity (Things are Hopping in Rome What Does Prayer Really Say June 6, 2007). See also Cool under pressure: Papal guards handle many pilgrims discreetly, by John Thavis. Catholic News Service. June 7, 2007, on the variety of papal security from Italian police agents to the Vatican's Swiss Guard to Vatican gendarme corps and even sharpshooters positioned from Vatican rooftops. As one might expect, "the biggest problem facing the pope's 'guardian angels' is distinguishing a real threat from a pilgrim's overexuberance."

Excerpts

• Introduction: "The Last Fatima Visionary: My Meetings With Sister Lucia" translation of the Pope's introduction to Cardinal Bertone's book "The Last Fatima Visionary: My Meetings With Sister Lucia" (Rai Eri/Rizzoli). The book was written in collaboration with Giuseppe De Carli.

Writings and Commentary about Pope Benedict XVI

• His Own Pope Yet?, by David Gibson. New York Times April 23, 2007:

  By and large, the pontiff’s approach has worked. Liberal Catholics were so relieved that Benedict was not issuing daily bulls of excommunication that they took a kind word as a hopeful omen. Indeed, the loudest complaints about Benedict’s record have come from his erstwhile allies on the right who are miffed that he has not cracked down hard and fast on those they consider dissenters.

  But the Catholic right ought to have more patience, just as the Catholic left — and everyone else — might want to pay closer attention. The reality is that during these two years, even as he has preached the boundless grace of Christian charity, Benedict has also made it clear that divine love does not allow for compromise on matters of truth as the pope sees it, and that he will not brook anything that smacks of change in church teachings or traditions. Nor is he a caretaker pope who is willing to stand pat.

  Commonweal's J. Peter Nixon disputes Gibson's conclusion that "Benedict is a more conservative pope than his public image suggests".

• Charity and Justice in the Relations among People and Nations: The Encyclical Deus Caritas Est of Pope Benedict XVI, by J. Augustine Di Noia, O.P. Undersecretary, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Address to the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences / XIII Plenary Session 27 April 2007.

• The Pope and the Pop Star", by Sean Curnyn. First Things "On The Square" May 10, 2007:

  On Saturday, September 27, 1997, during the Twenty-third Eucharistic Congress and as part of pope John Paul II’s pastoral visit to Bologna, there took place an outdoor event attended by some 300,000 people, featuring musical performances by Bob Dylan, in addition to certain Italian pop-musicians. As recounted in his recent book of memoirs, John Paul II, My Beloved Predecessor, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger had serious misgivings about having the pope literally and figuratively share a platform with these popular musicians, and with Bob Dylan in particular. . . .

• Papal youth appeal is about the message as well as the man, by Colleen Carroll Campbell. May 17, 2007:

  . . . it was the sort of pointed, politically incorrect address that makes many pundits cringe. American and European newspaper journalists covering the event reminded their readers that young people may applaud Benedict, but they do not actually pay attention to what he says. The proof in nearly every report was the same: an obligatory quote from a teenage critic who disagrees with Benedict about condom distribution or pre-marital sex.

  Benedict's critics have plenty of company. But it seems odd that journalists attending papal youth rallies that attract tens of thousands of cheering young people regularly quote only disgruntled teenagers in their reports. If the pope is a bore and young people find his message irrelevant, why do so many of them flock to hear it? . . .

  Benedict has won that admiration not in spite of his message but because of it. While many leaders today regard the young as bundles of hormones incapable of sacrifice or self-restraint, Benedict views them as souls longing for goodness and God. He tells them that the restlessness they feel — the persistent longing that no amount of money, power, or pleasure can seem to satisfy — is not a curse. It is a reminder that they were created for more than the consumption of goods and satisfaction of appetites. You were created for love, Benedict tells them, the kind of love that finds its fulfillment in service to others.

  Benedict's message is as demanding as John Paul's was, and many young people struggle to put it into practice. Yet they are listening.

• The Pope on Conscience, Reason Washington Times May 20, 2007. A brief review of On Conscience and The Dialectics of Secularization: On Reason and Religion (with Jurgen Habermas).

• The Pope's Communications Paradox, by John Allen Jr. National Catholic Reporter May 27, 2007:

  This post-Brazil contretemps offers the latest confirmation that as a public figure, Benedict XVI has two qualities which often work at cross-purposes.

  Benedict XVI hadn't even stepped off the papal plane at Rome's Ciampino airport on Monday, ending his May 9-13 Brazilian swing, when controversy from the trip caught up with him. Spokespersons for Brazil's indigenous populations were incensed by comments the pope made in Aparecida late Sunday afternoon, asserting that the arrival of Christianity did not amount to "the imposition of a foreign culture" upon the native peoples of the New World. To the natives, that seemed a nasty bit of historical revisionism.

  On the one hand, Benedict is an exceptionally lucid communicator. He's a gifted logician, so his conclusions flow naturally from his premises. Moreover, he's able to synthesize complex ideas in easy-to-understand formula, so you don't need a degree in theology to get his point. Yet Benedict can also be remarkably tone-deaf to how his pronouncements may sound to people who don't share his intellectual and cultural premises. . . .

• “The Best Hypothesis”: The Humble Proposal of the Church of Ratzinger and Ruini, by Sandro Magister. www.Chiesa May 21, 2007. "The same day on which, in Sao Paolo, Brazil, Benedict XVI addressed the key discourse of his trip to the bishops of that nation, in Italy his cardinal vicar Camillo Ruini was laying down the guidelines for a positive encounter of Christianity with the dominant traits of contemporary culture. The day was May 11. And the two discourses, by the pope and by his vicar, in spite of their great geographic distance were in reality very close."

• Papal patience causes chafing among some Vatican bureaucrats, media", by John Thavis. Catholic News Service. June 11, 2007:

  VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- More than two years into his pontificate, Pope Benedict XVI has proven to be a very patient decision-maker -- so patient that even some of his Vatican bureaucrats are chafing a little.

  "There are all these decisions that you thought were already made, and then nothing happens," one Roman Curia official said in early June.

  The examples abound:

  -- The pope's letter to Chinese Catholics, announced in January, has yet to appear.

  -- The papal document widening use of the Tridentine Mass, reportedly ready since last fall, is still awaiting publication.

  -- A consistory to name new cardinals, expected in June by most Vatican officials, has apparently been put off until the fall.

  -- A slew of key appointments, including the replacement of several Roman Curia heads who are past retirement age, keep getting deferred.

  -- The streamlining of Vatican communications agencies, rumored to have been one of the pope's priorities following his election in 2005, still has not happened.

  Why are things taking so long? The main reason, according to those inside the Curia, is that the pope believes some of these questions call for consultation and fine-tuning, rather than snap decisions.

• The Courage To Be Imperfect - Excerpt from Pope Benedict XVI: The Conscience of Our Age (A Theological Portrait) Ignatius Insight:

  . . . While at Tubingen, one student asked another to identify the difference between Professor Ratzinger and another equally famous theologian. The reply was: Ratzinger also finds time to play the piano. He is as open to beauty as he is to truth. He lives outside himself. He is not preoccupied with his own self. Put simply, he does not take himself too seriously.

  The other anecdote is personal. Once he asked me gently about the progress of my thesis. It was about time, as I had been working on it for some seven years. I told him that I thought there was still some work to be done. He turned to me with those piercing but kindly eyes, saying with a smile: "Nur Mut zur Lücke" (Have the courage to leave some gaps). In other words, be courageous enough to be imperfect.

  On reflection, this is one of the keys to Ratzinger's character (and also to his theology; in particular his theology of politics): his acceptance that everything we do is imperfect, that all knowledge is limited, no matter how brilliant or well read one may be. It never bothered him that in a course of lectures he rarely covered the actual content of the course. His most famous book, Introduction to Christianity, is incomplete. [8] Ratzinger knows in his heart and soul that God alone is perfect and that all human attempts at perfection (such as political utopias) end in disaster.

  The only perfection open to us is that advocated by Jesus in the Gospel: "You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Mt 5:48), he who "makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (Mt 5:45). Love of God and love of neighbor: that is the secret of Pope Benedict XVI, and that will be the core of his universal teaching.

• Forthcoming: The Apostles (Our Sunday Visitor, August 2007). A compilation of Benedict's general audiences' talks on the apostles.

Scholarly Articles

• The subject of the Volume 2, 2006 issue of Letter and Spirit is "The Authority of Mystery: The Word of God and the People of God", in which Dr. Scott Hahn has an article on The Authority of Mystery: The Biblical Theology of Pope Benedict XVI." (See link for ordering info).

• Via Carl Olson @ Insight Scoop): The May/June 2007 issue of Saint Austin Review (StAR) focuses on "The Spirit of the Liturgy," and features articles by several Ignatius Press authors, including Fr. Thomas M. Kocik, author of The Reform of the Reform?, Fr. Uwe Michael Lang, author of Turning Towards the Lord, Alcuin Reid, author of The Organic Development of the Liturgy, and, of course, Joseph Pearce, who is co-editor of StAR with Robert Asch.

  Two of the articles are available for download, including "A Juggler on a Tightrope: Benedict XVI and the 'Tridentine' Question", by Fr. Kocik. [.pdf format].

Pope Benedict in Brazil

From the Vatican:

• Apostolic Journey to Brazil on the occasion of the Fifth General Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops' Conferences (May 9-14, 2007) - Official Program, Intinerary and Addresses from the Vatican.

Addresses by Pope Benedict XVI

• Welcome ceremony at the International Airport of São Paulo/Guarulhos - Address. May 9, 2007.
• Greeting and blessing from the balcony of the Monastery of São Bento in São Paulo. May 9, 2007.
• Meeting with the youth at "Paulo Machado de Carvalho" municipal Stadium in Pacaembu, São Paulo - Address May 10, 2007.
• Holy Mass and canonization of Blessed Frei Galvão at Campo de Marte in São Paulo - Homily May 11, 2007.
• Meeting and Celebration of Vespers with the Bishops of Brazil in the Catedral da Sé in São Paulo - Address May 11, 2007.
• Meeting with the community of Poor Clares at the church of the Fazenda da Esperança in Guaratinguetá - Greeting May 12, 2007.
• Meeting with the community living in the Fazenda da Esperança in Guaratinguetá - Address May 12, 2007.
• Recitation of the Holy Rosary and meeting with Priests, Men Religious, Women Religious, Seminarians and Deacons at the Basilica of the Shrine of Aparecida - Address May 12, 2007.
• Holy Mass for the inauguration of the Fifth General Conference of the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean in the square in front of the Shrine of Aparecida - Homily May 13, 2007.
• Recitation of the Regina Cæli
• Inaugural session of the Fifth General Conference of the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean at the Conference Hall of the Shrine of Aparecida - Address May 13, 2007.
• Farewell ceremony at the International Airport of São Paulo/Guarulhos - Address

General Coverage

• Brazil Welcomes a Very Different Pope, by Jeff Israely. Time May 12, 2007.
• Photo Gallery: Pope Benedict Visits Brazil Time
• No Love Affair for the Pope in Brazil, by Jeff Israely. May 12, 2007 -

Daily Coverage by John Allen Jr.

• Day Five: Christ, not ideology, creates a ‘continent of hope,’ pope says May 13, 2007.
• Day Four: Facing dramatic losses, Benedict says: ‘It’s worth it to stay Catholic!’ May 12, 2007.
• Day Four: Benedict issues dramatic warning to drug dealers, but his real message is Christ May 12, 2007.
• Day Three: Pope calls Brazil's bishops to order May 11, 2007.
• Day Three: Benedict holds up a model of authentic liberation theology May 11, 2007.
• Day Two: Benedict strikes softer tone May 10, 2007.
• Day Two: Hopelessness, not Pentecostalism, as Brazil's mega-trend in religion May 10, 2007.
• Day One: Confusion on communion for pro-choice politicians nothing new May 9, 2007.
• Day One: The Love/Hate Relationship between Benedict and Liberation Theology May 9, 2007.
• Day One: Transcript of News Conference aboard the Papal Plane May 9, 2007.
• Day One: Benedict’s ‘now-you-see-it, now-you-don’t’ hard line on pro-choice politicians May 9, 2007.

Canonization of Father Antonio Galvao

• Amid Burst of Fervor, Pope Canonizes a Brazilian New York Times May 12, 2007:

  “We Brazilians love to venerate the saints, like St. Anthony and St. George, but until now they’ve all been foreigners,” said Bernardo Leite Alves, a 39-year-old bus driver who said he often drove with an image of St. Sebastian on his windshield. As for Friar Galvão, he said, “This is a saint who is really truly ours, born and bred here, who looks like us and has a name like ours.”

  Friar Galvão was born in 1739 about 100 miles northeast of here, in Guaratinguetá, which Benedict will visit Saturday, and died here 83 years later. During his lifetime, the city council designated him a “man of peace and charity,” and he earned a reputation for defending the poor, which stimulated popular pilgrimages to his tomb and the use of “Friar Galvão’s pills,” slips of paper with religious phrases that are said by his devotees to have healing powers.

  Among the three miracles for which he is credited is the 1999 birth of a boy to a woman who had suffered three miscarriages and then used such “pills” after becoming pregnant again and praying for his help. The woman, Sandra Grossi de Almeida, attended the canonization Mass.

  “The significance of Friar Galvão’s example lies in his willingness to be of service to the people whenever he was asked,” Benedict said Friday. “He was renowned as a counselor, he was a bringer of peace to souls and families and a dispenser of charity, especially toward the poor and the sick. He was greatly sought out as a confessor, because he was zealous, wise and prudent.”

• Pope Canonizes First Brazilian Saint, by Victor L. Simpson. APNews. May 11, 2007:

  The canonization makes Galvao the first native-born saint from the world's largest Roman Catholic country, home to more than 120 million of the planet's 1.1 billion Catholics.

  "A New Saint" - Compilation of photo coverage of the canonization by Argent by the Tiber May 12, 2007.

  "Do you realize how big this is?" asked Herminia Fernandes, who joined the multitude that jammed an airfield for the open-air Mass. "It's huge, this pope is visiting Brazil for the first time and at the same time he is giving us a saint. It's a blessing."

• Profile: Saint Antonio Galvao BBC News.

• Pope canonizes Brazilian friar renowned for charity, healings, by John Thavis. Catholic News Service. May 11, 2007.

A Bit of Confusion en Route to Brazil

• Vatican tones down papal remarks on pro-abortion Catholic politicians Catholic News Service. May 10, 2007:

  SAO PAULO, Brazil (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI's comments on excommunication for pro-abortion Catholic politicians touched on huge and sensitive issues -- so sensitive that the Vatican issued a toned-down version of his remarks the following day.

  Speaking with journalists on the plane taking him to Brazil May 9, the pope left the impression that he agreed with those invoking excommunication for Catholic legislators in Mexico City who had voted in April to legalize abortion.

  When reporters pressed the pope on whether he supported the excommunication of the Mexican deputies, he answered: "Yes, this excommunication was not something arbitrary, but is foreseen by the Code (of Canon Law). It is simply part of church law that the killing of an innocent baby is incompatible with being in communion with the body of Christ."

  Referring to Mexican bishops, the pope continued: "Therefore, they did not do anything new, surprising or arbitrary. They only underlined publicly what is foreseen in (canon) law, a law based on the church's doctrine and faith, on our appreciation for life and for human individuality from the first moment."

  On May 10, the Vatican press office released the official transcript of the pope's 25-minute session with reporters. The pope's opening "yes" to the direct question about excommunication had disappeared, and so had the references to Mexican bishops.

• As Pope Heads to Brazil, Abortion Debate Heats Up, by Larry Rohter. New York Times May 9, 2007.

• Day One: Benedict’s ‘now-you-see-it, now-you-don’t’ hard line on pro-choice politicians May 9, 2007:

  During a news conference aboard the papal plane from Rome to São Paulo today, Benedict XVI appeared to significantly tighten the screws on pro-choice Catholic politicians, saying, in effect, that legislators who support pro-abortion measures should be considered excommunicated under church law.

  It was the first time a pope directly asserted that by virtue of voting in favor of a measure expanding abortion rights, a politician excommunicates him or herself.

  Vatican efforts to soften this hard line, however, were quick in coming.

• Day Two: Mexican cardinal says pope repeated bishops' line on abortion, by John Allen, Jr. National Catholic Reporter May 10, 2007:

  Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico City, the place where recent debates over communion for pro-choice Catholic politicians formed the background to Benedict XVI’s Wednesday comments aboard the papal plane, said today that the pope “only repeated what we bishops already had said.”

• Confusion on communion for pro-choice politicians nothing new May 9, 2007

  "Confusion created today on the papal plane – after Pope Benedict XVI appeared to say that politicians who vote in favor of abortion rights should be considered excommunicated, only to have Vatican officials back away from that interpretation – is nothing new. Attempts to discern the mind of Joseph Ratzinger on this question have long been complicated. . . .

  Allen revisits the then-Cardinal's July 2004 letter to Cardinal McCarrick, Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion — General Principles, addressing the issues raised in party by the presence of professed 'pro-choice Catholic' candidates of the 2004 U.S. presidential elections. As Allen observes, "for the last three years, both sides in the communion controversy have cited Ratzinger in favor of diametrically opposed positions." Allen concludes:

  Carefully studying the various statements that are now on the record, perhaps the best summary of Benedict XVI’s position can be phrased as follows.

  In the abstract, Benedict clearly seems to feel that a Catholic politician who knowingly and consistently supports legislation that expands access to abortion is in violation of church teaching, and thus should not receive communion. Moreover, the pope seems prepared to support bishops who apply this principle to specific cases; that was the premise of his answer to this morning’s question about the Mexican bishops. (Even though Cardinal Norberto Rivera has said he has no intention of excommunicating anyone.)

  Whether Benedict is ready to impose this position on bishops convinced of the wisdom of a different pastoral course in other cases, however, is the $64,000 question. His July 9 letter to McCarrick, endorsing the stance of the U.S. bishops, indicates that at least so far, he’s not ready to take that step.

  That may not be a fully satisfying position for anyone, but it seems the best summation of the pope’s thinking based on the available evidence.

• Must-Read: A primer for those who prefer knowing to opining, by Edward Peters. In the Light of the Law May 7, 2007:

  In the vortex swirling around the pope's comments on the canonical consequences for supporting pro-abortion legislation (including what the pope said, or meant to say, or should have said), it might be good to set out calmly and simply some canons that directly impact on this situation. Strictly speaking, there are only two, but in light of comments I've heard or read, we apparently need to explicitate a third canon even though it only repeats sound personal moral theology and does not direct ecclesiastical responses to this kind of behavior. . . .

  See also Ed Peter's critique of Time magazine's interview with Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and specifically the Cardinal's answers to questions concerning pro-abortion Catholic politicians. (Via Domenico Bettinelli).

• Italian coverage of the Pope’s “excommunication” answer, by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf (What Does Prayer Really Say? May 10, 20007).

Pope Benedict in Brazil - Coverage by John Allen Jr. & 'American Papist'

I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the excellent work already accomplished by Thomas N. Peters aka. American Papist for providing daily coverage of his own, well worth a visit:

• Sunday: Benedict in Brazil (Fifth & Final Day)
• Saturday: Benedict in Brazil (Day Four)
• Friday: Benedict in Brazil (Day Three)
• Photos: Pope's meeting with youth at Pacaembu soccer stadium in Sao Paulo

Likewise to National Catholic Reporter's John Allen Jr., with daily coverage and insightful commentary:

• Day Five: Benedict's critique of capitalism no surprise May 13, 2007:

  Benedict XVI’s stinging criticism of both Marxism and capitalism this afternoon may have caught some off-guard used to thinking of him as a consumate conservative, but it shouldn’t surprise anyone who knows Joseph Ratzinger’s history. . . .

• Day Five: Pope raps Capitalism, Marxism as 'blind alleys'' in a world without God May 13, 2007.

• Day Five: Christ, not ideology, creates a ‘continent of hope,’ pope says May 13, 2007:

  Since the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), many Catholic theologians, priests, bishops and lay activists in Latin America have sought to mobilize the church to respond to the continent’s pressing social and political crises, above all the disparities between rich and poor – a gap which, according to United Nations statistics, is more dramatic in Latin America than anywhere else in the world.

  The pope acknowledged that focusing on the spiritual dimension of the church’s life “must not serve as an excuse for avoiding the historical reality in which the church lives as she shares the joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the people of our time, especially those who are poor and afflicted.”

  Yet Benedict has insisted that this social solidarity must not dislodge proclamation of Christ, participation in the sacraments, and the promotion of holiness as the heart of Catholic identity. It is not the role of the church to provide specific political solutions to Latin America’s problems, the pope has said, but rather to provide the evangelical “motor fuel” for a commitment to finding those solutions.

• Day Four: Facing dramatic losses, Benedict says: ‘It’s worth it to stay Catholic!’ May 12, 2007.

• Day Four: Benedict issues dramatic warning to drug dealers, but his real message is Christ May 12, 2007:

  Citing Jesus’ promise in the Gospel of John that whoever follows him “will have the light of life,” Benedict said that his mission is to “renew in people’s hearts this light that never goes out, so that it will shine in the most intimate corners of the souls of all those who seek true goodness and peace, which the world cannot give.”

  “God does not compel, does not oppress individual liberty,” the pope said. “He only asks the openness of that sacred place of our conscience, though which all the noblest aspirations pass, but also the disordered feelings and passions that obscure the message of the Most High.”

  Benedict told the Poor Clares that, “It is the risen Christ who heals the wounds and saves the sons and daughters of God, saves humanity from death, from sin and from slavery to passions.”

  The bottom line for Benedict XVI in Brazil thus seems to be this: If you want to give life to the suffering peoples of Latin America, give them Christ. Downplaying the specifically “religious” dimension of the church’s message not only betrays its mission, he believes, but in the end it fails to produce the desired social results.

• Day Three: Pope calls Brazil's bishops to order May 11, 2007:

  While Benedict XVI is too genteel a figure to engage in what political writers call “taking someone to the woodshed,” his speech this afternoon to some 430 Brazilian bishops came about as close as he’s likely to get.

  Wrapped in gratitude for the bishops’ service, and for the warm welcome he’s received in Brazil, Benedict’s message was nonetheless an unambiguous call to order. . . .

  “Wherever God and his will are unknown, wherever faith in Jesus Christ and in his sacramental presence is lacking, the essential element for the solution of pressing social and political problems is also missing," he said.

  For that reason, the pope said, it’s important to teach the faith “without interpretations motivated by a rationalistic ideology.” The bishops, he said, must take care that this doesn’t happen.

  In terms of pastoral programs, Benedict analyzed the problem of Catholic defections to Pentecostal churches, which he called a source of “just concern,” as the result of a lack of evangelization and catechesis which places “Christ and his church at the center of every explanation.” He therefore urged an urgent program of missionary outreach, stressing “personal and communal adhesion to Christ.”

• Day Three: Benedict holds up a model of authentic liberation theology May 11, 2007:

  Though Benedict did not put it this way, Frei Galvão is an icon of what the pope considers an authentic form of liberation theology: one that puts God and the life of the spirit first, direct charitable care of others second, and only then draws consequences for a just social order.

• Day Two: Benedict strikes softer tone May 10, 2007:

  If Benedict XVI’s tough comments about excommunication for pro-choice Catholic politicians marked day one of his May 9-13 trip to Brazil, day two had a softer tone, focusing on pastoral moments and issues where church and state in Brazil are in broad agreement.

  In their meeting in a government palace in São Paulo, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Pope Benedict steered clear of potential flash-points such as abortion and contraception, focusing instead on efforts to support families, education, and environmental concerns. . . .

  After lunch with the officers of the Brazilian bishops’ conference, Benedict XVI also held a brief, but highly symbolic, meeting with the emeritus Archbishop of São Paulo, Cardinal Paulo Arns. During the battles over liberation theology in the 1970s and 1980s, Arns and then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger often locked horns. When four new dioceses were split off from São Paulo in 1988, in a fashion that Arns himself had opposed, it was widely taken as a sign of Vatican disapproval.

  In that light, Benedict’s choice to put an encounter with Arns on his schedule was seen as a gesture of reconciliation.

• Day Two: Hopelessness, not Pentecostalism, as Brazil's mega-trend in religion May 10, 2007: Although much conversation surrounding Benedict XVI’s trip to Brazil has focused on defections from the Catholic church to Pentecostalism, Fr. Jose Oscar Beozzo says the more important, albeit less discussed, phenomenon is the striking rise in the percentage of Brazilians with no religious faith at all.

• Day One: Confusion on communion for pro-choice politicians nothing new May 9, 2007. "Confusion created today on the papal plane – after Pope Benedict XVI appeared to say that politicians who vote in favor of abortion rights should be considered excommunicated, only to have Vatican officials back away from that interpretation – is nothing new. Attempts to discern the mind of Joseph Ratzinger on this question have long been complicated."

• Day One: The Love/Hate Relationship between Benedict and Liberation Theology May 9, 2007:

  In terms of church politics, Ratzinger’s involvement with debates over liberation theology began even before he arrived in the Vatican. While still the Archbishop of Munich-Freising, Pope John Paul I dispatched him as a papal legate to a Marian congress in Ecuador in September 1978, where Ratzinger cautioned against Marxist ideologies and the theology of liberation. Upon arriving at the Vatican, his struggles with the liberationists quickly became the stuff of ecclesiastical legend.

  Ratzinger always insisted that the problem was not with the motive of liberation theologians, but with efforts to reshape or even bowdlerize the church’s traditional doctrine to make it more “relevant” for desired social outcomes. When one does that, Ratzinger argued, not only is the faith distorted, but the desired social outcomes are never reached. . . .

• Day One: Transcript of News Conference aboard the Papal Plane May 9, 2007.

• Day One: Benedict’s ‘now-you-see-it, now-you-don’t’ hard line on pro-choice politicians May 9, 2007:

  During a news conference aboard the papal plane from Rome to São Paulo today, Benedict XVI appeared to significantly tighten the screws on pro-choice Catholic politicians, saying, in effect, that legislators who support pro-abortion measures should be considered excommunicated under church law.

  It was the first time a pope directly asserted that by virtue of voting in favor of a measure expanding abortion rights, a politician excommunicates him or herself.

  Vatican efforts to soften this hard line, however, were quick in coming.

Preparing for Pope Benedict's Trip to Brazil (May 2007)

• The Brazilian Bishops' conference has released the finalized schedule for Benedict's visit [May 9th-13th 2007], where he will open the 5th General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America.

• Official Website for the Papal Visit to Brazil Brazilian Bishops Conference.

• A look ahead to Benedict in Brazil, by John Allen, Jr. National Catholic Reporter May 3, 2007.

• The Associated Press reports that the Pope is expected to attract more than 1 million to open-air Masses in Brazil:

  The pope, in his first trip to Latin America, will only visit the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil’s wealthiest and most populous, home to one of the world’s the largest Roman Catholic dioceses.

  The pontiff will celebrate his first open-air Mass before a crowd that is expected to top 1 million people on May 11 at Sao Paulo’s Campo de Marte airport, said Odilo Pedro Scherer, the archbishop of Sao Paulo.

  At least 350,000 people are expected to attend the second open-air Mass on May 13 at the small city of Aparecida, Scherer said.

  Home of Brazil’s biggest shrine, Aparecida was named after Nossa Senhora Aparecida, or Our Revealed Lady, the patron saint of the world’s largest Roman Catholic country.

• On his apostolic journey to Brazil in May, Benedict XVI will stay in a Benedictine monastery during his days in São Paulo, reports Zenit News:

  São Paulo doesn't have an apostolic nunciature, and due to the impossibility of accommodating the Pope in the archbishop's palace, the then archbishop of São Paulo, Cardinal Cláudio Hummes requested Abbot Matthias Tolentino Braga of the Benedictine monastery to receive the Pope.

• Rabbi Charged With Shoplifting To Meet Pope Benedict XVI - FirstCoastNews.com April 6, 2007:

  SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) -- A rabbi who temporarily resigned last month as head of South America's largest Jewish Congregation after being arrested in Florida on shoplifting charges, said he will meet with Pope Benedict XVI when the pontiff visits in May.

• Pope hopes to stem loss of faithful in Latin America International Herald Tribune April 25, 2007:

  Pope Benedict XVI will encourage the Roman Catholic Church to focus on proselytizing to reverse a sharp loss of parishioners in Latin America when he arrives in Brazil next month to meet with regional church leaders, a church authority said Wednesday.

  "The loss of the faithful is an objective fact ... We have lost in terms of numbers, but are winning in those who have strengthened their belief in the Christian message," Argentine Bishop Andres Stanovik, secretary-general of the Bogata-based Latin American bishops council, told The Associated Press.

  Stanovik said that the pope's trip to the Brazilian town of Aparecida to open the once-a-decade meeting of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean on May 13, would add a new impulse to the church's missionary work in the region.

New Books By and About Pope Benedict XVI

Jesus of Nazareth, by Pope Benedict XVI Doubleday (May 15, 2007). 400pp.

• Jesus of Nazareth by Ratzinger-Benedict XVI, by Franco Pisano. AsiaNews.it. April 13, 2007:

  “Product of a long inner journey,” the Pope’s book is not a magisterial document. It does however focus on the “historical Jesus” based on the Gospels, one that transcends those readings of the Jesus Story that reduce him to the status of a revolutionary or a mystic. First in a two-volume inquiry, the book looks at the life of Christ on earth and is designed to “favour the development of an intense relationship between the reader and Him.”

• And He Appeared in Their Midst: “Jesus of Nazareth” at the Bookstore - Sandro Magister offers a chapter-by-chapter preview.

• Zadok the Roman bought a copy of the Italian translation of Gesù di Nazaret and shares his initial observations.

• Father John Zuhlsdorf was at the presentation of the Pope’s book, Jesus of Nazareth in the Aula del Sinodo on Friday 13 April 2007 and offers a lengthy account of his first impression:

  It is not new to receive a book from a Pope. In the past, they were the fruits of interviews, or they were biographical or poetry. But this is a work of theology. That’s new. Even though it is a work of theology, it is not a contribution to the Magisterium. That’s new. This point was heavily stressed in the presser. This book is a contribution of “Joseph Ratzinger” to all who are interested in Jesus. The novelty of this book is its context, coming as it does from a Pope. . . .

• In February 2007, the Vatican responded to criticism of its choice of Doubleday as publisher -- while Doubleday had published the controversialThe Da Vinci Code, the Vatican noted it had previously published works by Popes John XXIII and John Paul II, as well as The Catechism of the Catholic Church, as well as "the most important documents of the American bishops' conference. "On account of this respectful editorial curriculum, Doubleday deeply desired to publish also the first book by Benedict XVI." (See also The Forum: Why Doubleday as the Pope's publisher?, by Phil Lawler. Catholic World News. February 1, 2007).

• The Next Battle For and Against Jesus Will Be Fought by the Book January 15, 2007. - "The upcoming book by Joseph Ratzinger / Benedict XVI intends precisely to pose the authentic Jesus against the false “modernized or postmodernized” Jesus," says Sandro Magister. "More than a publishing war, this announces a new phase of the perennial clash between acceptance and rejection that has always had in Jesus its “sign of contradiction, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
• And you thought it was about Jesus! - Carl Olson examines some of the humorous and typically off-target coverage of the Pope's new book, which judging by the headlines is about Africa, the plundering and looting of rich Western nations, Karl Marx . . . did we mention Jesus?

* * *

The Regensburg Lecture, by Fr. James V. Schall. St. Augustines Press (April 30, 2007). 176pp.

[Pope Benedict's] Regensberg lecture is a mere eight single-spaced pages of text, but it encapsulates not only theoretical history of the Church, but touches on the most poignant current problems the world witnesses, namely, the rise of terrorism and the confrontation between reason and will, between the Word and the Sword. Though incredibly timely, it is as timeless as the Gettysburg Address, Pericles’ Funeral Oration, Plato’s Apology, and Henry V’s Speech on St. Crispin’s Day. No doubt it will be studied and read for generations to come, not only by Catholics, not only by Christians, but by men of good will the world over.

So it is fitting that our world’s modern G.K. Chesterton – James Schall – has chosen to explicate this most important work by the world’s premier theologian on the thorniest, most divisive questions of our day. Jim Schall, throughout the hundreds upon hundreds of books, articles, and reviews he has written, has always, like Chesterton, maintained a graceful and accessible touch, a clear and memorable style, that makes light work from heavy sources. He is the perfect person to explain both the central concepts and the importance of this amazing speech.

James V. Schall, S.J., is Professor of Government at Georgetown University. In addition to his many books and articles, he writes two columns, “Sense and Nonsense,” in Crisis magazine and “Schall on Chesterton,” in Gilbert Magazine.

• Early critical response to The Regensburg Lecture (praise from Peter Kreeft, Michael Novak, Robert Sokolowski, Robert P. George, and George Weigel.

* * *

On Conscience, by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) Ignatius Press (January 26, 2007)

(From the Publisher:) Prepared and co-published by the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia, this book is a combination of two lengthy essays written by Cardinal Ratzinger and delivered in talks when he was head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith ["Conscience and Truth" (1984) and "Bishops, Theologians and Morality" (1991)]. Both talks deal with the importance of conscience and its exercise in particular circumstances.

Ratzinger's reflections show that contemporary debates over the nature of conscience have deep historical and philosophical roots. He says that a person is bound to act in accord with his conscience, but he makes it clear that there must be reliable, proven sources for the judgment of conscience in moral issues, other than the subjective reflections of each individual.

The always unique and profound insights that the new Pope Benedict XVI brings to perennial problems reminds the reader of his strong warning before the recent Papal conclave of the great dangers today of the "dictatorship of relativism."

* * *

The Essential Pope Benedict XVI: His Central Writings and Speeches, edited by John F. Thornton, Susan B. Varenne. HarperSanFrancisco (February 20, 2007). 512pp.

The Essential Pope Benedict XVI: His Central Writings and Speeches opens with then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger's sermon at the funeral of Pope John Paul II April 18, 2005, and closes with his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love), dated Dec. 25, 2005.

Major subject areas in the book include Christian relations with Islam, Christian values, birth control and abortion, sexual misconduct in the priesthood, the ordination of women, anti-Semitism and the Catholic Church, and ecumenism and interfaith dialogue.

"Now that a leading Catholic theologian has assumed office as pope, many are eager to get an overview of his theology," said Cardinal Avery Dulles in a back cover comment on the book. "The present selection, drawn largely from his shorter writings, gives an excellent sampling. It will provide a first orientation to beginners and will enable veterans to supplement their familiarity with this important thinker."

(Source: Catholic News Service.)

In other publishing news

• The Vatican has published a booklet comprised of choice excerpts from the Pontiff's work on Marriage and Family entitled: The Truth About the Family: Marriage and De Facto Unions in the Words of Benedict XVI:

  The director of the Vatican press office, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, presented the publication this week. He said that "the correct compilation of the works helps us to more adequately understand the Pope's concerns and motivations behind them. … Presented in abundance, they are in stark juxtaposition to the more superficial and improvised way these considerations are often portrayed."

  A copy of the booklet, currently only available in Italian, can be obtained by writing a request directly via e-mail: info@ossrom.va or via fax: +39 06 69 88 28 18. (Source: Zenit News Service).

• Benedict XVI's encyclical "Deus Caritas Est" is one of the most commercially successful doctrinal tracts ever written by a Pope, having been translated into Russian, Spanish, Chinese, reprinted over three times in the Pope's original German and selling 1.5 million copies in Italy. (Source: Zenit News Service).

  Catholic News Agency comments on the popularity of the papal encyclical:

  Some attribute the success of the Pope’s letter to the fact that it is his first, coupled with his reputation as a scholar and Theological expert. But, Prof. Ilaria Morali, who teaches dogmatic theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University, believes the subject matter of the encyclical has also played a role.

  "Love is something that everyone is interested in. People know that here at least the subject will not be treated lightly or in a banal way," she said.

• With Good Reason, the blog of the Westchester Institute, offers a 5-part series of reflections on Pope Benedict's Christianity and the Crisis of Cultures.

Happy Birthday (and Second Anniversary) to Pope Benedict XVI

Joseph Ratzinger was born on April 16, Holy Saturday in Marktl am Inn, and was baptized the same day. Reflecting on this experience in his memoirs, he recalls:

To be the first person baptized with the new water was seen as a significant act of Providence. I have always been filled with thanksgiving for having had my life immersed in this way in the Easter Mystery . . . the more I reflect on it, the more this seems fitting for the nature of our human life: we are still waiting for Easter; we are not yet standing in the full light but walking toward it full of trust. [p. 8, Milestones]

On Sunday April 16, Joseph Ratzinger will celebrate his 80th birthday. * * *

• Stamps issued by Germany in honor of Benedict's birthday. Hat tip Amy Welborn.

  Pope’s 80th birthday: “A particularly happy day,” says Cardinal Ruini Catholic News Agency April 13, 2007:

  Vatican City, Apr 13, 2007 / 11:55 am (CNA).- In a letter the faithful of Rome regarding the celebration of the Pope’s 80th birthday and the second anniversary of his pontificate, Cardinal Camillo Ruini, Vicar of the Diocese of Rome, said the Pope’s birthday would be “a particularly happy day in which we will thank the Lord for the gift of our bishop and Pope Benedict XVI.”

  It will also be a day in which we will pray with the Pope and for the Pope, imploring an abundance of divine blessings upon him, to sustain him and comfort him in spirit and body, so that he can be our model and sure guide in the faith,” the cardinal said.

  This Sunday, he continued, “dedicated to the Divine Mercy, we will also pray with the Pope for our Church in Rome, that she will bear witness with generosity to the joy of the faith and strive to educate the young generations and promote Christian love, life and the family.”

  He invited the faithful of Rome to pray for the Pope, especially on April 19, when he celebrates the second anniversary of his pontificate.

• "Pope Benedict at 80: Blowing on the coals of faith", John Thavis Catholic News Service. April 13, 2007:

  "When Pope John Paul II turned 80 in 2000, it fueled yet another round of speculation about whether the ailing pontiff might break with tradition and resign.

  In contrast, Pope Benedict XVI's 80th birthday April 16 finds him with the wind in his sails. . . ."

• Mass for the Pope's 80th birthday - Closed Cafeteria April 15, 2007. Gerald Augustinus was there, and has plenty of photos.

• Send an E-Birthday Card to the Holy Father courtesy of the Vatican.

A Second Anniversary

On April 19th, Pope Benedict will also mark the second anniversary of his pontificate as Pope Benedict XVI, and appraisals of his pontificate -- some laudable, some laughable -- are flowing in from the press . . .

• Benedict at 80: Truth, Love and Liturgy: The Surprising Pontificate of the Man Who Was Ratzinger, by Edward Pentin. National Catholic Register April 15-21, 2007 Issue:

  The Holy Father has already made his mark, powerfully reminding the world in his first encyclical that Christianity is primarily about God’s love, reaching out to a spiritually stricken Europe and Islam, and taking careful but firm steps toward Christian unity.

• Benedict puts conservative stamp on his papacy International Herald Tribune April 5, 2007 - The Associated Press greets Benedict's 80th with a litany of complaints about his "conservatism":

  With his 80th birthday and the second anniversary of his election as pope approaching this month, he has rebuffed calls — including by bishops in his native Germany — to let divorced Catholics who remarry participate fully in the Church. He has warned Catholic politicians who must decide on such issues as abortion, euthanasia and marriage that Catholic values are "not negotiable." And he has closed the door on any relaxation of the celibacy requirement for priests.

  Truly, a Pope who knows how to Pope.

• The Missing Pope: Benedict has been almost invisible in the places he's needed most, by Joseph Contreras. Newsweek April 16, 2007. Lecturing Benedict on his lack of style, Newsweek dredges up a disgruntled Milanese housewife Maria Novella Dall'Aglio ("Ratzinger is getting too intrusive on [subjects] such as civil rights for unwed couples and is too out of date") and David Gibson ("author of an acclaimed 2006 biography of the pope"):

  "He's an old-fashioned guy who wants to go back to what [the church] was before," says David Gibson, the author of an acclaimed 2006 biography of the pope.

  The problem, according to Gibson, is that Benedict "doesn't seem to realize that he's a world leader and not an academic."

  (Hat tip: the ever-sharp Curt Jester).

• A Step Backward for Pope Benedict?, by Jeff Israeli (Time April 13, 2007):

  Two years into his papacy, Benedict XVI may be about to reclaim his reputation as a no-holds-barred traditionalist. Thanks to Benedict's thoughtful manner, Church progressives had believed that the man who was once the hard-line Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger would cut some slack on areas of doctrinal contention — using his intellectual heft and traditional credentials as necessary cover. But as Benedict turns 80 on April 16 and marks two years as Pope on April 19, the once hopeful progressives have all but given up their fantasy of Benedict the Reformer.

  Carl Olson @ Insight Scoop responds:

  If only the Pope would read (nay, study!) The New Yorker, pursue a policy of indifferentism and relativism, and follow the lead of hip and happening Anglican divines, the world would be a much better place."

  The New Republic's Marty Peretz didn't like it much either ("It gives off the unsettling aura of term-paper research.")

  

• Keeping the Faith, by Russel Shorto. New York Times Magazine April 8, 2007: "Pope Benedict XVI says he believes that the Roman Catholic Church in Europe faces a dire threat in secularism and that re-Christianizing the Continent is critical not only to the fate of the church but to the fate of Europe itself." A fairly long (8,294 word) and suprisingly substantial piece on the Holy Father from the Times.

  Good enough at least to merit a commendation from GetReligion.org ("better than, well, the average New York Times Sunday Magazine author"); and Amy Welborn sez "It's not horrible -- There are a few big holes in it, reflective of both blind spots and an not-surprisingly shallow Rolodex pool, but I'd say it's as good a long-form treatment of Benedict as we've seen in the mainstream secular media."

  See also Robert Araujo 's analysis @ Mirror of Justice).

• Celebrating two years as pontiff, Benedict XVI assumes new role by Ann Rodgers. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Sunday, April 15, 2007.
• Benedict's Magnificat - Wheat & Weeds blogs on Benedict's birthday homily and responds to the naysayers:

  Basic facts force the conclusion that Benedict is in fact quite popular and reaching many people. But that doesn't exactly fit the aloof-scholar- out-of-touch-with-the-world trope. In any case, no reporters ever open their minds for two seconds to consider that that Benedict XVI is neither a prude nor a disciplinarian, but a servant.

Benedict Roundup! (January - Easter 2007)

As Catholic News Agency tells us, 2007 promises "a world of busyness" for Pope Benedict, with "ad limina" visits by bishops from four continents, including Italy, Ukraine, Slovakia, Portugal, Serbia, Kenya, Togo, Benin, Gabon, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Japan, Korea and Laos; a May visit to Brazil (his first across an ocean); a June visit to Assisi to the birthplace of St. Francis, and a prospective visit to address the United Nations General Assembly in September.

What follows is a (by no means comprehensive) roundup noting some of the significant events in the Holy Father's pontificate from January-2007 to the present. Apologies for not getting around to this sooner (I'd given up blogging for the most part during Lent).

In the News
Sacramentum Caritatis
Interviews (Q&A with the Pontiff)
Key Addresses
Articles & Commentary on Pope Benedict
On a Lighter Note . . .

Significant Events

• January 4, 2007 - Pope: true joy comes from God’s love and is not that extolled in adverts (AsiaNews.it):

  In his first visit outside the Vatican of 2007, Benedict XVI today went to a Caritas soup kitchen in the Colle Oppio neighbourhood not far from Termini station, described by the pope as a “symbol, somehow, of the Roman Caritas”. The soup kitchen of Colle Oppio is the first reception centre for homeless people set up in Rome. (Photos of Benedict XVI's visit to the Colle Oppio soup kitchen, courtesy of Argent by the Tiber; Vatican translation of Benedict XVI's address at the soup kitchen, courtesy of ZENIT):

  The Christmas message is simple: God came among us because he loves us and expects our love. God is love: not a sentimental love, but a love that became a total gift to the point of the sacrifice on the Cross, starting from his birth in the grotto in Bethlehem.

  The beautiful crib that you have chosen to set up in your Soup Kitchen and which I have just had the opportunity to admire, speaks to us of this real and divine love. In its simplicity, the crib tells us that love and poverty go together . . .

  In mid-January, Stanislaw Wielgus, the newly-installed Bishop of Warsaw, caused an ecclesial scandal after revelations broke that he had collaborated with the Communist secret police in Poland. The news came as a bitter disappointment to Benedict, who accepted his subsequent resignation. (Source: Zenit News, Jan. 7, 2007).

  On February 12th, Benedict XVI expressed his closeness and fraternity to Archbishop Stanislaw Wielgus in a letter he sent to the prelate after his resignation, in which he stated:

  In this last period I have shared in your sufferings and wish to assure you of my spiritual closeness and fraternal understanding. . . .

  When you presented your resignation a month ago, aware that the situation created did not allow you to begin the episcopal service with the indispensable authority, I saw clearly in this act a profound sensitivity for the good of the Church of Warsaw and of Poland, and also your humility and detachment from offices.

  Above all I would like to encourage you to continue with confidence and serenity in your heart. I express the desire that you resume your activity at the service of Christ, in the way that is possible, so that you use your vast and profound knowledge and priestly devotion for the good of the beloved Church in Poland.

  Today, as in the past, the episcopal mission is marked by suffering. May Our Lord sustain you with his grace.

  The Bishops of Poland had designated Ash Wednesday aday of prayer and repentance for Polish clergy.

  Related Commentary:

  • "Not Up to Us to Judge a Man, a Brother, Who Has Served the Church" (January 14, 2007) - translation of the statement released by the Polish bishops' conference after the resignation of Archbishop Wielgus of Warsaw.
    
  • The Wielgus Case: The Reasons for His Resignation, by Sandro Magister. January 11. 2007. www.Chiesa.
  • Lessons from an Archbishop’s Fall, by George Weigel: "To take control of its own history, the Catholic Church in Poland needs to vet miles of communist-era police records." (Newsweek MSNBC January 8, 2007).

• Religious freedom and ecumenism remains a furvent concern for Pope Benedict. On January 19, Benedict asked the Turkish government to grant religious freedom to all believers, and to legally recognize the Catholic Church. .
  On January 22nd, Benedict encouraged dialogue between Orthodox and Muslim communities in Montenegro, while receiving the country's first ambassador to the Holy See.
  In his Wednesday January 24 general audience, he surveyed the most significant ecumenical events that took place in 2006.

  And on March 28, 2007, Benedict expressed words of appreciation for the work done in ecumenism by the Lutheran World Federation, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of its foundation.

  Further Commentary

  • The Ecumenical Adventure" - Interview with Father Massa, executive director of the U.S. episcopal conference's Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs. Zenit News. February 23, 2007: "Ecumenical and interreligious dialogue doesn't mean that Catholics have to compromise their beliefs, actually, quite the opposite is true."

• Ratzinger and Aquinas Much is made of then-Cardinal Ratzinger's preference for Augustine over Aquinas, as in when he admitted in Milestones that "I had difficulties in penetrating the thought of Thomas Aquinas, whose crystal-clear logic seemed to be too closed in on itself, too impersonal and ready-made."

  Although Ratzinger attributed his negative impression not so much to the good doctor himself as having been presented with "a rigid, neoscholastic Thomism that was simply too far afield from my own questions," it hardly restrains his critics from using it as a cudgel to his head, as when the SSPX publication The Angelus berated him ("The Memories of a Destructive Mind" March 1999 No. 31):

  "This opinion is enunciated by a prince of the Church whose function it is to safeguard the purity of the doctrine of the Faith! Why, then, should anyone be surprised at the current disastrous crisis of Catholicism!"

  Perhaps it will ease the concerns of such critics to note that in his January 28 Angelus, Pope Benedict paid tribute to the great Doctor of the Church:

  When Christian faith is authentic, it does not diminish freedom and human reason; so, why should faith and reason fear one another if the best way for them to express themselves is by meeting and entering into dialogue? Faith presupposes reason and perfects it, and reason, enlightened by faith, finds the strength to rise to knowledge of God and spiritual realities. Human reason loses nothing by opening itself to the content of faith, which, indeed, requires its free and conscious adherence.

  St Thomas Aquinas, with farsighted wisdom, succeeded in establishing a fruitful confrontation with the Arab and Hebrew thought of his time, to the point that he was considered an ever up-to-date teacher of dialogue with other cultures and religions. He knew how to present that wonderful Christian synthesis of reason and faith which today too, for the Western civilization, is a precious patrimony to draw from for an effective dialogue with the great cultural and religious traditions of the East and South of the world.

  Let us pray that Christians, especially those who work in an academic and cultural context, are able to express the reasonableness of their faith and witness to it in a dialogue inspired by love. Let us ask the Lord for this gift through the intercession of St Thomas Aquinas and above all, through Mary, Seat of Wisdom.

  See also: Benedict on Aquinas: "Faith Implies Reason" Part I | Part II Ignatius Insight, by Fr. James V. Schall, S.J. | February 1, 2007.

• On February 14th, 2007, Benedict XVI dedicated his Wednesday general audience address to "Women of the Early Church", affirming that "the female presence in the sphere of the primitive Church was [in no way] secondary." The Pope examines the testimony of St. Paul on the contribution of women in the early Church. The Pope had dedicated his prior Wednesday audience to the role of Aquila and Priscilla, a married couple active in the early Church.

• On March 2nd, Pope Benedict gave a tribute to Pope Paul VI - "A Firm and Wise Helmsman of the Barque of Peter":

  In thinking back over the years of his Pontificate, it is striking to note the missionary zeal that motivated him and impelled him to undertake demanding Apostolic Journeys even to distant nations in order to make prophetic gestures of great ecclesial, missionary and ecumenical importance.

  He was the first Pope to go to the Land where Christ lived and from which Peter set out on his journey to Rome. That Visit, only six months after his election as Supreme Pastor of the People of God and while the Second Vatican Council was underway, had a clear symbolic meaning. He showed the Church that the path of her mission is to follow in the footsteps of Christ.

  This was precisely what Pope Paul VI sought to do during his Petrine ministry, which he always exercised with wisdom and prudence in complete fidelity to the Lord's command.

• Praying with the Pope. On Saturday, Pope Benedict gathered with European and Asian university students, both in reality and virtually, to pray the rosary. The event was held to mark the fifth European Day for Universities. Amy Welborn (Open Book rounds up coverage of the event, including video footage on YouTube.com.

• At the Holy Thursday Chrism Mass, Pope Benedict used a story from Leo Tolstoy to explain the Incarnation of Jesus Christ (Zenit. April 5, 2007):

  Leo Tolstoi, the Russian writer, tells in a short story of a harsh sovereign who asked his priests and sages to show him God so that he might see him. The wise men were unable to satisfy his desire.

  Then a shepherd, who was just coming in from the fields, volunteered to take on the task of the priests and sages. From him the king learned that his eyes were not good enough to see God. Then, however, he wanted to know at least what God does. "To be able to answer your question", the shepherd said to the king, "we must exchange our clothes".

  Somewhat hesitant but impelled by curiosity about the information he was expecting, the king consented; he gave the shepherd his royal robes and had himself dressed in the simple clothes of the poor man.

  Then came the answer: "This is what God does".

• Pope Set to Make Mark on U.S. Church, by Eric Gorski. ABC News. April 12, 2002. "Two years into his reign, Pope Benedict XVI is finally poised to make a major mark on American Catholicism with a string of key bishop appointments and important decisions about the future of U.S. seminaries and bishops' involvement in politics. . . ."

Sacramentum Caritatis

On March 13, 2007, Benedict XVI released his second major document -- Sacramentum Caritatis (Sacrament of Charity) -- an apostolic exhortation that reflects the conclusions of the 2005 synod on the Eucharist:

The document, dated Feb. 22, reflects the conclusions of the 11th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops held in Rome from Oct. 2 to 23, 2005.

Cardinal Scola, who was the relator general of the synodal assembly, said the title of the apostolic exhortation reaffirms "the Holy Father's insistence over these two years of his pontificate on the truth of love."

The cardinal said that this clearly indicates that this is "one of the crucial themes upon which the future of the Church and of humanity depend."

Text and Commentary

• Sacramentum Caritatis: Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on the Eucharist as the Source and Summit of the Church's Life and Mission February 22, 2007.
• A Look at "Sacramentum Caritatis" (Interview With Cardinal Angelo Scola) Zenit News. March 15, 2007.
• The Exhortations of "Sacramentum Caritatis" (Interview With Archbishop Nicola Eterovic) March 16, 2007.
• "Sacramentum Caritatis" a New Step, Aide Says March 18, 2007.
• "Sacramentum Caritatis" and Liturgical Beauty - Interview with Father McNamara, a professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university in Rome. March 19, 2007.
• The Key to "Sacramentum Caritatis" - Interview with Father Nicola Bux, author of Il Signore dei Misteri: Eucaristia e Relativismo [The Lord of the Mysteries: Eucharist and Relativism].
• “Sacramentum Caritatis”: Everyone to Mass on Sunday www.Chiesa. March 14, 2007. - Sandro Magister offers "a humble set of crib notes on the many questions that Benedict XVI addresses or touches upon, page by page, in his apostolic exhortation."
• Bill Cork notes some odd coverage of the apostolic exhortation; Off the Record's Diogenes observes:

  What's the most important aspect of the Pope's new apostolic exhortation? A quick Google search brought up 8 different newspaper headlines that gave top billing to the Pope's insistence that Catholic politicians must oppose same-sex marriage.

  That topic is not mentioned once in the text of the Sacramentum Caritatis.

  Somebody is obsessed with issues of sexuality, and it isn't the Pope.

Interviews

• On February 17th, 2007 Pope Benedict participated in a Q&A session with seminarians of the Roman Major Seminary. The Holy Father spoke of the discernment of God's voice and spiritual direction ("through his Word, in Sacred Scripture, read in the communion of the Church and read personally in conversation with God"); elements of his own priestly formation and his influences ("it was above all the figure of St Augustine who fascinated me from the very start, then also the Augustinian current in the Middle Ages: St Bonaventure, the great Franciscans, the figure of St Francis of Assisi").

  There is a simplicity and beauty in the Holy Father's words and advice, for instance, in persisting in one's vocation despite our very human frailness and inconsistency:

  It is good to recognize one's weakness because in this way we know that we stand in need of the Lord's grace. The Lord comforts us. In the Apostolic College there was not only Judas but also the good Apostles; yet, Peter fell and many times the Lord reprimanded the Apostles for their slowness, the closure of their hearts and their scant faith. He therefore simply shows us that none of us is equal to this great yes, equal to celebrating "in persona Christi", to living coherently in this context, to being united to Christ in his priestly mission.

  To console us, the Lord has also given us these parables of the net with the good fish and the bad fish, of the field where wheat but also tares grow. He makes us realize that he came precisely to help us in our weakness, and that he did not come, as he says, to call the just, those who claim they are righteous through and through and are not in need of grace, those who pray praising themselves; but he came to call those who know they are lacking, to provoke those who know they need the Lord's forgiveness every day, that they need his grace in order to progress.

  I think this is very important: to recognize that we need an ongoing conversion, that we are simply not there yet. St Augustine, at the moment of his conversion, thought he had reached the heights of life with God, of the beauty of the sun that is his Word. He then had to understand that the journey after conversion is still a journey of conversion, that it remains a journey where the broad perspectives, joys and lights of the Lord are not absent; but nor are dark valleys absent through which we must wend our way with trust, relying on the goodness of the Lord.

  On bearing witness to Christ in suffering:

  It was not by chance that the Lord told his disciples: the Son of Man must go to Jerusalem to suffer; therefore, anyone who wants to be a disciple of mine must shoulder his cross so he can follow me. In fact, we are always somewhat similar to Peter, who said to the Lord: "No, Lord, this cannot happen to you, you must not suffer". We do not want to carry the Cross, we want to create a kingdom that is more human, more beautiful, on this earth.

  This is totally mistaken: the Lord teaches it. However, Peter needed a lot of time, perhaps his entire life, in order to understand it; why is there this legend of the Quo Vadis? There is something true in it: learning that it is precisely in walking with the Lord's Cross that the journey will bear fruit. Thus, I would say that before talking to others, we ourselves must understand the mystery of the Cross.

  Of course, Christianity gives us joy, for love gives joy. But love is also always a process of losing oneself, hence, a process of coming out of oneself; in this regard, it is also a painful process. Only in this way is it beautiful and helps us to mature and to attain true joy.

  Anyone who seeks to affirm or to promise a life that is only happy and easy is a liar, because this is not the truth about man; the result is that one then has to flee to false paradises. And in this way one does not attain joy but self-destruction.

  Christianity proclaims joy to us, indeed; this joy, however, only develops on the path of love, and this path of love has to do with the Cross, with communion with the Crucified Christ. And it is presented through the grain of wheat that fell to the ground. When we begin to understand and accept this -- every day, because every day brings some disappointment or other, some burden that may also cause pain --, when we accept this lesson of following Christ, just as the Apostles had to learn at this school, so we too will become capable of helping the suffering.

  Zenit News provided a translation of the exchange: Part I: "We Must Accept Our Frailty But Keep On Going"; Part II: "A Day Without the Eucharist Is Incomplete". March 2, 2007.

• On February 22, Pope Benedict met with the Roman Clergy for a session of questions-and-answers as well. Here is a three part translation, also courtesy of Zenit: Part I: "Contemplation Is Expressed in Works of Charity"; Part II: "Do Not Extinguish Charisms ... the Church Is One" and Part III: "The Pastor Leads the Way" -- which touches on the meaning of reparation in Eucharistic adoration.

Key Addresses January - April 2007

• Message of Benedict XVI for the Celebration of the World Day of Peace January 1, 2007.

  Commentary

  Benedict XVI on the Path to Peace (Part 1); Part II - interview with Paolo Carozza, law professor at the University of Notre Dame and a member of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. (Zenit News January 8, 2007):

  Where Benedict XVI goes much further than the prevailing mentality is in his insistence that it is not enough to simply assert -- however correctly -- the link between peace and human dignity. To make that connection real and concrete, not just an abstract ideal or intuition of the truth, one needs to cultivate an adequate and objective understanding of what the human person is, and what human dignity requires.

  Benedict XVI thus takes us back to what Mary Ann Glendon has referred to as the "unfinished business" of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: the question of its foundations. For 60 years the international community has largely proceeded to try to develop and realize human rights though positive law while prescinding from any sustained effort to reach common understandings of their underlying source and scope.

  In short, the difference between the vision in Benedict XVI's message and the conventional wisdom of international affairs is not so much in the affirmation that the dignity and rights of the human person are the path to peace, but rather in the Pope's warning that that path will be uncertain, unstable and wayward without a "true integral humanism" that embraces the whole human person as a concrete, given reality -- without reduction, without manipulation, and without ideology.

• Pope's 2007 Address to the Diplomatic Corps on the State of the World Delivered in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See. January 8, 2007.
• Pope's Homily on Feast of Baptism of the Lord Zenit News Service. January 15, 2007.
• Message of His Holiness Benedict XVI for Lent 2007
• Easter Vigil - Homily of His Holiness Benedict XVI April 7, 2007.

  Commentary

  • "Dying so as to rise . . ." - commentary on the Pope's Easter homily from the blog Wheat and Weeds

• Urbi Et Orbi - Message of His Holiness Benedict XVI. Easter Sunday April 8, 2007.

  Commentary

  • Explaining Benedict's focus on Africa, by John Allen, Jr. National Catholic Reporter April 9, 2007:

    Benedict XVI, this most European of popes, once again exhibited a notable concern with Africa during the Easter season. In his traditional urbi et orbi greeting, Benedict spoke in greater detail about the political and humanitarian struggles of Africa than any other part of the world. . . .

  • On Easter, pope laments wars, horrors, 'continual slaughter' in Iraq, by Carol Glatz. Catholic News Service. April 9, 2007.

  • Out of Pope Benedict XVI's 1,444 word Urbi Et Orbi Easter Message for 2007 devoted to an observation of all manner of human suffering throughout the world and the response of the Gospel, much is being made of the following sentence:

    In the Middle East, besides some signs of hope in the dialogue between Israel and the Palestinian authority, nothing positive comes from Iraq, torn apart by continual slaughter as the civil population flees.

    Amy Welborn has a roundup of pundit's reactions to the Pope's remark (along with the usual raging debate in the combox); for further commentary and reflections on the reaction, and the attempt by some to decipher a critique of U.S. foreign policy from the Pope's words, click here.

Articles & Commentary

• Exercises in Disinformation: The Pope According to the Leading Newspapers January 5, 2007 - Sandro Magister and Anton Smitsendonk, the former Dutch ambassador to China, examine how the press (including the New York Times and other major newspapers) "deformed Benedict XVI’s position on the entry of Turkey into the European Union."

• Lost in translation: Pope's asides might be changed in official texts, by John Thavis. Catholic News Service. February 2, 2007:

  Rarely is a general audience talk interrupted by spontaneous applause, and Pope Benedict XVI seemed as surprised as anyone when the clapping began in the Vatican's audience hall.

  The pope had been talking about the church's early times, and he set aside his text to drive home a point: The apostles and first disciples weren't perfect, but had their own arguments and controversies.

  "This appears very consoling to me, because we see that the saints did not drop as saints from heaven. They were men like us with problems and even with sins," he said Jan. 31.

  That's when the applause erupted among the 6,000 people in attendance. The pope paused, looked up and smiled awkwardly, then continued to ad lib about how holiness doesn't mean never making a mistake.

  The moment marked a milestone for Pope Benedict as a communicator and demonstrated two important facts: First, the scholarly pontiff is focusing on uncomplicated lessons about the church and the faith. Second, when he talks, people listen.

• McBrien: B16 doesn't really understand Vatican II, by Carl Olson. Insight Scoop February 4, 2007:

  Fr. Richard McBrien, former consultant to The Da Vinci Code movie and former head of the theology department at Notre Dame, has it on good authority—his own!—that Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI doesn't really understand Vatican II or how to correctly interpret it. . . .

• The "most hyperbolic journalism ever" award goes to Nick Pisa, who makes no attempt to conceal his anti-papal bias in penning 'Hell exists - deny it and you'll end up there'. The Scotsman March 27, 2007:

  POPE BENEDICT XVI has reiterated the existence of Hell and condemned society for not talking about eternal damnation enough.

  A furious Pope Benedict unleashed a bitter attack during a sermon while on a visit to a parish church and said: "Hell exists and there is eternal punishment for those who sin and do not repent."

  Sounding "more of a parish priest than a Pope" the leader of the world's one billion Roman Catholics added: "The problem today is society does not talk about Hell. It's as if it did not exist, but it does."

  Pope Benedict unleashed his fury during a visit to the tiny parish church of St Felicity and the Martyr Children at Fidene on the outskirts of Rome, in his capacity as bishop of the Italian capital.

  One churchgoer said: "The Holy Father was really having a go. It was a typical fire-and-brimstone sermon that you would have expected from a parish priest years ago."

  Zenit News' reporting of the homily is a tad more . . . restrained:

  Hell consists in closing oneself off from the love of God, and sin is the true enemy of the human person, Benedict XVI says.

  The Pope made that comment on Sunday when celebrating Mass at the Parish of St. Felicity and Martyred Sons in the northern sector of the Diocese of Rome.

  "If it is true that God is justice, then we should not forget that he is above all love; if he hates sin it is because he has an infinite love for all human beings," the Holy Father explained.

• Pope's Study of Church Fathers Not Just for Catholics Zenit. March 28, 2007 - Benedict XVI's Wednesday-audience series on the Apostolic Fathers can give us hope for unity among Christians, says David Warner, a Catholic theologian who was once an evangelical Protestant minister and who is now a senior fellow of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology in Steubenville, Ohio.

• "Catholic politicians get strict orders from pope", observes Ian Fisher (International Herald Tribune March 13, 2007):

  Pope Benedict XVI strongly reasserted Tuesday the church's opposition to abortion, euthanasia and gay marriage, saying that Catholic politicians were "especially" obligated to defend the church's stance in their public duties.

  "These values are non-negotiable," the pope wrote in a 130-page "apostolic exhortation" issued in Rome, forming a distillation of opinion from a worldwide meeting of bishops at the Vatican in 2005. . . .

  In the document, the pope also repeated that celibacy remains "obligatory" for Catholic priests.

  So sorry to disappoint.

• Scott Hahn on Benedict XVI's "Curriculum" Zenit News. March 29, 2007:

  Seminarians, students and other eager listeners gathered recently at the University of the Holy Cross in Rome listen to American professor Scott Hahn expound the theological vision of Benedict XVI. . . .

  Foremost on Hahn's agenda was the Holy Father's "curriculum" for Catholics, which Hahn believes will also lead many Protestant theologians to discover the answers they have been searching in the Catholic liturgy.

  But even more, Hahn said that Benedict XVI's "clarity and classic style of theologizing" make his teaching accessible to the average lay person.

  "One of the remarkable things about Benedict XVI," said Hahn, "is that he is almost too straightforward. With a little bit of effort, those who are not schooled in theology will grasp treasures of biblical wisdom in the context of liturgy and the sacraments."

• An “Apostate” from Itself: The Lost Europe of Pope Benedict - From Sandro Magister, "L’Europa nella crisi delle culture" -- an address given by then-Cardinal Ratzinger before the plenary assembly of the European parliament. April 1, 2004.

• The Pope and Islam, by Jane Cramer. The New Yorker April 2, 2007.

  It is well known that Benedict wants to transform the Church of Rome, which is not to say that he wants to make it more responsive to the realities of modern life as it is lived by Catholic women in the West, or by Catholic homosexuals, or even by the millions of desperately poor Catholic families in the Third World who are still waiting for some merciful dispensation on the use of contraception. He wants to purify the Church, to make it more definitively Christian, more observant, obedient, and disciplined—you could say more like the way he sees Islam. And never mind that he doesn’t seem to like much about Islam, or that he has doubts about Islam’s direction. . . .

• According to the Catholic News Service, Pope Benedict XVI had a hand in Iran's decision to release the British hostages:

  The Vatican said Pope Benedict XVI had sent a written appeal to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, urging the release of the 14 men and one woman captured by Iran in contested waters March 23.

  An informed Vatican source said that in an effort to quell increasing international tensions over the crew's seizure Pope Benedict sent the letter for "exclusively humanitarian" reasons. The Vatican would provide no details on the contents of the letter or when it was sent. . . .

  Bishop Burns, who earlier had appealed for the release of the service personnel, said April 4 that the decision by the Iranian government to free them was "not just as the result of diplomacy," but was "an act of mercy" in accordance with Islam.

  Writing for FrontPageMag.com, Micah Halpern takes a somewhat different view of the Pope's request, noting to whom the correspondence was directed (A Pope Who Gets It, by Micah Halpern. FrontPageMag. April 7, 2007:

  Pope Benedict penned this letter to put forth and articulate a humanitarian objective.

  Note that the letter was sent not to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

  It was sent directly to the Ayatollah Khamenei. Ahmadinejad might be the public presenter, the face of Iran to the outside world, but inside Iran, he is second fiddle.

  The Ayatollah is just as his title describes, the Ayatollah is absolute supreme leader.

  Whatever the Ayatollah wants, happens. Whatever the Ayatollah decrees, is implemented.

  As much policy freedom as we are now seeing from Ahmadinejad, his personal survival depends on doing just as he is told. . . .

  The actions of the Ayatollah Khamenei are calculated by their ability to showcase Iran's honor.

  Khamenei's ploys, his actions, his decisions, even his bluster are calculated to showcase Iran's place of honor among Muslim nations.

  It is the eyes of his fellow Muslims that he is watching, it is the hearts of Islam that he is seeking.

  Pope Benedict XVI put aside his bigger battle to try to solve the little issue.

  The message that the Pope put forth to the supreme leader of Iran was simple: if you are really interested in the message of God, if you are really interested in relieving pain and suffering, you will release your captives.

  This time, the Pope called the Ayatollah's bluff.

• On April 10, 2007 Dr. Samuel Gregg delivered an address entitled "The Crisis of Europe: Benedict XVI’s Analysis and Solution" as part of the Acton Institute's 2007 Lecture Series. Click the link for audio (mp3). Text will be posted as soon as it becomes available.

• "Easter in Rome: The Secret Homilies of the Successor of Peter", by Sandro Magister. www.Chiesa. April 11, 2007. Commenting on an ongoing problem in the Vatican of Benedict XVI:

  There is a limit beyond which the words of Benedict XVI do not go. They reach completely only those who listen to them in person, whether present physically or thanks to a live television broadcast. The number of these persons is substantial, more than for any earlier pontificate. The Easter “urbi et orbi” message and the Way of the Cross on Good Friday were followed by huge crowds and retransmitted in more than forty countries. But even more vast is the number of persons who receive the pope’s message in an incomplete form – or not at all.

  Benedict XVI experienced this communications block to an even greater extent in the other celebrations of last Holy Week. . . .

  among those present at these Masses, only those who understood Italian were able to listen fruitfully to the pope’s homilies. The Catholic media outlets that translated and distributed the texts in various countries barely extended the listening area, to a niche audience.

  For a pope like Benedict XVI, who has centered his ministry precisely upon the word, this is a serious limitation. The offices in the Roman curia that deal with communications have to this point done nothing new in order to remedy this, at least in part. For example, no one sees to a quick distribution of the pope’s texts by internet to all the bishops and priests of the world, in the various languages.

On a Lighter Note . . .

• Stop wearing fur, activists tell Pope Reuters. April 14, 2007:

  Animal rights activists in Italy have asked Pope Benedict to stop wearing fur in a sign of respect for the "sacredness of all living species".

  The Pope, who turns 80 on Monday, has been seen over the past winter donning a red velvet hat trimmed with white ermine fur, known as "camauro".

  (Hat tip: Me Monk, Me Meander).

• Monsignorial Chic? Whispers in the Loggia January 16, 2007. "No, it's not April Fools Day -- the inspiration behind Versace's spring collection is someone closer to home than you'd expect . . ."

• KFC offers new fish sandwich to Vatican for B16's blessing American Papist February 22, 2007.

• German soccer legend Franz Beckenbauer has recommitted himself to his faith on account of an October 2005 Vatican meeting with Pope Benedict XVI and the Pope's 2006 visit to Bavaria. (Source: Catholic World News January 16, 2007 / Evangelical Catholicism).

• Artist asked to paint Pope adds ‘gravitas and bit of a twinkle’ The Times March 17, 2007. On the Holy Father's very first formally-commissioned portrait:

  Michael Noakes must be the only man on earth who can suggest to God’s emissary how he should stand and how high he should raise his hand in blessing.

  The British artist found himself in the pontiff’s private quarters at the Vatican earlier this year doing just that as he persuaded the Pope to stand still. . . .

  Speaking to The Times yesterday, he recalled how he had been in Rome last year to unveil a portrait of the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, at a seminary in Rome.

  He said: “At the end of the unveiling, a young Maltese monsignor stationed in the Vatican came over and said simply, ‘Will you paint the Pope for us?’.” The invitation was all the more surprising because the last Pope had steadfastedly refused to pose for any portraits.

  A year after the initial invitation Noakes was contacted again by the Vatican and a date was set.