Pope Benedict Roundup!

October 27th, 20011, marked the gathering of Pope Benedict XVI and representatives of the world's religions in an interreligious "prayer for peace" in the town of Assisi. The Benedict Blog will provide a roundup of coverage of this event in a separate post.

News

• An olive tree more than 200 years old grown near Nazareth was sent as a gift from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Pope Benedict XVI. (The Forward 10/24/11).

• Pope Benedict has named Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, 70, to be the new nuncio to the United States. Catholic News Service has the profile (10/19/11).

• Pope Benedict XVI announced a special "Year of Faith" to help Catholics appreciate the gift of faith, deepen their relationship with God and strengthen their commitment to sharing faith with others (Catholic News Service 10/18/11):

  The pope said the observance would begin Oct. 11, 2012 -- the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council -- and conclude Nov. 24, 2013 -- the feast of Christ the King.

  The Hollywood actress Susan Sarandon recycled an old smear, referring to Pope Benedict as a "nazi" during a film festival in New York (10/15/11), prompting Abraham H. Foxman, director of the The Anti-Defamation League and Bill Donohue of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights to join in condemnation of the slander.

• During his September 28th general audience, Benedict XVI reflected on his recent apostolic trip to Germany, defining it as "a great feast of the faith" during which he had seen "how it is God Who gives our lives their deepest meaning, their true fullness". From The Benedict Blog, a roundup of the Holy Father's apostolic journey to Germany).

"Ratzinger Fan!" -- A man wearing a Kosovo 'Dardanian' flag holds a poster reading 'We thank Vatican, we thank Germany' (Wir danken dem Vatikan, wir danken Deutschland) as he attends a mass held by German-born Pope Benedict XVI on the grounds of the airport in Freiburg, southern Germany, on September 25, 2011, on the last day of the Pontiff's first state visit to his native Germany. Source: Getty Images

• Zenit news marks two Papal firsts in 2011:

  A papal first happened on May 21: the Bishop of Rome conversed via satellite with the crew of the International Space Station, on the occasion of the space shuttle Endeavour's last mission.

  That was followed by another novelty: the first papal tweet. Benedict XVI launched the Vatican's new news portal on June 28, eve of the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul.

• During his visit to Ancona, Benedict XVI had lunch with 16 workers who had been laid off from their positions at the local Fincantieri shipbuilding company (9/12/11). The pope was presented with two cakes, one with the symbol of the Christian fish and the other with the papal seal. [Video from RomeReports].

• On September 20th, 2011, Pope Benedict personally conveyed birthday greetings to Spanish Cistercian Sister Teresita, who turned 104. (9/20/11):

  Sister Teresita has spent 85 years in the cloister, more than anyone else known to history. She expressed her desire to meet the Holy Father shortly before his Madrid journey, and the apostolic nuncio in Spain, Archbishop Renzo Fratini, shortly thereafter confirmed that it would be possible. ... [Read the rest]

• New files uncovered in September revealed that Cardinal Ratzinger was under surveillance by East-German Stasi, who considered him a fierce foe:

  The GDR secret service viewed Professor Ratzinger as "conservative, reactionary and authoritarian," Erice writes, and contended that John Paul II had appointed the then-Cardinal Ratzinger as organizer for "counter-revolutionary development in Poland." More Stasi notes reveal they considered him as "one of the fiercest opponents of communism"; they believed he supported nuclear deterrence between the East and West military blocs, and that he considered pacifism "unrealistic."

  (Zenit News has the full and detailed report).

• In mid-September (16th-18th), the Catholic faithful of the United Kingdom reflected on the Pope's historical visit. Zenit News interviewed Clare Ward, the Home Mission Advisor for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, on the festivities that took place as well as inspiring stories of the papal visit.

• 75 being the normal age of retirement within the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict will begin the search for the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, replacing the American Cardinal William Levada. "Benedict XVI has a special connection to this position, where he served for 24 years before being elected pope." RomeReports has the story.

• "The Pope's Day" - Andrea Tornielli ("The Vatican Insider") walks us through a typical day in the life of the Holy Father:

  A day at the Vatican for Pope Benedict XVI begins shortly after six o'clock, when the Pope gets up. Around 6:50 a.m. Ratzinger leaves his room and crosses the twenty meters that separate his room from the chapel. When he enters the chapel, the Pope stops to pray briefly, placing his glasses on the altar, then goes into the small sacristy to don the robes. At that moment the two secretaries, the German Gänswein Georg and the Maltese Alfred Xuereb, are ready to celebrate mass. ... more]

• By way of Sandro Magister, news that almost a million euro obtained in 2010 from the sale of pontifical blessings by Pope Benedict XVI has been given to seven thousand needy families.

• Ignatius Press' Carl Olson brings to our attention that Father Maximilian Heim, a 50-year-old professor of fundamental and dogmatic theology as well as Abbot of Heiligenkreuz [Holy Cross] Monastery in Bavaria, was among the three winners for the Ratzinger Prize for their excellence in theological studies awarded in June 2011:

  He is the author of Joseph Ratzinger—Kirchliche Existenz und existentielle Theologie (2005), translated into English by Michael J. Miller and published by Ignatius Press as Joseph Ratzinger: Life in the Church and Living Theology—Fundamentals of Ecclesiology with Reference to "Lumen Gentium" (2007). The book was awarded the Cardinal Innitzer Prize in Vienna, and the Johann-Kaspar Zeuss Prize in Kronach, Germany.

• "Ratzinger's Circle", by Gianni Valente, on the Holy Father's annual seminar with his former students. La Stampa "Vatican Insider" August 24, 2011:

  It is by now a regular appointment in Ratzinger’s annual agenda. Between the end of August and the first days of September, Benedict XVI interrupts, for a few hours, the fast and methodic pace of his commitments, whether ordinary or extraordinary, to meet with the more or less aged members of his Schülerkreis, the circle of his former pupils, who over the Sixties and Seventies prepared their theses for their Ph.D. in theology or studied to achieve their qualification as University teachers under the guide of Professor Joseph Ratzinger. ... [more]

  See also: "Ratzinger, Teilhard and the New Evangelization" (8/28/11) - According to Valente, the subject of this year's seminar ("the new evangelization") will be the focus of the next Synod of Bishops in 2012.

Commentary

• The Church may be less powerful but Ratzinger is not letting go of his authority - Daniele Menozzi, a church historian at Pisa's Scuola Normale Superiore, reflects on Benedict XVI's appeal for a more spiritual ecclesiastic community. (La Stampa "The Vatican Insider" 10/5/11).

• "No Small Matter": Fr. Schall on what the Pope said in Germany, by Fr. James V. Schall. Ignatius Insight October 26, 2011:

  [W]hat is especially remarkable about Benedict XVI is the ease and care with which he can illuminate overall things in brief discourses.

  As an example, I want to comment on the address the Holy Father gave to representatives of the Evangelical Church of Germany. He was in the Augustinian Convent in Erfurt, where Martin Luther was ordained and where he lived from 1505-1511. Probably better than any of his predecessors, this Pope knows Luther. In general, the Pope stressed what Catholics and Lutherans have in common, not what divided them, the cause of so much strife. We are at a stage in history where we can look at the past much more calmly, but only if we will. ...

• Covering the Pope: a guide for journalists Milo Yiannopoulos sheds some light on the arcane world of Catholicism, for the benefit of befuddled mainstream reporters. (Catholic Herald 9/26/11). "We hope that by sharing these best practice guidelines, we can help reporters to uphold the tradition of fair and balanced reporting on Catholic issues for which the British press is rightly famed. Here, then, are our top tips for success."

• Benedict and Mozart on True Happiness | Monsignor Daniel B. Gallagher | September 23, 2011 | Ignatius Insight:

  Delivered on the eve of a highly touted visit to the United Kingdom last year, most of the world failed to notice a short speech Pope Benedict XVI gave following a performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Requiem at Castel Gandolfo. The Pontiff hailed the piece as an "elevated expression of genuine Christian faith" in which "everything is in perfect harmony; every note, every musical phrase is just so and cannot be otherwise."

• Ratzinger's Favorite Bach Cantata - it is the one for the last Sunday of the Lutheran liturgical year, centered on the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. All the details of a personal memory of Pope Benedict, on the eve of his next voyage to Germany, by Sandro Magister (Chiesa 9/5/11).

• Sixty Years a Priest | On the 60th Anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI's Ordination, by Fr. James V. Schall, S.J. | Ignatius Insight August 16, 2011.

• Pope Benedict's Guide to Youth Ministry, by Amy Welborn. (HeadlineBistro August 24th, 2011). "Anyone interested in the question of how to minister to young Catholics might want to set aside – just for a few minutes – all the expert advice you've bought and paid for over the years and watch and listen to what the Holy Father said during his time with these millions of young people [At World Youth Day 2011]. No charge."

• Benedict XVI on Europe's Future , by George Weigel. First Things' "On The Square". August 10, 2011. "In remarks to Croatia’s religious, political, business, and cultural leaders in Zagreb’s National Theater, the Pope refined into six digestible propositions the case he has been making about religion-and-society ever since his election to the papacy in 2005 ..."

In the publishing world ...

• Painting the Pope | An Interview with Ann Kissane Engelhart | Ignatius Insight | August 30, 2011:

  Ann Kissane Engelhart (personal website: www.annkissaneengelhart.com) is a watercolorist based in Long Island whose paintings have been featured in the Empire State Building, St. Francis Hospital, the DeMatties Center, Brooklyn College and Wagner College and in private collections. She has won numerous awards, she has exhibited in galleries on Long Island and New York, and her illustrations have been published in a variety of magazines and periodicals.

  She illustrated the children's book, Friendship with Jesus: Pope Benedict XVI Talks to Children on Their First Holy Communion, which features Benedict XVI's answers to questions put to him by children in Rome; the book is edited by popular author and blogger Amy Welborn. Ann recently spoke with Ignatius Insight about her artwork, illustrating Friendship With Jesus, and meeting Pope Benedict XVI. ...

• The Libreria Editrice Vaticana has released a small anthology of texts by Benedict XVI on interreligious dialogue titled "Pensieri sul Dialogo Interreligioso" (Thoughts on Interreligious Dialogue). The 64-page publication, edited by Lucio Coco, brings together some 60 texts of the Pope’s teaching on the topic of dialogue. (Zenit 9/21/11).
• "Mein Bruder Der Papst". On September 13, 2011, Georg Ratzinger presented his book, My Brother, The Pope. He says in the book that his younger sibling never changed as he climbed the ecclesiastical ladder to the Vatican. [HT: Carlos Echevarria, Caput Mundi].

On a humorous note ...

• Hans Kung will be disappointed to learn that Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi has dismissed reports published by an Italian newspaper that Pope Benedict XVI plans to resign from the papacy in 2012 (Catholic News Agency 9/27/11).

• Pope Benedict is reportedly "astounded" by how much he has written, responding to an exhibition of his work by the publisher Herder and the Vatican Publishing House in September.

Pope Benedict Among the Lutherans

There's no question that the Catholic-Lutheran dialogue matters greatly to Pope Benedict XVI.

In discussions of Fides et Ratio, he extended the invitation to Protestants to read the works of "the Catholic Luther" -- his works written prior to the Reformation, which he himself claimed to have read in their entirety prior to entering university.

John Allen Jr. tells the tale of how reconciliation between Catholics and Lutherans in the form of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification was realized through the intervention of an unlikely source: the head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith ("Ratzinger credited with saving Lutheran pact" National Catholic Reporter 9/10/99).

On September 23, Pope Benedict addressed representatives of the Protestant EKD (Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland), a federation of 22 Lutheran, Unified and Reformed Protestant regional church bodies in Germany, headed by Council Chair Nikolaus Schneider. The encounter took place in the former Augustinian Convent in Erfurt, which was once the home of Martin Luther.

Benedict XVI and Nikolaus Schneider, president of the council of the Evangelical Church inSource: Getty Images

According to Zenit, the deliberately ecumenical dimension to the Pope's visit to Germany was in anticipation of an upcoming Catholic-Lutheran Joint Declaration on the Reformation, in view of the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's 95 Theses.

The rumor of the Church's "rehabilitation of Martin Luther" was first instigated by the British journalist Richard Owen in 2008, on news that Luther would be the topic of the Pope's annual theological seminar ("Ratzinger Schülerkreis") at Castel Gandolfo. Predictably, the Pope's visit to the Lutheran congregation in 2011 reinvigorated Lutheran hopes -- Kartrin Gorin-Eckardt, President of the Lutheran synod, asserted that “the reappraisal had already taken place” because the Pope has actually spoken about “the entire trajectory” of Luther’s life (Is the Catholic Church moving to rehabilitate Martin Luther?" "Vatican Insider" La Stampa 9/23/11).

However, As David Jones observes, the more logical conclusion is that the Pope's primary objective is not a "Catholic rehabilitation of Martin Luther" (to which there are substantial theological obstacles, as we will see) but rather to identify avenues of religious and cultural solidarity -- as he does with the Islamic community -- against the greater threat of secularism.

A published interview with Ratzinger, 'Luther and the Unity of the Churches' (Communio Vol. 11, 1984) provides helpful background reading for those seeking insight into the Holy Father's ecumenical intentions as well as his comprehension of Martin Luther himself. He remarks on current trends in "Catholic Luther scholarship", the move towards a "historically truthful and theologically adequate image of Luther" and the question of Luther's excommunication. He rightly points out that, while "Luther's excommunication terminated with his death because judgement after his death is reserved for God alone", the rehabilitation of Luther -- the question of whether or not Luther's proposed teachings separate the churches -- is an entirely different matter:

To be sure, one must keep in mind that there exist not only Catholic anathemas against Luther's teachings but also Luther's own definitive rejections of Catholic articles of faith which culminate in Luther's verdict that we will remain eternally separate. ... After his final break with the Church, Luther not only categorically rejected the papacy but he also deemed the Catholic teachings about the eucharist (mass) as idolatry because he interpreted the mass as a relapse into the Law, and, thus, a denial of the Gospel. To explain all these contradictions as misunderstandings seems to me like a form of rationalistic arrogance which cannot do any justice to the impassioned struggle of those men as well as the importance of the realities in question. The real issue can only lie in how far we are today to go beyond the positions of those days and how we can arrive at insights that will overcome the past.

It must be said that Ratzinger himself is skeptical -- or realistic -- about attempts to bridge the theological gulf ("the skillfull approach leading to unity as suggested by H. Fries and K. Rahner in their theses remains an artificial exploit of theological acrobatics which, unfortunately, does not live up to reality").

Ratzinger is "convinced that the question of final union of all Christians remains unanswerable" (reminding us that this is also tied into the question of the unification of Israel). Nonetheless, he does broach the question of concrete ecumenical goals in the here and now. There's a lot to unpack here but I found it to be a helpful window into what he is doing in his pontificate:

The actual goal of all ecumenical endeavors must naturally be to convert the plurality of the separate denominational churches into the plurality of local churches which, in reality, form one church espite their many and varied characteristics. However, it seems to me that in a given situation it will be necessary to establish realistic intermediate goals; for, otherwise, ecumenical enthusiasm could turn into resignation or, worse, revert to a new embitterment that would place the blam for the breakdown of the great goal on the others. Thus the final days would be worse than the first. These intermediate goals will be different depending on how far individual dialogues would have progressed. The testimony of love (charitable, social works) always ought to be given together, or at least in tune with each other whenever separate organizations appear to be more effective for technical reasons. One should equally try to witness together to the great moral questions of our time. And, finally, a joint fundamental testimony of faith ought to be given before a world which is torn by doubts and shaken by fears. The broader the testimony the better. However, if this can only be done on a relatively small scale, one ought to state the possible jointly. All this would have to lead to a point where the common features of Christian living are recognized and loved desite the separations, where separation serves no longer as a reason for the contradiction, but rather as a challenge to an inner understanding and acceptance of the othew hich will amount to more than mere tolerance: a belonging together in the loyalty and faithfulness which we show for Jesus Christ. Perhaps it will be possible for such an attitude to develop which does not lose sight of final things but, meanwhile, does the closest thing by undergoing a deeper maturity toward total unity, rather than making a frantic scramble for unity which will remain superficial and at times rather ficticious.

Now, there is the question of the Holy Father's personal understanding of Martin Luther, and what the world (and perhaps we as Catholics) might learn from him today. In Pages 218-220 of his interview, Ratzinger presents his understanding of Luther and the key question which compelled him:

It seems to me that the basic feature is the fear of God by which Luther's very existence was struck down, torn between God's calling and the realization of his own sinfulness, so much so that God apears to him sub contrario, as the opposite of Himself, i.e., as the Devil who wants to destroy man. To break free of this fear of God becomes the real issues of redemtpion. Redemption is realized the moment faith appears as the rescue from the demands of self-justification, that is, as a personal certainty of salvation. This "axis" of the concept of faith is explained very clearly in Luther's Little Catechism: "I believe that God created me. . . . I believe that Jesus Chris . . . is my Lord who saved me . . . in order that I may be His . . . and serve him forever in justice and innocence forever." Faith assures, above all, the certainty of one's salvation. The personal certainty of redemption becomes the center of Luther's ideas. Without it, there would be no salvation.

Ratzinger explains how Luther's understanding thus alters the traditional theological Catholic perspective - the refashioning of the theological landscape:

Thus, the importance of the three divine virtues, faith, hope, and love, to a Christian formula of existence undergoes a signficant change: the certainties of hope and faith, though hitherto essentially different, become identical. To the Catholic, the certainty of faith refers to that which God worked and which the church witnesses. The certainty of hope refers to the salvation of individuals and, among them, of one's self. Yet to Luther the latter represented the crux without which nothing else really mattered. That is why love, which lies at the center of the Catholic faith, is dropped from the concept of faith, all the way to the polemic formulations of the large commentary on St. Paul's Epistle to the Galations: maledicta sit caritas, down with love! Luther's insistence on "by faith alone" clearly and exactly excludes love from the question of salvation. Love belongs to a realm of "works" and thus becomes "profane."

Ratzinger revisits Luther's spiritual dilemma in his Address to the Evangelical Church of Germany on September 23, 2011 (Former Augustinian Convent, Erfurt). As the Holy Father points out, circumstances have changed dramatically in our day and age. Whereas Luther was preoccupied with the question of his own sinfulness, his guilt before God, and the certainty of his own redemption through Christ -- humanity in this age -- secularized, deChristianized -- is by and large ambivalent about such matters:

What constantly exercised [Luther] was the question of God, the deep passion and driving force of his whole life’s journey. “How do I receive the grace of God?” [better translated, according to David Schütz, as Luther's search for a gracious God]: this question struck him in the heart and lay at the foundation of all his theological searching and inner struggle. For Luther theology was no mere academic pursuit, but the struggle for oneself, which in turn was a struggle for and with God.

“How do I receive the grace of God?” The fact that this question was the driving force of his whole life never ceases to make a deep impression on me. For who is actually concerned about this today – even among Christians? What does the question of God mean in our lives? In our preaching? Most people today, even Christians, set out from the presupposition that God is not fundamentally interested in our sins and virtues. He knows that we are all mere flesh. And insofar as people believe in an afterlife and a divine judgement at all, nearly everyone presumes for all practical purposes that God is bound to be magnanimous and that ultimately he mercifully overlooks our small failings. The question no longer troubles us. But are they really so small, our failings? Is not the world laid waste through the corruption of the great, but also of the small, who think only of their own advantage? Is it not laid waste through the power of drugs, which thrives on the one hand on greed and avarice, and on the other hand on the craving for pleasure of those who become addicted? Is the world not threatened by the growing readiness to use violence, frequently masking itself with claims to religious motivation? Could hunger and poverty so devastate parts of the world if love for God and godly love of neighbour – of his creatures, of men and women – were more alive in us? I could go on. No, evil is no small matter. Were we truly to place God at the centre of our lives, it could not be so powerful. The question: what is God’s position towards me, where do I stand before God? – Luther’s burning question must once more, doubtless in a new form, become our question too, not an academic question, but a real one. In my view, this is the first summons we should attend to in our encounter with Martin Luther.

Related

• "No Small Matter": Fr. Schall on what the Pope said in Germany, by Fr. James V. Schall. Ignatius Insight October 26, 2011
• Properly translating the Pope on Luther, by David Schütz. (Sentire Cum Ecclesia)
• The Pope, Martin Luther, and Our Time, by Mark Brumley. Catholic World Report September 25, 2011.

Pope Benedict XVI - Apostolic Journey to Germany - September 22-25, 2011

From the Vatican

• Program
• Missal for the Apostolic Journey

Addresses of the Holy Father

September 22, 2011

• Meeting of His Holiness Benedict XVI with journalists during the flight to Germany
• Welcoming ceremony at Bellevue Castle
• Visit to the Federal Parliament in the Reichstag Building (Berlin)
• Meeting with representatives of the Jewish community in a room of the Reichstag Building (Berlin)
• Holy Mass at the Olympiastadion (Berlin)

September 23, 2011

• Meeting with representatives of the Muslim community in the reception room of the Apostolic Nunciature of Berlin
• Meeting with representatives of the German Evangelical Church Council in the Chapter Hall of the Augustinian Convent (Erfurt)
• Ecumenical Celebration in the church of the Augustinian Convent (Erfurt)
• Marian Vespers at the Wallfahrtskapelle (Etzelsbach)

September 24, 2011

• Holy Mass at Domplatz (Erfurt)
• Greetings to the citizens gathered at Münsterplatz (Freiburg im Breisgau)
• Meeting with representatives of the Orthodox Churches in the Seminary Hörsaal (Freiburg im Breisgau)
• Meeting with seminarians at St Charles Borromeo Seminary Chapel (Freiburg im Breisgau)
• Meeting with the Council of the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZDK) in the Seminary Hörsaal (Freiburg im Breisgau)
• Prayer vigil with the young people at the trade fair grounds of Freiburg im Breisgau

September 25, 2011

• Holy Mass celebrated in the touristic airport of Freiburg im Breisgau
• Recitation of the Angelus Domini in the touristic airport of Freiburg im Breisgau
• Meeting with a group of Catholics active in the Church and society gathered in the Konzerthaus (Freiburg im Breisgau)
• Farewell ceremony at Lahr Airport

Pope Benedict XVI (C, R) and praeses Nikolaus Schneider (C, L) leave the Augustinian monastery in Erfurt, eastern Germany. Photo Credit: Getty Images

The Pope on Martin Luther
(With help from David Jones @ la nouvelle theologie).

• Luther rehabilitated? Catholics and Protestants disagree, by Tom Heneghan. Faithworld (Reuters) 9/24/11.
• Benedict XVI with Lutherans in Erfurt: “It is not strategy that saves us and saves Christianity, but faith.” Analysis and discussion of the Pope's address. Fr. John Zuhlsdorf (What Does The Prayer Really Say?). 9/23/11.
• Benedict, Luther, and the "unity born of love", by Carl Olson. Ignatius Insight Scoop 9/23/11.
• Is the Catholic Church gradually moving to rehabilitate Martin Luther?, by Gerard O'Connell. "Vatican Insider" La Stampa 9/23/11.
• Vatican, Lutherans Preparing Document on Reformation: Pope's Trip to Homeland Will Have Ecumenical Focus Zenit. 8/30/11.
• Further thoughts on Ratzinger and Luther, by Mark Brumley 3/10/08.
• Ratzinger on Luther, by Carl Olson. Ignatius Insight Scoop 3/6/08.
• Lutheran Hailed Cardinal Ratzinger as Expert on Luther: Cardinal Invited Protestants to Read Pre-Reformation Writings 5/5/05. "A leading Lutheran in Germany said in 1998 that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Benedict XVI, was one of the few who really understood Martin Luther."

On the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification

• Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification by the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church. (1999) | Annex to the Official Common Statement
• Ratzinger credited with saving Lutheran pact , by John Allen Jr. National Catholic Reporter, September 10, 1999.
• Was The Joint Declaration Truly Justified? | An Interview with Dr. Christopher Malloy | Carl E. Olson. Ignatius Insight June 2007.
• Luther and the Unity of the Churches by Joseph Ratzinger Communio International Catholic Review. 1984.

Video (Rome Reports

• 9/25/11: Pope: “Agnostics are closer to the Kingdom of God than believers whose life of faith is 'routine'”
• 9/24/11: Pope's final mass in Germany [Video Only]
• 9/24/11: Pope to Freiburg's youth: use your energy for the service of God [Full News Report]
• 9/24/11: Pope's Mass in Erfurt: “Saints, even if they are only a few, change the world” [Full News Report]
• 9/24/11: Pope visits Freiburg's Cathedral [Video Only]
• 9/24/11: Benedict XVI arrives in Freiburg [Video Only]
• 9/24/11: Pope talks about the importance of freedom in Erfurt [Video Only]
• 9/24/11: Pope celebrates Mass in Erfurt [Video Only]
• 9/24/11: Benedict XVI meets with victims of sexual abuse in Erfurt [Video Only]
• 9/23/11: Pope visits Etzelsbach shrine: “Life should be an answer to God's love” [Full News Report]
• 9/23/11: Pope to Protestants: Faith is not something that can be negotiated [Full News Report]
• 9/23/11: Pope prays at Erfurt's Cathedral [Video Only]
• 9/23/11: Benedict XVI arrives to Erfurt [Video Only]
• 9/22/11: Pope's Homily: with God we can transform even the negative into love [Full News Report]
• 9/22/11: Pope to German lawmakers: Decision based on human nature will assure justice and peace [Full News Report]
• 9/22/11: Pope meets with Jewish community in Berlin [Video Only]
• 9/22/11: President of Bundestag, accidentally steps on pope's cassock [Video Only]
• 9/22/11: Pope's speech in Germany's Parliament: On Solomon and how to know what is just [Video Only]
• 9/22/11: Pope: “I came to Germany to speak about God” [Video Only]
• 9/22/11: Pope talks to the press about sex abuse scandals and German protests [Full News Report]

Catholic Commentary
A sampling of diverse perspectives from the online Catholic community

• Peter Seewald: The Pope triumphed over the media war in Germany, by Peter Seewald. Catholic News Agency. 9/28/11.
• Reason will get us out of this bunker John Finnis comments on the Pope's address to the German parliament. ilsussidario.net. 9/27/11.
• The music at Pope Benedict’s Mass in Berlin, by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf. What Does The Prayer Really Say? 9/25/11.
• Pope Benedict’s Address to the Bundestag: God, Law, History and Politicians, by Donald R. McClarey. The American Catholic 9/25/11.
• Open thread - Der Papst in Deutschland Rorate Caeli 9/24/11.
• The Pope against pedophilia: the reality one pretends not to see, by Andrea Tornielli. "Vatican Insider" La Stampa 9/24/11.
• Benedict's homage to the former Chancellor, by Alessandro Speciale. "Vatican Insider" La Stampa 9/24/11. "Pope Ratzinger has never hidden the admiration he feels for the architect of the reunification of the two Germanies, a man who has dominated German history like no other since the end of Nazism."
• A blessing for the Vatican in (really) deep disguise , by John Allen Jr. National Catholic Reporter 9/23/11.
• In land of Martin Luther, pope prays for Christian unity, by John Thavis. Catholic News Service. 9/23/11.
• Das ElevatorMusik, PapstTrip Edition Rocco Palmo. Whispers in the Loggia 9/23/11.
• Benedict XVI to the German Parliament by Joseph A. Komonchak. Commonweal 9/23/11.
• Benedict XVI trying to meet the other Germany halfway, by John Allen Jr. National Catholic Reporter 9/23/11.
• Benedict XVI on Luther and the challenges to Christianity today Rorate Caeli 9/23/11.
• An interview with Fr. Franz Schmidberger published on the website of the SSPX German District (trans. by friends of Rorate). 9/22/11.
• Berlin’s gay mayor gives Pope symbolic “neutral” welcome, by Giacomo Galeazzi. "Vatican Insider" La Stampa 9/22/11.

Secular Commentary

Der Speigel

• 9/23/11: Mission Clarity: Pope Benedict's Blunt New World "It has been billed as Pope Benedict XVI's most difficult trip abroad to date. But so far in Germany, the pope has not sought to shy away from controversy. His bluntness has surprised many -- and could transform the visit into a rousing success."
• 9/22/11: The Pope in Germany: Financial Crisis, Religion and a Bit of Protest "In Germany on Thursday, Pope Benedict XVI wasted no time in touching on one of the main themes of his papacy: declining religiosity. But he also chatted with Chancellor Angela Merkel about the financial crisis and said he understands the protests surrounding his visit."
• 9/22/11: Fighting the Dictatorship of Relativism: The Pope's Role in the New Battle for Religion "The criticism of Benedict XVI in Germany became deafening ahead of the pope's visit to his homeland. But those calling for reform want nothing less than for the Catholic Church to abandon everything that makes it unique."
• 9/22/11: The Popemobile A Brief History of the World's Holiest Car During his trip through Germany, Pope Benedict XVI will ride around in his bullet-proof, pearlescent popemobile. The history of the vehicle stretches back over eight decades and includes more than 50 exotic cars, which have been the height of luxury and technology.
• 9/22/11: Vats for the Vatican Pope Beer Commemorates State Visit "A number of commemorative souvenirs have been produced to mark Pope Benedict XVI's four-day visit to Germany. One brewery in Berlin has gone as far as creating a special beer in his honor. But no ordinary brew would do: This beer was serenaded by Gregorian chants by the light of the new moon."
• 9/21/11: Theologian Hans Küng on Pope Benedict: 'A Putinization of the Catholic Church' "On Thursday, Pope Benedict XVI arrives in Germany for a long-awaited visit. Prominent Swiss theologian Hans Küng explains why the papal visit will do little to help the crisis in the Church and compares Benedict to Vladimir Putin in the way he has centralized power."
• 9/20/11: Disillusioned German Catholics: The Pope's Difficult Visit to His Homeland "Benedict XVI's visit to Germany this week will do little to heal the deep divide between conservatives and reformers in the German Church."
• 4/20/05: From the Archive: Germany Celebrates New Pope

Other

• 9/24/11: Man Arrested in Air Gun Shooting in City Where Pope Holds Mass New York Times
• 9/24/11: Pope Benedict says East German Catholics suffered “acid rain” under communism FaithWorld (Reuters)
• 9/23/11: Pope Benedict wins over German Muslims in first meeting since Regensburg speech FaithWorld (Reuters)

Preparing for Pope Benedict's Apostolic Journey to Germany

Tommorow marks Pope Benedict XVI's third apostolic visit to Germany as Pope (and first state visit). If yesterday's story from an obviously-disgruntled Der Spiegel and Sandro Magister ("where atheists are in the majority and almost no one is baptized anymore") are any indication, he has his work cut out for him.

• Pope makes rare television address to German people, by David Kerr. Catholic News Agency 9/20/11. (Video - Rome Reports).
• Those Fearing the Future Should Follow Pope's Germany Trip Zenit 9/20/11.
• Benedict XVI Planning a Busy Trip Home Zenit 9/19/11. "Benedict XVI's trip home this week -- his third pastoral visit to Germany as Pope and his first state visit -- will be uniquely intense. The 84-year-old Pontiff will give 17 addresses and have nearly two dozen meetings in four days."
• German pope ventures into land of Luther and Marx, by Stephen Brown. Reuters. 9/16/11. "Indifference, irritation and, inevitably, protest will likely mark a papal trip to the former East Germany that includes an historic meeting in the one-time home of Martin Luther to find ways Catholics and Protestants can work together to save Germany's soul."
• Benedict among the Germans, by Samuel Gregg. American Spectator 9/12/11.
• How have the numbers in German Catholics changed during papacy of Benedict XVI? Rome Reports. (Video)
• Germany, the Mayor of Berlin Sympathetic to the Antipapists, by Allesandro Alviani. La Stampa: "Vatican Insider" 8/27/11. "The Mayor of Berlin, Klaus Wowereit, feels "great sympathy" for people who protest against Pope Benedict XVI during his first official visit to Germany."
• Benedict XVI “theologian of the modern day”, the unexpected support offered by Gregor Gysi, by Allesandro Alviani. La Stampa: "Vatican Insider" 8/23/11. "At the eve of the Pope’s trip to Germany, the leader of the radical left unexpectedly praises the Pope."
• Dialogue and reconciliation, the German church is put to the test, by Guido Horst. La Stampa: "Vatican Insider" 8/5/11. "As the President of the German Bishops Conference, the Archbishop of Freiburg, Monsignor Robert Zollitsch, closed the Conference’s plenary session in September 2010, he announced a comprehensive “process of dialogue and reflection” that would haul the Catholic Church in Germany beyond the crisis sparked by the story of abuse."
• , by Allesandro Alviani. La Stampa: "Vatican Insider" 8/2/11. "What space do homosexuals have within the Catholic Church? Ten years after the law on same sex civil unions was introduced in Germany on 1 August 2001, the question divides German bishops."

Pope Benedict on the 10th Anniversary of 9/11

To my Venerable Brother
The Most Reverend Timothy M. Dolan
President, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

On this day my thoughts turn to the somber events of September 11, 2001, when so many innocent lives were lost in the brutal assault on the twin towers of the World Trade Center and the further attacks in Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. I join you in commending the thousands of victims to the infinite mercy of Almighty God and in asking our heavenly Father to continue to console those who mourn the loss of loved ones.

The tragedy of that day is compounded by the perpetrators' claim to be acting in God's name. Once again, it must be unequivocally stated that no circumstances can ever justify acts of terrorism. Every human life is precious in God's sight and no effort should be spared in the attempt to promote throughout the world a genuine respect for the inalienable rights and dignity of individuals and peoples everywhere.

The American people are to be commended for the courage and generosity that they showed in the rescue operations and for their resilience in moving forward with hope and confidence. It is my fervent prayer that a firm commitment to justice and a global culture of solidarity will help rid the world of the grievances that so often give rise to acts of violence and will create the conditions for greater peace and prosperity, offering a brighter and more secure future.

With these sentiments, I extend my most affectionate greetings to you, your brother Bishops and all those entrusted to your pastoral care, and I gladly impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of peace and serenity in the Lord,

From the Vatican, September 11, 2011

Recent and Upcoming Books by Pope Benedict XVI

	Dogma and Preaching: Applying Christian Doctrine to Daily Life Ignatius Press (October 1, 2011) This volume is an unabridged edition of Dogma and Preaching, a work that appeared in a much-reduced form in English, in 1985. The new book contains twice as much material as first English edition. "Dogma", for many people, is a bad word. For the well-informed believer, it shouldn't be. Dogmas are truths revealed by God, which should enlighten the minds, guide the choices, and gladden the hearts of Jesus' disciples, including pastors, deacons, and lay teachers. But, as Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI), notes in the foreword to this book, "The path from dogma to proclamation or preaching has become very troublesome." Finding ways to relate the content of the Church's dogmas to everyday life can be challenging for today's preachers and teachers. Some people find the task so daunting that they leave dogma out. As a result, they wind up presenting something other than the Church's faith and speak in their own name, offering perhaps unwittingly merely their own, subjective ideas, rather than the Word of God. In Dogma and Preaching, the theologian and priest Joseph Ratzinger provides (1) a theory of preaching for today; (2) application of this theory to some themes for preaching drawn from the Church's dogmas; (3) meditations and sermons based on the liturgical year and the communion of saints; and (4) some thoughts regarding the decade after the Second Vatican and Christianity's seeming irrelevance. Ratzinger insists that sound preaching should rest on three pillars -- Dogma, Scripture, and the Church Today, the contemporary situation in which the Church finds herself. He shows that the proper understanding of the Church, her dogmas, the nature of faith, and the contemporary world allow the proclaimer-believer to remain faithful to the Church's mission and life-changing message.
	Friendship with Jesus: Pope Benedict XVI Talks to Children on Their First Holy Communion Ignatius Press (October 1, 2011) To receive Jesus in Holy Communion is to enter into a lifelong friendship with him. In this beautifully illustrated book, Amy Welborn, well-known author and blogger, introduces Pope Benedict's profound yet simple answers to various questions put to him by children in Rome who had recently made their First Holy Communion. Pope Benedict's answers, and the children's wonderful questions concerning this very important spiritual occasion in their young lives, provide inspiring text for this beautiful gift book for First Communion.
	Doctors of the Church Our Sunday Visitor (September 27, 2011) They are saints and teachers, monks, priests, bishops, and nuns. They faced opposition and exile. They lived in periods of confusion and conflict. Their teachings and insights not only brought peace and understanding to the Church of their time, but continue to anchor the Church of today. They brought clarity to the fragments and simplicity to the complex. They used speeches, documents, poems, and songs to reach the people of their time. Now Pope Benedict XVI explores the lives and significance of thirty-two of the Doctors of the Church like no one else can. Taken directly from the pope's addresses in his weekly audiences, Doctors of the Church is an incredible journey through time to better understand these individuals who explored and explained the critical questions of the Church. ---Who is Christ? ---How do we know Christ? ---How do we act as Christ's disciples? ---How are we in Christ?
	Great Christian Thinkers: From the Early Church Through the Middle Ages Augsburg Fortress Publishers (July 1, 2011) In brief portraits, Pope Benedict XVI offers engaging, perceptive, and edifying sketches of some of the great thinkers and writers of Christianity, from early Christianity through the high Middle Ages. Pope Benedict discusses notable theologians from East and West but also many figures whose primary witness was as ascetics, poets, mystics, and missionaries. Always with an eye to their deepest religious convictions and struggles, the Holy Father presents these great thinkers importance for the church and for Christian life today.
	Holy Women Our Sunday Visitor (June 28, 2011) Women have always played a unique and critical role throughout Scripture which has continued through today. In his weekly addresses, Pope Benedict XVI expertly and thoughtfully explores the life stories of 17 such holy women. From St. Hildegard of Bingen to St. Teresa of Avilla to St. Joan of Arc and many more in between, each one brings a fresh experience and example of faith that is still relevant today. These models of prayer, faith, and action will help you gain a fuller understanding of Church history as well as personal faith. Bring your faith to life with the spark of history as told by the pope himself.
	Great Teachers Our Sunday Visitor (March 28, 2011) Discover the greatest teachers of the Faith as Pope Benedict XVI highlights their essential role during a time of scandal and strife in the Church. Focusing specifically on the 13th-century founding of the Franciscans by St. Francis of Assisi and the Dominicans by St. Dominic, the pope said personal holiness led the two saints to preach and to help actualize a return to Gospel poverty, a deeper unity with the Church, and a new movement of evangelization, including within the European universities that were blossoming at the time. The Franciscans and Dominicans followed in the footsteps of their founders and demonstrated that it was possible to live evangelical poverty, to live the Gospel itself, without separating themselves from the Church, he said. Their example continues to be relevant today as we struggle with a culture that focuses more on having than on being, and look to emulate those holy people who chose to live very simply.
	Holiness Is Always in Season Ignatius Press (March 1, 2011) The saints are our models and teachers in the ways of holiness. They show us that holiness is possible for us, since they experienced the same difficulties and weaknesses we do, yet persevered in achieving sanctity. The world of saints is a world of wonders, and in this book Pope Benedict XVI helps us to enter into that world. This inspiring volume presents the Pope's numerous reflections on many saints arranged according to the calendar year. He shows how the life of each saint has something unique to teach us about virtue, faith, courage and love of Christ. Dozens of saints are covered in this wonderful spiritual book. The Pope exhorts us through their lives, "Be holy! Be saints!"

World Youth Day 2011

From the Vatican

• Program
• Missal for the Apostolic Journey
• Message of the Holy Father on the occasion of the XXVI World Youth Day, 2011

Addresses of the Holy Father

• Meeting of His Holiness Benedict XVI with journalists during the flight to Madrid (Papal Flight, 18 August 2011)
• Welcome ceremony at Madrid-Barajas International Airport (August 18, 2011)
• Welcome ceremony with young people at Plaza de Cibeles: Initial Address (Madrid, 18 August 2011)
• Welcome ceremony with young people at Plaza de Cibeles: Initial Address (Madrid, 18 August 2011)
• Meeting with women religious at Patio de los Reyes de El Escorial (August 19, 2011)
• Meeting with young university professors gathered in the Basilica de San Lorenzo de El Escorial (August 19, 2011)
• Way of the Cross with young people at Plaza de Cibeles (Madrid, 19 August 2011)
• Eucharist with seminarians at the Cathedral of Santa María la Real de la Almudena (Madrid, 20 August 2011)
• Meeting with the Organizing Committee of the 26th WYD at the Apostolic Nunciature (Madrid, 20 August 2011)
• Visit to San José Foundation for disabled youth (Madrid, 20 August 2011)
• Prayer vigil with the young people at Cuatro Vientos Airport (August 20, 2011)
• Holy Mass on the occasion of the 26th World Youth Day at Cuatro Vientos Airport (August 21, 2011)
• Holy Mass on the occasion of the 26th World Youth Day at Cuatro Vientos Airport (August 21, 2011)
• Recitation of the Angelus Domini at Cuatro Vientos Airport (August 21, 2011)
• Meeting with volunteers of the 26th World Youth Day at Pavilion 9 of the new Trade Fair of Madrid-IFEMA (August 21, 2011)
• Farewell ceremony at Madrid-Barajas International Airport (August 21, 2011)

Photo courtesy of The American Papist

Zenit

• 08/20/11 - Benedict XVI Emphasizes Discernment in Seminary Years
• 08/20/11 - John of Avila to be 34th Doctor of the Church
• 08/20/11 - Storm Interrupts Papal Address at Vigil
• 08/20/11 - Aide: Pope Moved by WYD Way of the Cross
• 08/20/11 - 12 Youth Enjoy Lunch With the Pope
• 08/19/11 - Pontiff Asks Youth to Seek Out the Less Fortunate
• 08/19/11 - Protests Not Affecting WYD, Assures Spokesman
• 08/19/11 - Pope Reflects on Definition of University, Addresses Gathering of Young Professors
• 08/19/11 - Counsels Are Living Exegesis, Pope Tells Religious - 1,600 Young Nuns Meet With Benedict XVI
• 08/19/11 - Medals Blessed by John Paul II Given to Persecuted Youth
• 08/19/11 - These Youth Have Purpose, Notes Cardinal
• 08/18/11 - Madrid Overtaken by World Youth Day
• 08/18/11 - Cheering Thousands Welcome Pope to Madrid
• 08/18/11 - Archbishop: Catholic Education Must Prepare Students for Future
• 08/18/11 - Pope: Fruits of WYD Will Grow in Silence
• 08/18/11 - Youth Wish to Hear Word of God, Says Pope
• 08/18/11 - Indulgences for Youth in Madrid and Those Praying for Them
• 08/17/11 - Before Heading to Madrid, Pope Asks for Prayer

Additional Coverage

• Salt + Light: World Youth Day 2011
• Sara Angle (Catholic News Service Blog)

Pope Benedict Roundup!

News

• 7/28/11 - Pope Benedict has appointed Cardinal Angelo Scola, the archbishop of Milan. Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, 77, retired for reasons of age. (Zenit). From Inside the Vatican, an extensive interview with the Cardinal, beginning with the following profile:

  A scholar and pastor, Cardinal Angelo Scola, has been a close friend of Pope Benedict XVI for over four decades, and is considered by many in Rome as the Italian front runner to succeed the German Pope, were a conclave to be held in the near future.
  This intellectual, son of a Socialist truck driver and a Catholic mother, he was for many years an active member of the Communion and Liberation Movement which he credits with fostering his vocation to the priesthood.
  
  A brilliant student, he gained doctorates in philosophy from the Catholic University of Milan and in theology from Fribourg University, Switzerland, where he also taught. Appointed by John Paul II as Rector of the Lateran University in 1995, he is credited with raising its academic standing during his six years’ tenure there.
  
  In the early 1970s, he collaborated with Henri de Lubac, Hans Urs von Balthasar, Jean Danielou and Joseph Ratzinger in the prestigious international Catholic journal “Communio”, of which he was editor for many years. A polyglot and author of many books and countless articles, he is considered the foremost intellectual in the Italian hierarchy.
  
  With 14 years of pastoral experience governing two dioceses, this original, creative pastor and thinker is also a man of dialogue. As Patriarch of Venice he has worked hard to build bridges to the Orthodox Churches and the Muslim world, in the latter case by launching the Oasis project in 2004. This highly articulate religious leader has often spoken out fearlessly in defense of fundamental human rights, the Church, the family and moral values.

  and "The Vatican Insider" (La Stampa), on the question: why Scola:

  "The main reason is the esteem that Ratzinger has for this theologian who worked with him in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The Pope trusts Scola, his capabilities, his preparation. He believes he is the right man for Milan at this moment, even if his episcopate will not be as long as that of his predecessors."
  
  

  7/28/11 - Pope Benedict launched news.va, a portal providing the Vatican's perspective on world news, with a tweet from the Holy Father himself:Rocco Palmo (Whispers in the Loggia) has further details on the Vatican's latest endeavor in altmedia, and Commonweal has a caption contest.
  

  
  
  

  7/20/11 - The Vatican has announced Pope Benedict XVI's schedule for his apostolic trip to Germany in September (Catholic News Agency).
  

  
  
  

  7/14/11 - To mark Benedict XVI's 60 years of priestly ordination, the Vatican Publishing House has printed two volumes that bring together a number texts from his vast teaching Fabio Mastrofini reports for the "Vatican Insider" (La Stampa):

  The first volume is a collection (with commentary) of three of the many speeches made by the Pope, addressing the world of culture: the famous speech at Regensburg on the relationship between intolerance and fanaticism, and the rationality of faith; the one during the trip to France at the College des Bernardins on the role of Christianity in European culture; the one at Westminster Hall on the relationship between state and church and on the secular state.
  The second volume is a guide to reading the three encyclicals published by Pope Benedict XVI. The two volumes are aimed at helping readers grasp the main aspects the Pope's thinking. This, on the one hand makes them extremely valuable but on the other shows their limits, in that they lack a critical perspective.

  
  
  

  6/15/11 - The new evangelization is the theme of this year's meeting of the "Ratzinger Schulerkreis," a group of the Pope's former students. Benedict XVI will preside at a Mass with the group.. (Zenit).
  

  
  
  

  6/14/11 - The Vatican has announced the first three winners of "The Ratzinger Price" (Catholic News Agency):

  The prize was established last year to promote theological study on the writings of Pope Benedict XVI and has been referred to as “the Nobel Prize for Theology.” [...] The two scholars chosen for the prize are Professor Manlio Simonetti, an 85-year-old expert on the Church Fathers who used to teach at Rome’s La Sapienza University, and Professor Olegario González de Cardedal, a 77-year-old specialist in dogmatic theology at the Pontifical University of Salamanca, Spain.

  
  
  

  6/13/11 - Security was considerably increased in the Vatican yesterday after direct threats against the Holy Father were made in a recently-released video by a member of an extreme Islamist group identifying the Pope as an "easy target.".
  

  
  
  

  6/03/11 - U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden met with Pope Benedict XVI in an unannounced visit to the Vatican, June 3. Both sides have been tight-lipped as to what was discussed. (Catholic News Agency).

Commentary

• The Pope and the Papal Tiara's symbolic power, by Andrea Tornielli. "Vatican Insider" La Stampa Sunday 24 July 2011. "Although its liturgical use has ceased and Benedict XVI has removed it from his personal coat of arms substituting it with the mitre (despite it too being three tiered), the tiara and crossed keys remain in the Vatican City's coat of arms."

• Aidan Nichols: The Ordinariates, the Pope, and the Liturgy (Part I) | (Part II) - Fr. Aidan Nichols' address to the Anglicanorum Coetibus conference in Canada (March 24-26, 2011). Via Rorate Caeli:

  Nichols characterizes the Pope's reach-out to four specific groups -- conservative "Catholic" Lutherans, Eastern Orthodox, the Society of St. Pius X, and Anglo-Catholics -- as an invitation to them to board the "Noah's Ark" that is the Catholic Church in the face of the flood of relativism, secularism and militant Islam.

• Living Water: Reading Scripture in the Body of Christ with Benedict XVI, by Adrian J. Walker. Communio Fall 2010.

• Pope Benedict’s Patristic Perspective by Father David Vincent Meconi, S.J. Catholic World Report April 18, 2010.

• The Assisi gathering and “Ratzingarian” fears, by Andrea Tornielli. "Vatican Insider" (La Stampa July 12, 2011):

  The convocation of world religious leaders decided by Pope Benedict XVI in Assisi on October 27th, on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the first gathering by Pope John Paul II, must be causing a certain amount of worry for some of the Pope’s collaborators. For days now, the columns of L'Osservatore Romano, are rattling off a series of authoritative interventions all aimed at providing the correct interpretation of the Pope’s gesture. ...

• Potpourri of Popery, Corpus Christi Edition - Wheat & Weeds' helpful roundup covers the Holy Father's Corpus Christi homily and journeys to the Republic of San Marino and Croatia.

• The Pope told by his brother His childhood, the war, his vocation, his passion for music, his faith: Joseph Ratzinger's life told through the eyes of his brother Georg Ratzinger. "Vatican Insider" (La Stampa).

• David Gibson on "the evolutionary Resurrection of Benedict XVI". (Commonweal June 2, 2011).

• Benedict XVI: In No One's Shadow (The American Specator May 6, 2011). Dr. Samuel Gregg responds to The Economist's criticism of Benedict's pontificate.

• Kris McGregor of DiscerningHearts.com interviewed Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J.Introduction to Christianity, first published in German in 1968 and published in 1990 by Ignatius Press, with a second edition (featuring a new Preface) published in 2004.
  

On a lighter note

• "The Odor of Sanctity" - "Benedictus", a fragrance in honor of the 60th anniversary of the pope's ordination to the priesthood.

  "Doctor Frederick Hass, founder of Excelsis, created this fragrance appropriately with linden blossom from Benedict’s native Germany, frankincense from the Holy Land and bergamot from Italy."

Pope Benedict celebrates 60 years as a priest.

Related

• Happy Anniversary, Papa! (Salt + Light)
• Also marking his 60th anniversary is Joseph Ratzinger's brother, Georg The two brothers were ordained together on June 29, 1951. Vatican Radio spoke with Monsignor Ratzinger about his own recollections of that sunny day and the celebration in the cathedral of Freising.
• Joseph Ratzinger's Happiest Day (Zenit):

  Joseph Ratzinger was ordained at age 24, together with his brother Georg, and more than 40 candidates, at the cathedral of Freising, near Munich, by Cardinal Michael von Faulhaber.

  "Adsum," (here I am), were the words the young Ratzingers pronounced in Latin before God and the people.

  As the universal Church relives that day on Wednesday, the Pope has not wished it to be a moment of personal exaltation. Rather, it has been designated a day to promote thanksgiving to God for the gift of the priesthood and to ask him to call forth new vocations.

  In his Memoirs of 1927-1977 Ratzinger recalls that "radiant summer day."

  "We should not be superstitious," he wrote, "but at the moment when the elderly archbishop laid his hands on me, a little bird -- perhaps a lark -- flew up from the high altar in the cathedral and trilled a little joyful song. And I could not but see in this a reassurance from on high, as if I heard the words, 'This is good; you are on the right way.'"

  The following four weeks of discovery were like "an unending feast," the memoirs recount.

  "Everywhere we were received even by total strangers with a warmth and affection I had not thought possible until that day," he remembered. "In this way I learned firsthand how earnestly people wait for a priest, how much they long for the blessing that flows from the power of the sacrament. The point was not my own or my brothers' person. What could we two young men represent all by ourselves to the many people we were now meeting?

  "In us they saw persons who had been touched by Christ's mission and had been empowered to bring his nearness to men."

• Benedict XVI: "Sixty Years of Memories, Gratitude and Hope" (Vatican Information Service, July 2, 2011):

  At the end of a luncheon today, offered by the College of Cardinals to the Pope to mark the sixtieth anniversary of his ordination as a priest, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College, congratulated the Holy Father and, in the name of all those present, gave him an offering for the poor of Rome, the Pope's own diocese, "in view", he said, "of the urgent needs of so many Romans, as well as of numerous immigrants and refugees".

  The Holy Father, having thanked the cardinals for their gift, made some remarks. "This is a moment of gratitude for the Lord's guidance; for everything He has given me and forgiven me over these years", he said. "Yet it is also a moment to remember. In 1951 the world was completely different: there was no television, there was no internet, there were no computers, there were no mobile phones. The world from which we come truly seems prehistoric. Above all, our cities were in ruins, the economy destroyed, there was great material and spiritual poverty. Yet there was also a great energy and a will to rebuild this country and to renew ... the community on the foundation of our faith".

  "Then came Vatican Council II where all the hopes we had seemed to come true. This was followed by the cultural revolution of 1968, difficult years during which the ship of the Lord appeared to be taking on water, almost about to sink. Nonetheless the Lord, Who seemed then to be sleeping, was present and He led us forward. Those were the unforgettable years in which I worked alongside Blessed Pope John Paul II. Finally, came the unexpected day of 19 April 2005 when the Lord called me to a new task and, only by virtue of His strength, abandoning myself to Him, was I able at that moment to say 'yes'.

  "Over these sixty years nearly everything has changed; but the Lord's faithfulness has remained", the Holy Father added in conclusion. "He is the same, yesterday, today and forever. This is our certainty, which shows us the way to the future. The time to remember, the time of gratitude, is also the time of hope".

Blessed John Paul II

VATICAN CITY, 1 MAY 2011 (VIS) - At 10:00am this morning, the Second Sunday of Easter of Divine Mercy Sunday, Benedict XVI presided over the Eucharistic celebration during which Servant of God John Paul II, Pope (1920-2005) was proclaimed a Blessed, and whose feastday will be celebrated 22 October every year from now on.

Eighty-seven delegations from various countries, among which were 5 royal houses, 16 heads of state - including the presidents of Poland and Italy - and 7 prime ministers, attended the ceremony.

Hundreds of thousands of people from around the world filled St. Peter's Square and the streets adjacent. The ceremony could also be followed on the various giant screens installed in Circo Massimo and various squares around the city.

[Excerpt from] Homily of His Holiness Benedict XVI - On the occasion of the Beatification of the Servant of God John Paul II. Saint Peter's Square Sunday 1 May 2011.

Six years ago we gathered in this Square to celebrate the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Our grief at his loss was deep, but even greater was our sense of an immense grace which embraced Rome and the whole world: a grace which was in some way the fruit of my beloved predecessor’s entire life, and especially of his witness in suffering. Even then we perceived the fragrance of his sanctity, and in any number of ways God’s People showed their veneration for him. For this reason, with all due respect for the Church’s canonical norms, I wanted his cause of beatification to move forward with reasonable haste. And now the longed-for day has come; it came quickly because this is what was pleasing to the Lord: John Paul II is blessed! [...]

Dear brothers and sisters, today our eyes behold, in the full spiritual light of the risen Christ, the beloved and revered figure of John Paul II. Today his name is added to the host of those whom he proclaimed saints and blesseds during the almost twenty-seven years of his pontificate, thereby forcefully emphasizing the universal vocation to the heights of the Christian life, to holiness, taught by the conciliar Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium. All of us, as members of the people of God – bishops, priests, deacons, laity, men and women religious – are making our pilgrim way to the heavenly homeland where the Virgin Mary has preceded us, associated as she was in a unique and perfect way to the mystery of Christ and the Church. Karol Wojtyła took part in the Second Vatican Council, first as an auxiliary Bishop and then as Archbishop of Kraków. He was fully aware that the Council’s decision to devote the last chapter of its Constitution on the Church to Mary meant that the Mother of the Redeemer is held up as an image and model of holiness for every Christian and for the entire Church. This was the theological vision which Blessed John Paul II discovered as a young man and subsequently maintained and deepened throughout his life. A vision which is expressed in the scriptural image of the crucified Christ with Mary, his Mother, at his side. This icon from the Gospel of John (19:25-27) was taken up in the episcopal and later the papal coat-of-arms of Karol Wojtyła: a golden cross with the letter “M” on the lower right and the motto “Totus tuus”, drawn from the well-known words of Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort in which Karol Wojtyła found a guiding light for his life: “Totus tuus ego sum et omnia mea tua sunt. Accipio te in mea omnia. Praebe mihi cor tuum, Maria – I belong entirely to you, and all that I have is yours. I take you for my all. O Mary, give me your heart” (Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, 266).

Photo Credit: Associated Press

In his Testament, the new Blessed wrote: “When, on 16 October 1978, the Conclave of Cardinals chose John Paul II, the Primate of Poland, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, said to me: ‘The task of the new Pope will be to lead the Church into the Third Millennium’”. And the Pope added: “I would like once again to express my gratitude to the Holy Spirit for the great gift of the Second Vatican Council, to which, together with the whole Church – and especially with the whole episcopate – I feel indebted. I am convinced that it will long be granted to the new generations to draw from the treasures that this Council of the twentieth century has lavished upon us. As a Bishop who took part in the Council from the first to the last day, I desire to entrust this great patrimony to all who are and will be called in the future to put it into practice. For my part, I thank the Eternal Shepherd, who has enabled me to serve this very great cause in the course of all the years of my Pontificate”. And what is this “cause”? It is the same one that John Paul II presented during his first solemn Mass in Saint Peter’s Square in the unforgettable words: “Do not be afraid! Open, open wide the doors to Christ!” What the newly-elected Pope asked of everyone, he was himself the first to do: society, culture, political and economic systems he opened up to Christ, turning back with the strength of a titan – a strength which came to him from God – a tide which appeared irreversible. By his witness of faith, love and apostolic courage, accompanied by great human charisma, this exemplary son of Poland helped believers throughout the world not to be afraid to be called Christian, to belong to the Church, to speak of the Gospel. In a word: he helped us not to fear the truth, because truth is the guarantee of liberty. To put it even more succinctly: he gave us the strength to believe in Christ, because Christ is Redemptor hominis, the Redeemer of man. This was the theme of his first encyclical, and the thread which runs though all the others.

When Karol Wojtyła ascended to the throne of Peter, he brought with him a deep understanding of the difference between Marxism and Christianity, based on their respective visions of man. This was his message: man is the way of the Church, and Christ is the way of man. With this message, which is the great legacy of the Second Vatican Council and of its “helmsman”, the Servant of God Pope Paul VI, John Paul II led the People of God across the threshold of the Third Millennium, which thanks to Christ he was able to call “the threshold of hope”. Throughout the long journey of preparation for the great Jubilee he directed Christianity once again to the future, the future of God, which transcends history while nonetheless directly affecting it. He rightly reclaimed for Christianity that impulse of hope which had in some sense faltered before Marxism and the ideology of progress. He restored to Christianity its true face as a religion of hope, to be lived in history in an “Advent” spirit, in a personal and communitarian existence directed to Christ, the fullness of humanity and the fulfillment of all our longings for justice and peace.

Finally, on a more personal note, I would like to thank God for the gift of having worked for many years with Blessed Pope John Paul II. I had known him earlier and had esteemed him, but for twenty-three years, beginning in 1982 after he called me to Rome to be Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, I was at his side and came to revere him all the more. My own service was sustained by his spiritual depth and by the richness of his insights. His example of prayer continually impressed and edified me: he remained deeply united to God even amid the many demands of his ministry. Then too, there was his witness in suffering: the Lord gradually stripped him of everything, yet he remained ever a “rock”, as Christ desired. His profound humility, grounded in close union with Christ, enabled him to continue to lead the Church and to give to the world a message which became all the more eloquent as his physical strength declined. In this way he lived out in an extraordinary way the vocation of every priest and bishop to become completely one with Jesus, whom he daily receives and offers in the Church.

Blessed are you, beloved Pope John Paul II, because you believed! Continue, we implore you, to sustain from heaven the faith of God’s people. You often blessed us in this Square from the Apostolic Palace: Bless us, Holy Father! Amen.

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