Category: Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI has now publicly explained why he took the name he did. As many anticipated, it includes a reference to St. Benedict. This was something that came home to me listening to Salt of the Earth because it contains a passage in which then-Cardinal Ratzinger refers to St. Benedict as having done something small that nobody noticed at the time that then proved to be the ark that saved western civilization.

I said to myself: "That’s what he’s hoping his papacy will do: Set the stage for the survival of western civilization and the faith in Europe against the dictatorship of relativism."

EXCERPT:

"I wish to speak of the name I chose on becoming bishop of Rome and pastor of the universal Church. I chose to call myself Benedict XVI ideally as a link to the venerated Pontiff, Benedict XV, who guided the Church through the turbulent times of the First World War. He was a true and courageous prophet of peace who struggled strenuously and bravely, first to avoid the drama of war and then to limit its terrible consequences. In his footsteps I place my ministry, in the service of reconciliation and harmony between peoples, profoundly convinced that the great good of peace is above all a gift of God, a fragile and precious gift to be invoked, safeguarded and constructed, day after day and with everyone’s contribution.

"The name Benedict also evokes the extraordinary figure of the great ‘patriarch of western monasticism,’ St. Benedict of Norcia, co-patron of Europe with Cyril and Methodius. The progressive expansion of the Benedictine Order which he founded exercised an enormous influence on the spread of Christianity throughout the European continent. For this reason, St. Benedict is much venerated in Germany, and especially in Bavaria, my own land of origin; he constitutes a fundamental point of reference for the unity of Europe and a powerful call to the irrefutable Christian roots of European culture and civilization."

GET THE STORY.

It seems that my reflection on Benedict XVI’s "human moment" in accepting the papacy was significantl on the mark.

After writing the post I discovered an article in which it’s reported that Cardinal Ratzinger actually prayed that God would not have him elected pope.

EXCERPT:

"I prayed to the Lord that they would elect someone stronger than I, but in that prayer he obviously did not listen to me," the Holy Father said today during a meeting in Paul VI Hall with some 5,000 Germans who came to Rome to support him at the start of his pontificate.

"I want to tell you something about the conclave without violating the secrecy," the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger said. "I never thought I would be elected, nor did I do anything to make it happen, but when slowly the unfolding of the votes led me to understand that the ‘guillotine’ was coming closer and looking at me, I asked God to spare me this fate."

He said he then remembered a letter that he had with him from a German cardinal. That cardinal reminded his countryman what he said at Pope John Paul II’s funeral Mass, quoting Jesus’ words to Peter, and encouraged him that "if the Lord addressed that ‘follow me’ to me, I could not refuse the call."

"The Lord’s ways are not easy, but we are not made for ease; therefore, I could only say ‘yes’ to the election," Benedict XVI said in German in his impromptu address to his compatriots.

"I thought that my work in this life had ended and that years of tranquility awaited me," he added.

GET THE STORY.

It’s been over a week now since God graced us with the election of his holiness, Pope Benedict XVI. On the day it happened, I was elated—and I still am!

Unfortunately, that day was the day I had to go out of town. I had only three hours between the time his election was announced and when I had to leave, and into that time I had to finish last minute packing, last minute message checking, last minute things at work—plus a couple of media appearances to comment on the election.

It was hectic!

Amid this swirl of events, I tossed a couple of ex-Cardinal Ratzinger’s books in my suitcase for reading on the trip and downloaded the audiobook version of Salt of the Earth for listening on my iPod. (Cowboy hat tip to the commenter who pointed out it is available from Audible.Com!)

But I had no time (substantively speaking) for blogging on the event.

Since I’m back, I thought I’d share with you something I thought when I first saw Benedict XVI emerge to greet the crowd and the world, waving his arms and smiling.

I thought he was having a very human moment.

Lemme ’splain: I am as certain as a certain certaintor on Certainty Day that Benedict XVI was God’s choice for pope. There were several fine gentlemen in the college of cardinals who could have served as worthy—even outstanding—successors to John Paul II (and to Peter), but Cardinal Ratzinger stood out like a gemstone, and I am thrilled and delighted that the divine element in the conclave expressed itself through the human element of the cardinals.

But the human element is always there. The cardinals could have used their free will in such a way that they could have elected an unworthy or even disastrous successor. However unlikely it was that this would happen (and I pointed out its unlikeliness before the conclave), it still remained up to the cardinals to exercise their free will in harmony with the motions of God’s grace.

And they did!

Among them was Cardinal Ratzinger, who had to accept his election in order to become pope.

He had to continue accepting his election on an emotional level even afterwards, and it seemed to me that he was still in the process of doing this when he first appeared.

When I saw the new pope emerge on the balcony, I detected something in his smile and wave and posture that suggested to me that the human element of the man born Josef Ratzinger was still adjusting to the new reality. The divine element of his role as the Vicar of Christ was still sinking in on him.

He was nervous. He wasn’t comfortable with his new role yet. He was doing what needed to be done in such a moment, but on a human level he still felt like a humble cardinal “playing the role” of pope—not one comfortable with the role and the weight of responsibility that God had placed on his shoulders.

It reminded me of a moment in I, Claudius where, just after Claudius has been proclaimed emperor, he keeps taking his crown off in private and tells his friend, Herod Agrippa, “I feel like a fraud!”

Herod places the crown back on Claudius’ head and wisely tells him: “You won’t once you begin to work.”

I suspect something like that is happening here.

Benedict XVI originally emerged onto the balcony still feeling like he was Cardinal Ratzinger. But as he sets his hand to the plough and pushes more furrows through the ecclesiastical ground, he will feel more and more like what he is: Benedict XVI.

There’s nothing like experience on the job.