January 4, 2023 at 5:28 p.m.
Pope Benedict XVI: A call to prayer
Pope Benedict XVI: A call to prayer
Many tributes are now being written, like those throughout his long life, citing his virtues. Critics as well are having their say on what he did or did not do. I have no intention of adding an obituary, let alone crafting a eulogy, which others better acquainted with his curriculum vitae are far more qualified to attempt. I do remember some incidents from his life that I was honored either to be personally present to or of which I learned, following media accounts or reading his works.
Not long after the death of Pope Saint John Paul II, known to have attracted huge crowds wherever he appeared publicly, I learned that newly elected Pope Benedict XVI was drawing even more at his weekly Wednesday audiences. Attending one such event not long after — and it was not during the heaviest tourist season — I was immediately struck by the exuberance of what seemed a very youthful congregation. “Benedetto … Benedetto …” they were chanting his name in Italian, cheerfully, familiarly. I was surprised. My impressions of Papa Ratzi, as the paparazzi so nicknamed him, were mixed. Studious, smart and tenacious were among them. Maybe it was partly a German stereotype I had in my mind (touché +Ed). His job of reigning in errant theologians and his persistence at it was something respectable and intimidating.
Cardinal Ratzinger, I had also heard, was a wonderful conversationalist and, despite his growing reputation in some “progressive” circles as “rigid” or “conservative” (to be more charitable), those who knew the man were quick to praise his charm, wit and gentle spirit, not the least of whom was Swiss theologian, Hans Küng, with whom there were not a few issues over the years. I also knew that in his earlier years, as a nascent theologian, Joseph Ratzinger had riled not a few of his contemporaries with his positions, including some superiors and his predecessor as the Archbishop of Munich. As a peritus (expert) during the Second Vatican Council he had advocated certain reforms not pleasing to some of the old guard.
At any rate, although as seminarians many of us admired his writings, over the years his disciplinary tasks in the Vatican Curia seemed to color his reputation as the imaginative and engaging theologian of his younger years. The best character actors playing the roles of villains are often booed even off-stage, branded as bad guys. Children often resent parents who restrict their claims of privilege — until they encounter adult responsibility and become parents themselves. To the surprise of many, Cardinal Ratzinger turned out to be as pope more of the man his friends always knew than the inquisitor he was branded by some to be.
Administration was admittedly not his strong suit. It is speculated that the daunting prospect of a much-awaited reformation of the Curia was a factor in his decision to retire. No one really knows for sure. The Holy Father never disclosed his reasons publicly, so far as I am aware. To some, despite his public apologies, he fell far short of addressing the abuse of minors by clergy even though this troubled him immensely, according to those closest to him.
It is tempting to wonder which quality of the character and work of St. Benedict, whose name he chose as pope, Cardinal Ratzinger most emulated. Reformer, contemplative, taskmaster? Finally, if a life of prayer and reflection were his desire, he seems to have been accorded that blessing. Though he continued to write after retirement, he maintained a low profile.
I try my darndest to avoid stereotyping, but I could not help but wince when, on his visit to New York and the United Nations (2008), wishing someone had coached Pope Benedict on his consonants — the “thisses” that sounded more like “zisses,” evoking comical TV characters like a Colonel Klink.
But who knows? Maybe he did it for laughs! And who am I to judge with my Brooklyn accent in Albany?
If anything, Pope Benedict XVI was a wholly international man, a citizen of the world, urbane, cultured, well-traveled and with a deep appreciation of history and cultural diversity. He had an almost impish sense of humor, it is said, not unlike that of Pope St. John XXIII, who once quipped to an English speaker unfamiliar with Italian who tried to communicate with him in French (“Oh, Holy Father, if only you could speak English”) with the retort: “If only you could speak French!”
“Humor is in fact an essential element in the mirth of creation. We can see how, in many matters of our lives, God wants to prod us into taking things a bit more lightly.” So said Pope Benedict XVI and those who worked with him most closely and knew him best say he practiced what he preached. His humility, sometimes I would say dismissed and downplayed as shyness, could hardly have been demonstrated more openly, yet unceremoniously, than in his decision to do what no pope has done in some 600 years, to resign. Pope Francis has characterized Pope Benedict as “such a noble person, so kind” in a tweet shortly after his death. The honorable relationship between the two popes was even the subject of an acclaimed TV miniseries.
I confess, however, that my own inclination is not to praise or appraise so much the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI as to thank God for his evangelizing presence among us that continues. As I have written in an earlier statement, his preaching, teaching and humble example drew us closer to Jesus as the center of our lives. While some may question his shortened papacy, his reticence or inability to complete it in his earthly life cycle, the words of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church, come to mind: “I want to spend my eternity doing good on earth.”
Our faith reminds us that our lives do not end when our biological term on this planet is over. We pray for “those who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith,” even popes. We offer Pope Benedict XVI our thanks, our love and our prayer. We also pray that his work will continue to inspire us, leading us to Jesus, our true Hope and our Future.
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