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Pope Benedict XVI
One of the tv commentators was saying that Cardinal Ratzinger chose the name Benedict XVI for this reason. Ratzinger is feared by liberals in the church because he is a conservative (though his conservatism has been overstated—see below). Benedict XV (1914-1922), succeeding Pius X who had waged a campaign against modernity, said he wanted to bring an end to the conflicts over doctrine and bring the Church together again. So, by calling himself Benedict XVI, Ratzinger is assuring liberals that he’s no Pius X. As pointed out earlier, Ratzinger was thought of as a radical in Vatican II and is only conservative by today’s, post-Vatican II standards. However, Eugene Girin has said that Ratzinger has had second thoughts about some aspects of Vatican II and is the best that traditionalists could hope for from this conclave. It is to be welcomed that the new pope is a European; a friend had passed on to me a false report that a South American had been chosen, and the thought was not happy. By choosing a man of Europe, the cardinals are saying that Europe matters, that the spiritual crisis of Europe must be combatted, whereas the selection of a non-European would have been tantamount to giving up on Europe. Just as John Paul II served a unique function in rousing his fellow Poles against atheist Communism by reviving the idea of a Polish Christian nation, perhaps Benedict XVI can help rouse his fellow Germans, the heart of “old Europe,” from their secularism and their cultural suicide. Of course, these are mere hopes. But hopes are better than the depression that would have set in had a progressive or a non-European been elected.
I had never before seen the actual moment of the announcement of a new pope. It was exciting to hear the Latin words, “Habemus Papem,” and then, when the name “Joseph” was spoken, I knew that Cardinal Ratzinger was the one. Email entry |