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“We are Pope,” the German newspaper “Bild” rejoiced after Ratzinger’s election.
When Joseph Ratzinger became Pope in 2005, the most dazzling headlines in church history could be read. “We are Pope,” the German newspaper “Bild” rejoiced. “Oh, my God!” sighed the Berlin “Taz”. “From the Hitler Youth to Papa Ratzi” was the headline in the English “Sun”. “From God’s Rottweiler to one of the most controversial popes in history,” said the Daily Mirror.
None of these headings were wrong, none were right. Even in Benedikt’s Bavarian homeland, the jubilation was quickly over when the crimes of church abuse became known.
From Regensburg to Riyadh, Benedict’s well-intentioned but often misleading statements caused outrage – whether it was about Judaism, Islam, the Holocaust denier Richard Williamson or the traditionalist Piusbrothers with their headquarters in Menzingen ZG. And then, of course, there was the Swiss theologian Hans Küng, who sharply criticized Joseph Ratzinger.
Benedict wrote history
What even Küng credited the later pope with: Benedict wrote church history in 2013 – with his resignation. He thereby humanized the papacy. It was not a god in white who acted as the representative of Christ on earth, but a completely normal man who eventually ran out of breath – and who resigned. Despite his red shoes, Benedict grounded the modern papal office with this step, which had not been taken since the Middle Ages.
Benedict never claimed to be infallible – and fallible he was. As prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he was nicknamed the “Panzerkardinal”. He fought liberation theologians in Latin America and liberal women theologians in Europe. He did not prevent problematic figures such as Wolfgang Haas from becoming Bishop of Chur or Archbishop of Vaduz.
Ratzinger understood the complex of abuse in the Catholic Church too late and fought it too late. And he didn’t always surround himself with the right people. Benedict allowed himself to be exploited and did not keep his promise to remain silent in retirement.
Schlager song processed into a sermon
However, the statements of the armored cardinal and those of the “papa emeritus” differ in nuances that are often overlooked. It is delicate and harmonious echoes that the Mozart fan stands for. He grew up in a Mozart environment, said Benedikt, alluding to his Bavarian homeland, not far from Salzburg.
But Joseph Ratzinger not only listened to Mozart, but also to the Swiss pop singer Monica Morell. He processed your song “I’ll never start anything on a Sunday again” for a sermon on Holy Saturday, the day between death and resurrection. Ratzinger, who dealt with complex theological topics, was also able to write very simple sentences like: “A young girl is singing whose boyfriend died in an accident on a Sunday. Behind this hit text is an experience that many people have had.”
Sunday stands for harmony and happiness
For Monica Morell, Sunday stands for “harmony, happiness and joy”. Because her beloved friend died on a Sunday, every Sunday has become “more unbearable than everyday life,” Ratzinger preached. But every Holy Saturday is followed by Easter morning. The resurrection breathed new life courage into the disciples of Jesus. “But not only young people, but each of us can hope that life goes on, yes, that it actually comes to us.” Ratzinger was convinced: “I always start on Sundays!”
Benedict XVI leaves behind a torn church that struggles with the ruins of his work – but at the same time knows about his merits.
“Each of us can hope that life goes on.” This sentence from the Monica Morell sermon remains his legacy. In the literal sense – the church goes on without him – and figuratively: It is not Holy Saturday that has the last word, but Easter. For Benedict XVI an eternal Sunday began on New Year’s Saturday 2022 at 9.34 a.m.
* Raphael Rauch is the editor-in-chief of kath.ch. He will switch to the SonntagsBlick in June.