THIRTEEN YEARS AGO TODAY...
Who can forget?
And thanks to Beatrice for leading us to this - the first photo I have seen of Benedict XVI at age 91 + 1 day. From the site of the city of Altoetting:
Photo shows from left, Mons. Georg Ratzinger, B16, Altoetting mayor Herbert Hofauer, and Mons. Wilhelm Schraml, emeritus Bishop of Passau, the Bavarian
diocese to which Altoetting belongs. The two led a delegation from Bavaria who came to Rome April 17 to greet the Emeritus Pope on his 91st birthday.
Today marks the end of what I privately think of as the Benedettian Quattuorduum, bracketed by his birthday on April 16 and the anniversary of his election as pope on the 19th.
I can't believe that some in the outspoken Catholic community online are mocking him for still being alive five years after his retirement, as if it was his 'duty' to pass away ASAP
in order to indulge their meanness. It's appalling how nasty and low they can get! Even if, in some cases, the hostility seems primarily due to the fact that they blame him for the
state of the Church today, because his resignation did make it possible for Bergoglio to become pope. Which begs the question: Would Benedict XVI ever imagine that an anti-
Catholic, heretical and apostate man would succeed him - or even become pope at all, for that matter? Obviously not. Nor did anyone else, other than those who 'bankrolled'
Bergoglio's election.
Other than they and their candidate, did anyone think at all, after February 11, 2013, that the next Conclave would bring the ultimate vengeful victory of the 'spirit of Vatican II'?
Did any of the 'conservative' orthodox cardinals who ended up voting for Bergoglio ever stop to think that they had been sold a wolf in sheep's clothing before they wrote down his
name at least once on their ballot? Are they not, after all, directly to blame for his election?
Fr H has an amusing little commentary on 'Habemus Papam' 2005:
Habemus Papam!
April 20, 2018
Looking back to those happy days when Pope Benedict was elected, I recall two video clips which I would like to see again. This is how I remember them. Any links?
(1) Margaret Hebblethwaite, small red-haired widow of an ex-Jesuit whose 'papal biographies' were far from reliable, was caught on camera at the moment the white smoke went up, in shrill panic. She knew that, for an election to have been made so soon, "It must be Ratzinger".
(2) The same lady, later on, trying to button-hole Cormack Murphy O'Connor and being shouldered aside. Poor Cormack looked as though he had his own grief-management problems ...
[O'Connor, recently deceased ex-Arch bishop of Westminster (London), was one of the original members of the Santk Gallen Mafia which pre-dated he 2005 Conclave, and by his own proud admissions afterwards, was among the most pro-active in promoting Bergoglio's candidacy at the 2013 Conclave.]
Fr. Z's recollection of the event is documented in the Fox News coverage for which he was one of the commentators:
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 21/04/2018 17:58]