It was always obvious from the start - especially since he has shown himself remarkably vigorous for his age and medical history - that Benedict XVI's Cross would be to bear endless criticism and character assassination at will by the media, just as physical illness was his predecessor's obvious Cross. Bruno Mastroianni chooses to comment on that today, returning to his column/blog after a few weeks.
Like John Paul II before him,
Benedict XVI has his Cross to bear
Translated from
June 17, 2010
"The world needs the Cross", Benedict XVI said on his recent trip to Cyprus. It is a subject that calls to mind the admirable handover of witness between Papa Wojtyla and Papa Ratzinger.
Indeed, the two Church leaders, besides their commitment to make the Church breathe through both lungs (Eastern and Western), on which they had collaborated for decades, something else was passed on: the Cross.
John Paul II, who was the handsome and athletic Pope, the travelling Pope with the broad shoulders, who could stand up to the totalitarian regimes of Eastern Europe, was then afflicted with a physical cross: first, the assassination attempt
[which left him physically vulnerable in many ways that were manifested over the years], then a degenerative disease.
And yet, continuing his mission resolutely, he made his very suffering the strong point of his Christian example.
Benedict XVI is undergoing the same destiny. The Pope of scholarship and intelligence, the one who more than any other Pope had already transmitted much of his teaching with great preparation and calm, is carrying the Cross of misunderstanding and the unjust misrepresentation that many in the media have reserved specifically for him.
The beauty of it is that like his predecessor, he continues calmly and forges ahead, focused on acting for the good of the world and the Church, unconcerned by the misunderstandings and wise-ass criticisms.
And doing so, he is succeeding to make the meaning of Christianity tangible - one can endure so much for Love (with a capital L) as to ignore the non-essential 'frills', whether it is good health or good press.
That is, of course, the great horizon of the Cross, which the world needs in order to move ahead.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 17/06/2010 20:59]