00 28/02/2015 12:28

To February 28, 2013...



At 11:00 a.m., the Holy Father Benedict XVI met with cardinals present in Rome, and pledged unconditional reverence
and obedience to his successor whom they will elect in the next two weeks.

At 5 p.m., Benedict XVI left the Vatican for the last time as Pope, flying by helicopter to Castel Gandolfo.
Upon his arrival, he addressed the residents of Castel Gandolfo and other pilgrims from the balcony of the
Apostolic Palace that overlooks the town square - the last time we would hear him speak as Pope, and very likely, we thought then,
the last image we would see of him in a long time.
[Greg Burke indicated that if Benedict XVI meets with the next Pope, it will be unannounced, and
he is not sure if photos will be released.]

I came back to this post to record this - after I had torn myself away from watching the video replays of the unforgettable, never-to-be-repeated long farewell to a living Pope:
2:13 P.M. in New York City
8:13 P.M. in Castel Gandolfo

Our beloved Benedict ceased to be Pope 13 minutes ago.


The end of a Pontificate
that was joyful and luminous,
sorrowful, too, but glorious





WITH OVERFLOWING GRATITUDE FOR

SEVEN YEARS, TEN MONTHS AND NINE DAYS

OF A GREAT, HISTORIC AND BLESSED PONTIFICATE...

AD MULTOS ANNOS, SANCTE PATER/JOSEPH RATZINGER -

ALWAYS AND EVER OUR MOST BELOVED BENEDICTUS XVI.

Our love and prayers will always be with you.






Shortly after the announcement of his renunciation, the Vatican released the program for all of Benedict XVI's final events as Pope. He was scheduled to officially begin his last day as Pope meeting with the members of the College of Cardinals to greet each one personally for a mutual farewell. (He would have begun the day like all other days - offering Mass at the private chapel of the Pope's apartment, the last time he would do so.)

But, once again, he caught everyone by surprise when he proceeded first to deliver this message. It means he took time the night before to compose it. His library would have been packed up long before then for the move to Mater Ecclesiae, so one imagines he quotes Guardini from memory, and probably had someone doublecheck the citations early Thursday morning for accuracy.

One remembers fondly that the day he was elected Pope, he must have sat up for at least a couple of hours after the celebratory dinner at Santa Marta that night to write out his first homily as Pope that he would deliver early the following morning in the Sistine Chapel, at the first Mass he would preside at as Pope, concelebrating with the entire College of Cardinals, not just the electors. And he wrote it out and delivered it in Latin - it is msgnificent in the English translation we know; it must have been doubly so in Latin. To think this came just two days after the now celebrated 'dictatorship of relativism' homily at the Missa pro eligendo Pontefice that opened the Conclave!





Venerable and Dear Brothers,
I welcome you with great joy and I offer each one of you my most cordial greeting. I thank Cardinal Angelo Sodano who, as always, interpreted the sentiments of the entire College: Cor ad cor loquitur [heart speaks to heart]

I warmly thank you, Your Eminence. And I would like to say — taking up your reference to the disciples of Emmaus — that for me too. it has been a joy to walk with you in these years, in the light of the presence of the Risen Lord.

As I said yesterday to the thousands of faithful who filled St Peter's Square, your closeness and your advice have been of great help to me in my ministry.

In these eight years we have lived with faith very beautiful moments of radiant light on the Church’s journey, as well as moments when several clouds gathered in the sky.

We sought to serve Christ and his Church with profound and total love, which is the heart and soul of our ministry.

We gave hope, the hope that comes to us from Christ, which alone can give light to us on our journey.

Together we may thank the Lord who has enabled us to grow in communion and, together, pray him to help us to grow even more in this profound unity, so that the College of Cardinals may be like an orchestra where differences — an expression of the universal Church — contribute to a superior and harmonious concord.

I would like to leave you a simple thought, which is deep in my heart: a thought about the Church, about her mystery, that constitutes for us all — we can say — the reason and passion for life.

I will allow a sentence of Romano Guardini to help me. It was written in the very same year that the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council approved the Constitution Lumen Gentium, in his last book, which also has a personal dedication to me — which makes the words of this book particularly dear to me.

Guardini says the Church “is not an institution conceived and built in theory... but a living reality.... She lives through the course of time, in becoming, like every living being, in undergoing change.... And yet in her nature she remains ever the same and her heart is Christ”.

It seems to me that this was our experience yesterday in the Square: seeing that the Church is a living body, enlivened by the Holy Spirit and which is really brought to life by God’s power.

She is in the world but not of the world: she is of God, of Christ, of the Spirit. We saw this yesterday. That is why Guardini's other famous saying is both true and eloquent: “The Church is reawakened in souls”.



The Church is alive, she grows, and is reawakened in souls who — like the Virgin Mary — welcome the Word of God and conceive it through the action of the Holy Spirit; they offer to God their own flesh. It is precisely in their poverty and humility that they become capable of begetting Christ in the world today. Through the Church, the Mystery of the Incarnation lives on for ever. Christ continues to walk through the epochs and in all places.

Let us stay united, dear Brothers, in this Mystery: in prayer, especially in the daily Eucharist, and in this way we shall serve the Church and the whole of humanity. This is our joy that no one can take from us.

Before I say goodbye to each one of you personally, I would like to tell you that I shall continue to be close to you with my prayers, especially in these coming days, that you may be completely docile to the action of the Holy Spirit in the election of the new pope.

May the Lord show you the one whom he wants. And among you, in the College of Cardinals, there is also the future pope to whom today I promise my unconditional reverence and obedience.

For this reason, with affection and gratitude, I cordially impart to you the Apostolic Blessing.


So now once again, he wrote out a message for his beloved cardinals (though one doubts very much how much that affection was reciprocated. if we go by their disgraceful conduct towards him the moment he was no longer Pope). They certainly were not expecting him to address them formally, but besides his insistent reminders about the Church - summarizing in a way everything he sought to do for the Church during his all too-brief Pontificzte - I think he wanted an opportunity to say what he did to the future Pope, whoever he would be. That was without a doubt the most moving part of the brief address - and a declaration no other Pope ever had a chance to say, given the unique circumstances of this end of a Pontificate. {In the CTV video of this address. one shot taken of the cardinals shows Cardinal Bergoglio in one of the front rows to the right of the screen but the shot is rather fleeting and I did not get a chance to observe his expression; and I have often wondered why the Vatican has not released any photo of the two at the time the future Pope came up to say his farewell to Benedict XVI, ANd of course, I haven't had the time nor the opportunity to do a search...]

On this day in 2013, I was glued to the TV set so as not to miss a single moment of the coverage of this last day of the Pontificate and was therefore unable to 'document' the events of the day on the Forum in real time. as I had tried to do with important events of B16's Pontificate (to me, of course, every event was important).

But Father Z had the equanimity not only to capture still images from CTV's coverage of the day and to share them with his blog followers, but also to post his spontaneous reactions to Benedict XVI's last address to the College of Cardinals. Father Z's running commentary is both insightful and informative...

Benedict XVI's final address
to the College of Cardinals

February 28, 2013

...This morning the Roman Pontiff Benedict XVI addressed the Cardinals gathered for a final audience in the Sala Clementina of the Apostolic Palace.

There are references in this speech – classic Ratzinger (*sigh* … this is it, friends!) – to what has driven this good and prayerful across the arc of his life. My emphases and comments:
Venerable and dear brethren!

With great joy I accept and extend to each one of you my most cordial greeting. I thank Angelo Cardinal Sodano who, as always, has known how to act as the interpreter of the feelings of the whole College: Cor ad cor loquitur.

['Heart speaks to heart': The motto of Bl. John Henry Newman, who he beatified when he went on the State Visit (not Pastoral) to England. Newman was important to Ratzinger the seminarian and student. His trip to England was a "Benedict goes to England" moment, in the sense of "only Nixon could go to China". Thus, in the first few lines, Benedict underscores what he considers something important in his pontificate.]

Heartfelt thanks, Your Eminence. I would like to say – picking up on the reference to the experience of the disciples at Emmaus – that it was also a joy for me to walk with you in these years, in the light of the presence of the Risen Lord.

[For Ratzinger, the Emmaus event also has liturgical implications. There is the breaking open of the Word and the breaking of the bread wherein the disciples encounter the Lord in a new way, a nearly blinding and mysterious moment of recognition. For Ratzinger, the walk on the path, the liturgy, which is an Easter-like experience, is to set our hearts aflame within us. We move from being down-hearted to being exalted in His presence and Communion.]

As I said yesterday, before the thousands of the faithful who filled St. Peter’s Square, your nearness and your counsel have been a great help in my ministry.

["Ministry" is an important word and concept for Ratzinger. He even put together a book, for seminarians and clerics, Ministers of Your Joy )of which_I have an autographed, actually inscribed, copy.]

In these eight years, we lived with faith very beautiful moments of radiant light in the Church’s path, together with moments in which some clouds grew thick in the sky.

[He often has recourse to images of sky and water, paths and boats. He spoke yesterday about feeling sometimes like Peter in the boat on the water when the Lord was asleep in the storm. Before he was elected, in his Stations of the Cross on Good Friday 2005, he spoke of the water the boat was taking on.]

We sought to serve Christ and His Church with deep and total love, which is the soul of our ministry. We gave hope, the hope that comes from Christ, that alone can illuminate the path. [Hope was the topic of his second encyclical.]

Together we can give thanks to the Lord that He made us grow in communion, and together to beg Him to help you still to grow in this deep unity, as if the College of Cardinals were like an orchestra, [he writes as a music lover...] where differences – expressions of the Universal Church – contribute (concorrano) [Subtle.. in Italian this can also mean "to compete"] always to the higher and concordant harmony.

[What else can this be but a subtle plea for them to put aside differences and come together to find the right solution to the problem of the next Pope?]

I would like to leave with you a simple thought, which has been close to my heart: a thought about the Church, about her mystery, which constitutes for all of us – we can say – the reason of and the passion of life. I am aided by an expression by Romano Guardini,[A great mentor. Ratzinger dedicated one of his most important pre-election books to him, even giving it the same name as Guardini's book: The Spirit of the Liturgy, written in the course of the early 20th century) Liturgical Movement. Ratzinger wanted to spark a new Liturgical Movement. I think he did.] written in the year in which the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council approved the Constitution Lumen gentium, his final book, with a personal dedication for me, too - thus, the words of this book are particularly dear to me.

Guardini says: The Church “is not a thought-up institution, constructed on a table…, [This, too, is a reference to his view on liturgical worship. This is how he described at one point the Novus Ordo. This, therefore, has to be a quiet reference to another of this Pope's most important contributions: Summorum Pontificumas well as what he laid down about discontinuity and continuity - against the school of Rahner! - in 2005, a pivotal moment in his pontificate.]

"She lives through the course of time, in becoming, as every living being, being transformed… even if in her nature she remains always the same, and her heart is Christ.” [Continuity! And think of Newman, at the top, and his thought on continuity.]

That was our experience, yesterday, it seems to me, in St. Peter's Square [at the last GA]: to see that the Church is a living body, animated by the Holy Spirit and living truly from the force of God. She is in the world, but she is not of the world: she is of God, of Christ, of the Spirit. We saw this yesterday.

For this reason another famous expression of Guardini [Coming back to Guardini twice in his precious last official words is important!] is true and eloquent: “The Church awakens in souls.” [He moves from worship to identity.]

The Church is alive, she grows. and she awakens in those souls, which, like the Virgin Mary, welcome the Word of God and conceive it through the work of the Holy Spirit. They offer to God their own flesh, indeed in their own poverty and humbleness, becoming capable of giving birth to Christ in the world today. Through the Church, the Mystery of the Incarnation remains forever present. Christ continues to walk the path through the ages and all places.

Let us remain united, dear brethren, in this Mystery: in prayer, especially in the daily Eucharist, and thus let us serve the Church and all of humanity. This is our joy, which no one can take from us. [Though some have tried and will continue to try to do.]

Before greeting you each personally, I desire to tell you that I will continue to be near to you in prayer, especially in the upcoming days, so that you may be entirely docile to the action of the Holy Spirit in the election of a new Pope. May the Lord show you what He wants you to do.

And among you, in the College of Cardinals, there is the future Pope, to whom I, already promise my unconditioned reverence and obedience..

[The fact that he says this here and now means that he is not going to appear later to do it in public. He really will just disappear and cast no shadow near the new Pope.]*

For this, with affection and thanksgiving, I impart to you from my heart the Apostolic Blessing.

(It's) a summary of some points that are at the core of the now concluded pontificate and which are dear to the heart of this good old man.

*[REJOINDER 2014 Except as we now know, the 'new Pope' did seek him out and has sought him out, almost pro-actively, though Georg Gaenswein says we must not take B16's attendance at the Consistory as a harbinger of more such public appearances. Andrea Tornielli et al have reported that appearance at St. Peter's last Saturday as the emeritus Pope's 'return to normality', as if I can hear Georg Ratzinger in the background shaking his head and muttering, "Nothing is 'normal' in old age" and the old Latin saying, "Old age itself is a disease!"....

Of all the nails on the Cross that Joseph Ratzinger must continue to bear, I had not thought that one of them would be the rank indifference, to say the least, that the cardinals would have towards him and his Pontificate - as if it had nothing to teach them and nothing that needed to be carried 0n (everything must start anew!).

I have not heard a single cardinal say when asked about what he expects of the next Pope, "Someone like Benedict XVI, only younger and physically capable of meeting the Papacy's enormous demands for a long time to come". Which would seem to me the most obvious answer. But, of course, in their apparent obsession with the 'sins' of the Roman Curia - you would think they were simonpure in running their own diocesan bureaucracies, and that an efficient Curia was the primordial duty of the Vicar of Christ - each one invariably says, "Someone who can govern and reform the Curia", a direct reproach to Benedict XVI.

When the Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Boutroj Ras arrived in Rome yesterday for the Conclave, the first thing he did was to distribute to all the cardinals a memorandum on the situation of the Church in the Middle East today "so that they will not forget to consider us". Would it not be wise for each of the heads of the Roman Curia to have done the same thing - they can still do so (I had brought up the thought earlier) to describe what they do, how many persons they employ, what their achievements have been in the past eight years, and what their major problems have been.

Their accounts may not all be comprehensive, and some may well be self-serving, but it's a starting point for all the skeptical cardinals (especially the outspoken US cardinals) who claim to 'know absolutely nothing' about what's happening in the Curia, though surely each of them ahs had to have dealt with one or more of the Curial dicasteries, and if they have had major problems, then they should say so now.

Such memoranda, provided to each cardinal, would help to clear the dicasteries who truly have nothing to apologize for, much less be ashamed of, but who have been uniformly besmirched with the presumed wholesale but unsubstantiated 'evil and corruption' denounced by Vigano and Gabriele whose bare statements alone the media have used to 'confirm' their favorite hypothesis and sempiternal prejudice about the Church and the Vatican. [Oh well, another one of my quixotic ideas knocked down and out by the windmills of reality! Not that quixotic, though, considering that Cardinal Boutroj Raz did something similar to call the cardinals' attention to the Mid-East quagmire.]