Looking back over the pages in the PAPA RATZINGER FORUM ("The Experience of April 19, 2005") when I tried in 2006 to 'reconstruct' as much as I could those heady rapturous days in April 2005 that preceded the election of Benedict XVI, the election itself and the first few days of the Pontificate, I am moved to tears as always by the photos, the news accounts and the commentaries.
This time around, I was particularly struck by a sampling of letters that had been received by Avvenire, the Italian bishops' newspaper, in the first two weeks after April 19. The letters speak for themselves most eloquently and reflects the reactions of the Catholic man (and woman) on the street, not just to the election of a new Pope, but to the man himself who had just become Pope... Their sentiments mirror everything that any Benaddict has ever felt about Joseph Ratzinger... Read and rejoice!
A HARVEST OF IMPRESSIONS
Italian Catholics express
themselves on the new Pope
Translated from
Avvenire, the newspaper of the Italian bishops conference published a sampler of the letters that it had received in the days following the election of Benedict XVI. The letters I selected and translated here are from those written in the first two weeks. Although we may not have a similar chance to sample reactions from in other countries, I think these letters would be representative of the positive impressions experienced by the Catholic rank-and file.
In the footsteps of Wojtyla
19 April 2005
A simple look, smiling, joyous… That is what reached me from the man who faced us from the balcony where our Papa Wojtyla had faced us for more than 27 years.
Benedict XVI is a man of charisma. I hope that with this new face of the Papacy, a new peace will come to the world.
Mariantonia Marciano
Holy Father with the sweet look
19 April 2005
Lord, make me sensitive and capable of deepening my faith under the wonderful guidance of Pope Benedict XVI. I praise you, my Lord, for having given us as our Shepherd, this Holy Father with the sweet and gentle look.
Determination in defense of the humble
19 April 2005
Best wishes, Pope Benedict. May the Holy Spirit enlighten you to be ever ready and determined against the “arrogant of the earth” and make them understand with all the force of your sweetness that only God is powerful. With the force of your sweetness, a simple but effective instrument, I am sure that you, our new Holy Father, will know how to confront the anxieties of our age.
Giuseppe Celi
Yes, I like him … very much!
19 April 2005
I like him. Yes. I am certain he will do much good. I won’t say anything else: The Holy Spirit alighted on him, the cardinals elected him quickly which means there was a consensus of itnentions. He will be a great Pope, with clear ideas.
Claudia L.
A gift from the Lord
19 April 2005
I cried with joy as soon as I saw the white smoke. It was the first time I ever followed a Conclave and with all my heart I wish the Holy Father a Pontificate that will be rich with joy.
God has sent us another gift, let us welcome him with open hearts. I am sure the Holy Spirit will support and enlighten him through every moment of his Pontificate.
Irene Righetto
Gentle Shepherd, firm defender of the faith
19 April 2005
I am enthusiastic and moved by the choice that the Holy Spirit made. Thank you, Lord, for having given us a shepherd so kind and gentle, and at the same time, wise and firm in the faith. We young people need a firm guide in these times when no one else seems capable of saying something that is worth listening to. We want to live the Gospel and bear witness to it.
Holy Father, we pray for you, and we will be waiting for you in Cologne.
Laura Semproni
A shy man who will surprise us
19 April 2005
Deo gratias!
Benedict XVI, a shy man, will surprise the Church and the world with the sureness of someone who knows that the Holy Spirit will guide his Petrine ministry. He is the right man for the historic moment which more than ever needs a strong and at the same time fatherly guide.
Maurizio Capone
I did not expect it…
19 April 2005
I did not expect it. Maybe we did not expect who would be chosen Holy Father. Maybe we even wanted someone else. But it is the Holy Spirit that chooses, not us!
And the Spirit chose Pope Benedict, and will bring him close to us in a way that will make us wonder, will bring us closer to God, and light within us the most vivid flame of God’s love.
I pray for the Pope, small though I am. Holy Father, I entrust the world and myself to your prayers… Your sweet humility, your shyness (but how shy you are!) have truly touched me.
I did not expect you, Holy Father, but I already feel that I am your daughter.
Maria A
Regardless we are with you
19 April 2005
It is the first time in my life that I feel the Pope is a father. I feel a deep affection for him, regardless of what he will say or do, because I believe it is the will of God. When I was a child, I did not understand many things, but as an adult, I have been able to look at life with the mysteries which belong to it.
I embrace you warmly, Holy Father.
Cristina Corvo
Best wishes from the heart
19 April 2005
The Holy Spirit and our prayers will make you a great Pope.
Long live the Church… Long live the love which you can give us…
Mimmo Di Giacomo
A gentle and beautiful Pope
20 April 2005
Our most beloved Holy Father who went from us many days ago has left his legacy in the right hands. We have a new Pope. Persons like me who have strayed from the Church have a new chance to return and this time, we will not fail. The Church is our home once again. The death of John Paul II has yielded many wonderful fruits.
Let us pray for this gentle and beautiful Pope so that he may never be discouraged by his difficult task. And I thank him for those smiles that have warned the hearts of so many.
Angela Savina Canalella
God is with us
20 April 2005
The Holy Spirit was the true protagonist today and I am glad that this appears to be accepted by many. We had been prepared for calculated moves and secret ploting by the cardinals . But instead, we have been shown the beauty of the Church!
Look at the eyes of our new Pope! No one can miss seeing that this is a man of God! We believe in God, and we fear nothing. Now let us be with and work with our Pope, and with him, let us live the Church in our daily lives.
Andrea Da Cremona
Blessed in name and in fact
20 April 2005
Welcome among us as the Vicar of Christ! I think you may have been turned off by the explosion of remembrances, anecdotes, sensations, predictions of rupture or continuity that have followed your election. But with your gentle smile and your captivating modesty you have managed to tell us that each person must be himself, unique and irrepeatable.
Thank you for your courage in denouncing the indecorous arrogance of some who are supposed to be in the service of the Crucified One. Thank you for showing us that relativism cannot be valid when one speaks of truth. Thank you for being somewhat unpredictable in a world where everything is taken for granted. Thank you for your reserve with the media in their continuing scenario of invasive spectacle.
Valentino Rovi
The power of the Holy Spirit
20 April 2005
While I waited for the bells to confirm the news, between the initial uncertainty and then the confirmation, I felt myself wrapped in an immense warmth that erupted in tears of joy, I had a lump in my throat and inside me, I felt “It’s Ratzinger”…
And thanks to the power of the Holy Spirit, this face that had become a friend, who had accompanied us from the time John Paul II died, has entered into our hearts. Now, let us help Benedict XVI work in his new vineyard and let us pray for him as he asked us to.
Germana Morettini
A child's face and innocence
20 April 2005
I pray that the new Pope, with the sweet face of a child and innocence in his eyes, will be able to guide the Church with the wisdom of an expert steersman, in this world of madmen and of confusion, in which the loss of ideals and certainties constitutes the most grave problem and may be responsible for the suffering of millions.
As a professor of literature, I share completely the ideas of Benedict XVI, and I hope and wish, as a parent and educator, that the reigning relativism will be completely blown away by the winds of Christian love and truth.
Elio de Franco
Ora et labora
20 April 2005
John Paul II, looking down from a window of the Father’s house, watches over you and blesses you, dear Benedict XVI!
Your first words emphasized prayer and work, the elements of the Benedictine rule. Help us Christians to know how to work humbly in the vineyard of the Lord, in this age which looks at appearances more than substance and does not recognize that what truly counts is very simple: to be friends with Christ and to love him as he loves us…
Giulia Bertero
Thank you for our shepherd
20 April 2005
I thank the Lord for the shepherd he has given us. A shepherd after the heart of Christ, a pastor who is intrepid in defending the Deposit of Faith, a truly humble servant in the vineyard of the Lord, far from TV cameras and the sort of popularity that acclaims one day only to condemn you the next!
Teach us to know and love Christ firmly, without being tossed about by winds of doctrine. Teach us to be faithful to Christ who is merciful to sinners but firm against sin.
The world without faith, today, just a few hours since you were elected, already condemns and crucifies you. But you need not fear anything because Christ, the Good Shpherd, guides his church, and the Mother of Christ is beside you and us.
You have said you will rely on our prayers; we will rely on your heart. Thank you, the Lord our Shepherd, for this shepherd after your heart whom you have given us today.
Giovanni Arienti
What unexplainable joy!
25 April 2005
Excuse me, but I cannot contain myself for joy! The words of the Holy Father go directly to the heart, and the heart cannot seem to hear enough from him. A great joy now feels our hearts. It is something new, pure, inexplicable, which inspires us to crowin faith and in hope. It is wonderful.
Enzo Greco
Pope of friendship and joy
26 April 2005
I have spent the last few days reading articles, homilies and discourses, and discovering that a non-fundamentalist Catholic like me agrees with every word that Cardinal Ratzinger, now our splendid Pope Benedict XVI, has said or placed in writing.
I thank the cardinal electors and the Holy Spirit!
The Pope of friendship and joy, with his sensitive but strong didactic gifts, will help Catholics understand better the essentials of our faith and to be less vulnerable to other persuasions, indoctrinations and idle chatter…
Luciana Blotti
To an exceptional person
26 April 2005
God has given him to us, and I hope He will keep him with us as along as possible and in good health.
I am hardly a Catholic, much less a practising one. But I have been conquered by this person who is sublime, refined, cultured, who fills my heart with joy and peace simply by looking at him.
He is a person of extraordinary greatness, maybe too great to be understood by a Church that may have become too petty, but I pray that the Lord accompanies him and makes his burden as least onerous as possible.
I am glad that someone like him exists. His way of presenting himself, of representing the Church, his humility and refinement, fill me with stupendous emotions.
Gabriella Mercuri
With your sweetness, you will go far
26 April 2005
Dear Holy Father,
When I heard the name of the newly-elected Pope for the first time, I was stunned into silence, as if I had been struck dumb. I had heard many things about you; I thought I knew you from what others said about you. But now, I am realizing more and more each day that it was truly the Lord who chose you.
I appreciate how you relate to everyone: so rich with the word of God, so elegant in manner, so humble in behavior. Stay strong and generous. We all need you. I pray for you and suffer with you. Thank you.
Ma. Teresa Govin
The most beautiful day
26 April 2005
I confess I have always had a great immeasurable admiration for Cardinal Ratzinger. It is an admiration that is hard to explain, considering that it began when I was 9 or 10. At that age, I knew practically nothing of what ot meant to be a Christian. And yet Joseph Ratzinger entered my heart.
I always guarded his image jealously inside me, and later, when I was older, everytime I read any polemics in the newspapers that involved him, before taking any position, I would analyze the text that had provoked the controversy, and most of the time, I ended up taking his side instead of finding any justification for the polemics.
I will be 22 next month, but I have already received my greates gift: Benedict XVI. I cannot describe what I felt when I heard that it was he, “my” cardinal, who had been elected Pope. My telephone kept ringing all the way till the next day. Whoever knew me wanted to find out exactly how I felt.
It may seem absurd, but April 19, 2005 was the most beautiful and happiest day of my life. God bless you, Papa Benedetto. I look forward most expectantly to meeting you in Cologne, along with so many other young people like me.
Eccì
He, too, has entered my heart
26 April 2005
I am 20 years old. When John Paul II died, I thought that no other Pope could possibly enter my heart as he did. Then came April 19 , the white smoke, and the name, Benedict XVI.
At first, I was disoriented because I had thought they would elect a younger Pope, and besides, I had little sympathy for Joseph Ratzinger when he was a cardinal.
But when he came out on the loggia that afternoon and said, “After the great John Paul II, the lord cardinals have elected me, a simple and humble laborer in the vineyard of the Lord,” all my reserevations dropped away, and I started to weep with joy.
I wish the Pope every good, with the hope that his pontificate may be able to bring the Church back to the origins of the Gospel message.
Laura Licata
Give me a Vatican passport
26 April 2005
Give me a Pontifical passort, because I would like to be your subject.
Lauro Lauri
Benedict, gift of God
27 April 2005
The beauty of a human being is completely expressed when he shares with others the most beautiful discovery in his own life - that which has changed him, guided him, accompanied him, made him dream, made him realize his full humanity – and what joy if that discovery was Christ.
Thank you, Benedict, because you have agreed to share with us your love story with Christ in undertaking the most difficult ministry of all! Thank you because, through your smile and your humility which disarms all polemics, you are restoring to us what we lost briefly and what we feared we would not find again after the death of John Paul II.
At the same time, I thank God for the gift of your person. I do not know you, but already, I wish you all the best. Be strong, papino, take the Church in hand and continue to bring it forward …
With filial affection from one who wishes you the best in Christ,
Pietro Sportelli
That smile and tender look
27 April 2005
Holy Father – Thank you because you came close to us when we lost John Paul II, and without knowing that you would take his place, you consoled us and showed us your love.
I give thanks that the Holy Spirit, who never errs, chose you, and that you pray for us and wish us well – we see that from your smile and from your look, so full of tenderness.
We are with you, under the same Light, the same Cross, to guard the deposit of faith that Christ has left us and to carry it alive and actively in a culture impregnated with relativism and indifference. I assure you of my constant prayers.
Laura Ciamei
You have given us back our wings
27 April 2005
Any comment in your homily on April 24 would detract from it!
I want only to say Thank you!
Thank you for your example.
Thank you for your gentleness and tenderness!
Thank you for giving us back our wings, for showing us the way towards true freedom, true happiness, true joy!
Thanks above all that you have taught us by example what it is to act in total submission to the will of God.
Thanks for having reminded us with your YES that “Christ does not take away anything but gives all!”
Like the disciples at Emmaus, we say: “Stay with us, because night is falling. Stay with us and light our path to God…Stay with us because the road we take will become even darker.”
Thank you because with you, we feel sure we are on the way to true life.
Lorena Bytyci
The greatness of humility
27 April 2005
I have been greatly struck by the gentleness, the smile, the light in the eyes of the Holy Father, whom we know to be a person who is iron-willed in his convictions, strong, cultured and profound. The more we know of his cultural background and his career, the greater he seems, the more touching in his humility and his capacity to listen to others.
Already we love you very much, Holiness. With God’s help and the prayers of your predecessor who is at your side, you will be a great guide for humanity.
I am a medical oncologist and I will be in Rome for a few days on business; I will be watching your windows with great affection.
Mariella Tessa
Thank You, Holiness
29 April 2005
After the most sorrowful days following the death of John Paul II, and the long days of waiting before the Conclave, to see another man robed in white on that loggia on April 19 was truly splendid!
I thank God above all because in the past few weeks, He has made me truly feel part of his Church. And thank you, too, Holiness! With your words, your simple but most eloquent gestures, you are already conquering hearts to bring closer to Jesus.
And thank you also that in your words you continue to keep John Paul II alive! Thank you, because in your words Peter, the Church, Christ himself, become alive.
Best wishes, Papa Benedetto. You have only been two weeks in office and already I love you!
Fernando dello Monaco, seminarian
I, of course, had every good intention of translating many more, but I was never able to return to the task because there was always so much new material to deal with... One has to be a fulltime chronicler to start to do justice to a man like Joseph Ratzinger and his Pontificate. I certainly hope that there are such chroniclers employed by the Stiftung Joseph Ratzinger/Benedikt XVI in Munich, the Institut Papst Benedikt XVI in Regensburg, and the Fondazione Vaticana Joseph Ratzinger/Benedetto XVI who have been doing just that - and that all such material becomes available to the public, in addition, of course, to his books and writings...
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 21/04/2015 18:14]