It turns out that the new book to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Benedict XVI's election as Pope was not a Vatican initiative at all, although LEV published it. A couple of modest events to mark the milestone in Rome. including the presentation of the book, were organized by the Institut Papst Benedikt XVI, with the cooperation of the Pontifical German College located in the Vatican, and the Roman Institute of the Goerres Society (founded and housed in 1876 at the Collegium Germanicum) which promotes the dissemination of Church studies. The following information is from the site of the Fondazione Vaticana Joseph Ratzinger-Benedetto XVI...
Benedict book presented at
German college in the Vatican
College will also house new library dedicated
to publications by and on Benedict XVI
Translated from
April 21, 2015
Mons. Georg Ratzinger was one of the guests at the book presentation. Mons. Gaenswein wrote the Preface to the Book, and Cardinal Mueller contributed an essay on the priesthood.
The book
Benedetto XVI: Servo di Dio, e degli uomini, published by the Vatican publishing house LEV in Italian, and in German by Schnell & Steiner, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of Joseph Ratzinger’s election as Pope, was presented yesterday evening, April 20, at the Campo Santo Teutonico (German cemetery) in the Vatican.
[The cemetery is only a small feature of the site which is the campus of the Pontificium Collegium Germanicum, the second German institution in Rome for German priests sent for further study in Rome by their dioceses. The college is located across the street from Aula Paolo VI. The other Pontifical German College of Santa Maria dell'Anima, in Rome, dates back to a 14th century hostel to house German pilgrims coming to Rome; it became a pontifical college for German priests in Rome since the 16th century. Joseph Ratzinger boarded at the Anima along with German cardinals and bishops when they attended the Second Vatican Council.]
During the event, it was announced that a Biblioteca Romana Joseph Ratzinger/Benedetto XVI will open this September in the building that also houses the Biblioteca del Collegio Teutonico, the library of the German college, and the Istituto Romano della Societa di Görres.
[The society is named for Johann Joseph Görres, 1776-1848, a German writer and pamphleteer who defended the Catholic Church and the authority of Rome.]
The new library will be entirely dedicated to the life and thought of JosephRatzinger as a scholar, theologian and Pope. Initially, the new library will have a thousand volumes in different languages, and will be open to anyone interested in the publications by and about Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI, or wishes to know about his life and his theology better. Most of the books were donated by the Pope emeritus himself and by the Fondazione Vaticana Joseph Ratzinger/Benedetto XVI, which has supported the initiative.
The book itself was presented first by Fr. Christian Schaller , vice-director of the Institut Papst Benedikt XVI in Regensburg, and a co-winner of the Ratzinger Prize for Theology in 2013.
The book consists of essays by many authors in an attempt to portray the work of Benedict XVI in words and images…. Here is a translation of Fr. Schall’s presentation:
I. The institute
Before presenting the contents of this book, I would like to say a few words about the Institut Papst Benedikt XVI of Regensburg.
Founded in 2008 by the then Bishop of Regensburg – now Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Gerhard Müller, its purpose was to compile the complete works of Joseph Ratzinger in 16 volumes, starting with his first major work (his doctoral dissertation in 1951) to his most recent interventions and publications, homilies and catecheses, messages and prefaces, before he was elected pastor of the Universal Church in 2005.
The contents are arranged chronologically as well as thematically in order to be able to offer the reader a complete overview of the thought of Joseph Ratzinger on specified themes. Given the mass of material that has accumulated, three of the nine volumes published so far are each printed in two parts.
The work was initiated at the request of Benedict XVI for then Bishop Mueller to compile and publish all of his writings. But such a project – especially with all the editorial work associated with it – could not be carried out by a diocesan bishop. That is why the institute was established. It was solemnly inaugurated in October 2008 in the presence of Mons. Jean-Claude Périsset, and was entrusted to Prof. Rudolf Voderholzer as administrator. [Subsequently, Fr. Voderholzer was named to succeed Mueller as Bishop of Regensburg.]
The concept for each volume was decided and executed in close collaboration with Benedict XVI himself. The writings are presented in a way that allowed changes to the structure of the texts. When publishing a new edition of his own works, every author has the chance to make updates or clarifications where necessary.
I feel called upon to say that the emeritus Pope has been the best of all those whom I have worked with. His task is to prepare a preface on the topic covered in each book, thus providing the reader, for every specific theme, a key for reading his vast work, and asking the reader to approach the author’s thinking in good faith and without prejudice.
Of course, we have also programmed a series of lectures and conference based on these Opera Omnia, special studies dedicated to his thought, as well as a directory of our institute, in order to offer a discussion platform that allows confronting the work of this great intellectual. Therefore, the institute’s activities are not limited to documentation, but also includes promoting dialog to ensure that the author’s teachings are appropriately ‘received’.
At the same time, we are building a major audio-video archive and a specialized library - two attractions which have already brought guests from around the world to Regensburg, as well as a collection of art works, paintings and sculptures depicting Joseph Ratzinger or Benedict XVI.
We are particularly seeking the cooperation of all initiatives and institutions which – although representing diverse profiles and fields of activity - have had a profound link to the person, the life, and above all, the teachings of Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI.
We have always had the closest ties with the Fondazione Vaticana Joseph Ratzinger-Benedetto XVI under Mons. Scotti, as we do with the Benedict XVI Cultural Institute in Sri Lanka. Our publishing projects are organized in close collaboration with the Vaticann publishing house LEV – and here, I think particularly of its director, Fr. Costa - and with German publishing houses.
This year, two conferences will take place in Poland and in Rome in cooperation with the officials of their respective institutions engaged in promoting the works and thought of Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI.
His thinking cannot be represented by just one voice. As theologian and as Pope, his words reach out to the world and to every single person. The task that we all carry out in a relationship of great friendship is to be in the service of a theology that continues to have many novelties to offer and whose treasures have not yet been completely revealed.
Even if personal and biographical references contribute without a doubt to perceiving the greatness of a personality like Benedict XVI, his true worth emerges above all when, distancing ourselves from detail, we see the thread that unites all the parts of his work .
Bearing witness to this, we also find in his work all the theological currents that contributed to form his thought and have characterized it, as well as the line followed by his teachings, which are to be understood as an evolution of Ratzinger’s theology in his search for answers to contemporary challenges.
This is not to be seen as a work of conservation but an undertaking that will bear new fruits in the future.
II. The illustrated book
The realization of an illustrated book on a Pope is an obvious challenge. Not because there is not enough material to work with but because there seems to be an inexhaustible source of photos that have recorded every moment of the Pope’s public appearances.
Great care is needed to find and choose the image that captures a moment uniquely and shows the typical traits of the person photographed. This image must illustrate the occasion and document a particular and unique instant of a meeting, a gesture, a state of mind.
Nonetheless, this book, Benedetto XVI, servo di Dio e degli uomini also has another aim. In the history of the Church, it is not easy to think of another Pope who produced theological work of comparable dimensions. His Opera Omnia in 16 volumes bears witness to 60 years of his activity, dedicated not just to theology but also to social questions and the challenges that men and the whole world must learn to confront in the future.
The book offers the images of a university professor, a bishop, a cardinal, and not least of all, a Pope, who was, above all, a preacher who sees the clear distinction between a professorial chair in the university and the ecclesial pulpit, and who considers theology as the premise of a message oriented and directed towards men – a message capable of arousing their enthusiasm with the goal of giving reason to the hope that is in all of us.
Thus, the idea of an illustrated book evolved during its preparation into a book that seeks out the key points of the thought and message of the emeritus Pope, and their relevance, through less theological arguments, to the most important moments of the issues he had to confront in the eight years of his Pontificate.
And this was precisely the second problem we had to face besides the abundance of photographic material at our disposition, namely, the truly inexhaustible wealth of issues that Benedict XVI faced during his Pontificate.
For the editors of the book – Harmut Constien, Franx Xaver Heible and myself – it was very gratifying that we were able to enlist authors of unquestioned renown to write about the themes closest to their own areas of specialization. And it will undoubtedly be equally gratifying for the emeritus Pope whom we wished to honor affectionately in this way.
For example, an exegete like Robert Vorholt writes about the JESUS trilogy to make the reader understand a work that Pope Francis has defined in these words: “[Benedict XVI] has made a gift to the Church and to all men of that whichis his most precious possession: his knowledge of Jesus, the result of years and years of study, of theological reflection and of prayer”.
Pope Francis’s words are probably the best definition we can find of the genesis and greatness of the JESUS trilogy.
On the other hand, the contributions of Martin Horn are dedicated to the activities of Benedict XVI as a great communicator, in his messages to young people on the occasion of World Youth Day and in his pastoral and apostolic visits, in which he tried to help young people thirsting for knowledge and seeking God to give an orientation to their paths in life.
Stephan Otto Horn [president of the Ratzinger Schuelerkreis] focuses on a rereading of Benedict XVI’s catecheses on the Fathers of the Church, through which the Pope was able to offer his audiences at St. Peter’s Square major points of interest to make them understand the forms and theological teachings in the early centuries of the Church through their most outstanding exponents.
Benedict XVI’s theological interpretation is also based on a profound familiarity with the writings and the history of the Church and the world. His catecheses were an invitation to study the Church Fathers and rediscover their importance. It is clear that Benedict developed his own thought from his own rediscovery of Patristics, and that his love for the liturgy which he continues to have, is the result of his interest in the liturgical renewal movement propagated at the start of the 20th century by theologians like Romano Guardini.
And therefore, that love for liturgy is naturally addressed in this book, and it is Mons. Voderholzer who does it.
Joseph Ratzinger has always been concerned about the fundamental questions, and this is evident in the themes which were constantly at the center of his activities as Pope, like a system of coordinates that helps to understand the essential points of his thought. Particularly important is his effort to seek an equilibrium between faith and reason.
It is in this context that the so-called Regensburg lecture became a milestone for his Pontificate along a course that began much earlier, and that Benedict XVI wished to concretely underscore yet again in the speech that he was supposed to deliver at Rome’s la Spaienza University – one that was unfortunately never given the attention it deserved. Thanks to the work of Hanna Barbara Gerl-Falkowitz, we shall be able to relive that history.
Benedict XVI always had a very strong bond with John Paul II, not just because they worked together for a quarter of a century but because of the friendship that distinguished their relationship. And that is why a whole chapter of the book is dedicated to Benedict XVI’s predecessor, in care of George Weigel, the pope saint’s major biographer. The chapter dedicated to his successor, Pope Francis, is edited by myself, also citing what the Holy Father has said on various occasions about Benedict XVI.
Cardinals Paul-Josef Cordes, Joachim Meisner, Kurt Koch and Reinhard Marx each present some of the central motifs of Pope Benedict’s work as Pastor of the Universal Church: his closeness to ‘spiritual movements’, the concepts emerging from his encyclicals; his predilection for the doctrine of the Second Vatican Council which – because he worked in the heart of the Council during the preparation of its working papers, he collaborated in developing these, and his post-conciliar commentary was meant to facilitate the reception of Vatican-II teachings - always impelled him to commit himself to seeing that Vatican II doctrine would be actualized in a way that is faithful to the texts, in the spirit of ecclesial tradition; and finally, his sense of the universal responsibility for Christians and the Church which has led him on various occasions to reflect on the great political and historical events of the 20th century.
His unitary vision of Christianity is expressed in his dialog with the Reformed churches and the Orthodox churches. To this end, Wolfgang Thönissen outlines Benedict XVI’s ecumenism which could lead to Christian unity only if the orientation for such initiatives is dictated by Christ.
The dialog with ‘our older brothers in faith’ was best expressed during World Youth Day in Cologne, in the address by then Rabbi Teitelbaum who describes in a very personal way his meeting with Benedict XVI.
In Archbishop Georg Gänswein, Prefect of the Pontifical Household, I could count on one of the closest collaborators and companions of the emeritus Pope in the last several years of his public life, whom I entrusted to write the Preface. It is very personal and I would like to cite a statement which I believe grasps and perfectly sums up the eight years of Benedict XVI’s Pontificate. “The crowds wanted to see Benedict XVI, but above all, they wanted to hear his words”.
If I may speak for the emeritus Pope, I can only note that Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI never ever placed himself in the center of his own actions, but always considered himself nothing more than a messenger of the faith, whose only aim was to lead men to Christ with great attention and sensitivity. And this can only take place if one can keep away attention from oneself, underplaying his own actions – and, as we all know, he succeeded very well in doing this. {Excellency, I thank you from the heart for having supported our project!)
Also very gratifying is that Cardinal Gerhard Müller took part in the project with a contribution on the priesthood and the priestly identity. Through a structured presentation in your usual systematic way, Eminence, you have drawn up the profile of a priest in the service of the Word, and a witness to God in imitation of Christ, and who takes part in the realization of the Kingdom of God by bringing men close to the living God. For this reminder of the theology of holy orders, I thank you very much, but also for your faithful service to the Institute in Regensburg which you founded and continue to accompany.
I truly hope that the images and themes chosen by us will provide a ‘tour d’horizon’ of the eight years of Benedict XVI's universal pastoral mission.
This illustrated book is an invitation to come closer even more to the legacy of this Pontificate which was very providential for the Church, and to deepen knowledge of Benedict XVI’s teachings and to reflect on them.
We felt a great responsibility about paying tribute to the intellectual heft of a figure as brilliant as Joseph Ratzinger, and we wished to encourage the dialog between his thought and the sciences, offering the latter a platform for discussion and confrontation, while laying the basis so that his teachings may continue to be received in the future. This book was born out of that desire.
It remains for me to thank publisher Albrecht Weiland of the Schnell & Steiner. We are also working together on an Annual journal for the institute, called “Mitteilungen Institut Papst Benedikt XVI” (Communications from the Institut Papst Benedikt XVI), and of the monographs that will be contained therein. Special thanks for the affection, patience and sympathy you have always shown us at the Institute.
And of course, I must thank the authors who contributed to the book on Benedict XVI. For some of them, it was not easy to keep to the 3-4 manuscript pages that we asked them to write. The joy of taking part in this project for Benedict and his Pontificate really ‘gave wings’ to some of our contributors, which we unfortunately had to trim back.
I also hope that this book will be welcomed by readers and that it will be read.
Finally, I thank Prof. Heid for the warm welcome to this venerable site and for having taken the first step towards the collaboration between the Görres Society and the Institut Papst Benedikt XVI.
Congratulations for the inauguration of the library dedicated to Pope Benedict XVI on the premises of the Görres Society. I hope you will be getting many visitors and above all, researchers inspired by profound intellectual curiosity.
Benedetto XVI, servo di Dio e degli uomini: It was not difficult to come up with the title since it is the subtext to the experiences of this man and his activity in the service of the Church of God. Thank you.
An earlier event on April 18 is described below:
Cardinal Mueller on
the 10th anniversary
of Benedict XVI's election
Translated from
“Every Pontificate in the history of the Church has always been a specific and personal expression of the unique Primacy of Peter”.
With these words, Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and general editor of Joseph Ratzinger’s COMPLETE WRITINGS, marked the tenth anniversary of Benedict XVI’s election as Pope, at a news conference held Friday night at the Campo Santo Teutonico in the Vatican. It was almost a preview of the presentation of the book Benedetto XVI, Servo di Dio e degli uomini” which will be held in the same venue on April 20.
Cardinal Müller said, “Jesus Christ did not wish to found a Church as an abstract, supernatural and therefore inaccessible reality. He did not found an ideal reality in the past, an ideal that has been lost in the course of centuries, nor as a future, remote ideal.
In fact, even today, the Church, in her sacramental holiness, is an instrumental sign of the redemption that Christ brought. But at the same time, she points out, in the sins and errors of her members, the need for redemption that all mankind still needs today”.
Thus, said Müller, even in choosing Peter, Jesus did not call on a ‘perfect’ man. Indeed one cannot separate the most important words of ecclesial vocation that the Lord said to the Apostle
(cfr. Mt 16,18; Lk 22,32; Jn 21,15-18), from the personal character of Peter. Rather, the Lord’s call to Peter cannot be dissociated from the latter’s human limits.
In the same way, he pointed out, every Pontificate in the history of the Church is always a specific personal expression of the unique Primacy of Peter.
The Petrine ministry is unique but it is always carried out through the very concrete personality of whoever is called to serve in building the house of God.
Already, as a professor of fundamental and dogmatic theology, Joseph Ratzinger had elaborated scientific work – distinguished by an admirable knowledge of the history of theology and dogmatics – that without a doubt made him one of the most eminent theologians of the 20th century and the start of the new millennium. In his works, even the most complex facts are not withheld from common understanding by complicated reflections, but are made transparent through their intrinsic simplicity.
It is to Papa Ratzinger’s merit that he developed the inseparable relation in faith between hearing (auditus) and understanding (intellectus fidei). Faith and reason are not mutually exclusive, but both favor the fulfillment of man in that God, who is love, the title of Benedict XVI’s great first encyclical.
Benedict XVI’s theological work found its culmination in the JESUS OF NAZARETH trilogy: Going beyond mere natural reason, this recapitulative work on the person of Jesus is a confession of revealed faith that Jesus of Nazareth is truly the Messiah, son of he living God.
And it is precisely this that is the common nucleus of every concrete and personal action in the Petrine ministry, throughout the history of the Church: Peter’s confession, offered in the name of the whole Church: “You are the Christ, son of the living God” (Mt 16,16).
Among the guests at the event was Mons. Georg Ratzinger, brother of the emeritus Pope, and Cardinals Paul Josef Cordes and Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya. Also present were Mons. Georg Gänswein, Prefect of the Pontifical Household and private secretary of Benedict VXI; Mons. Giuseppe Scottin, president of the Fondazione Vaticana Ratzinger-Benedetto XVI, and Benedict’s biographer, Peter Seewald.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 22/04/2015 18:26]