Apparently, the Italian media have been given the green light to file advance stories on THE BOOK starting today, because at least four of them have now come out with 'previews'. I first translated the report from Vatican Radio:
LOTW: A preview
Translated from the Italian service of
Next Tuesday morning, Peter Seewald's third interview-book with Benedict XVI will be formally presented at the Vatican Press Office.
Last July, Joseph Ratzinger for the third time granted the German journalist several hours of conversation on the Church and her challenges today, following the first two interview books with him before he became Pope.
ALessandro Gisotti anticipates some passages from the book that we have been allowed to report before the presentation:
"I really was looking forward to peace and tranquility," Papa Ratzinger replies with disarming simplicity when Seewald asks him to recall his feelings the day he was elected Pope.
Benedict XVI's reflection on this starts the first chapter of the book entitled "Popes don't fall from heaven". The Pope recounts that he had been 'most certain' that he would not be chosen for this enormous responsibility.
But he notes that since he was ordained as a priest, he had always entrusted himself to the will of the Lord even when it was different from what he wanted. "I cannot choose what I want, and ultimately, I just allow myself to be led by him".
The Holy Father, writes Seewald in the Foreword to the book, did not refuse to answer any question, "nor did he (later) change anything he had said, except for some minor corrections" in the interest 'of accuracy".
The result is a frank and direct dialog in which the Pope answers questions 'approached from 360 degrees', ranging from light topics such as his lifestyle and his favorite films, to the fundamental questions for the Church and man in our time.
One of the first chapters concerns the scandal over sex abuses by priests. "The facts," he says, "did not completely take me by surprise" but "the dimensions were an enormous shock".
To see "the priesthood unexpectedly soiled in this manner, and with it, the entire Catholic Church, has been difficult to bear". He notes "it was evident that the actions of the media were not purely guided by the search for truth", but that there was an intention to discredit the Church.
[That's where MSM may well launch another full-out assault on him! And media wise guys like John Allen et al will say, "We could have told him beforehand to let sleeping dogs lie. Now see what he has done again!]
Nonetheless, he adds, "in the sense that some truth was brought to light, then we must be grateful". But then, "just because the evil was inside the Church, it could be used against her".
He warns against the threat that "tolerance can be abolished in the name of tolerance itself". No one, he underscores, "is forced to be Christian. But neither should anyone be constrained to live according to the 'new religion'... as though it were the one, true and binding religion for all mankind".
[Somehow, Gisotti's account lacks an appropriate transition between the preceding paragraph and this!]
An important part of the book is dedicated to relations with the Jews.
"From the very first day of my theological studies," he recalls, "the profound unity between the Old and New Covenants was clear to me, in some way."
He goes on: "What happened in the Third Reich was a blow to us Germans, and all the more, it has urged us to look at the people of Israel with humility, shame and love".
On the question of the Good Friday prayer which many Jews find offensive, he says: "I modified it in a way that expresses our faith, namely, that Christ is salvation of everyone", but also "in such a way that we do not directly pray for the conversion of the Jews in the missionary sense, but that the Lord may hasten the historical hour when all of us shall be united".
That is why, he says, "the arguments used by a series of theologians expressing themselves polemically against me are ill-considered and do not do justice to what was done".
[Forgive me for interpellating here, but why did the Jews never protest the Good Friday prayer during the long Pontificate of John Paul II, who left the Good Friday prayer as it was modified by John XXIII, taking out only the reference to the 'blindness' of the Jews from the prayer as it had been formulated since the Council of Trent? Then Benedict XVI modifies it in accordance with St. Paul in Romans 12 - that Jews have had no problem with - and they're still up in arms against him????]
As for the issue over Pius XII, the Pope reiterates that the wartime Pope did all he could to save as many persons as he could [from Nazi-Fascist persecution]. It must be recognized, he advocates, that "he saved so many Jews, as no one else did".
[War alert #2!]
On relations with the Muslim world, he points out that Christians are tolerant and therefore, "it is natural that Muslims are free to worship in their mosques" in Christian lands.
About the burqa, he observes, "I do not see a reason for a general ban on its use". But he says whenever it is "a sort of violence because ti is imposed on women" then, clearly "one cannot agree to that". But "if they wish to wear it voluntarily, I don't see why they should be kept from doing so".
On the matter of sexuality, he notes: "To focus only on the use of condoms signifies banalizing sexuality, and it is this banalization that represents the real danger (because) many people see it (sex) as a drug rather than as an expression of love.
He also says "There can be individual cases that justify the use of condoms, such as when a prostitute requires it, which could be a first step towards moralization, a first act of responsibility and awareness that not everything is allowed and that one cannot do everything one wants to do.... Still, this is not the true and proper way to defeat the scourge of HIV".
{Because we don't have the entire quotation nor its context, it's difficult to judge this statement, on account of the underlying sin of prostitution itself, which is more problematic than the use of a condom....]
On the role of women in the Church, Benedict XVI, echoing John Paul II, reiterates that the Church "does not have the faculty to confer priestly ordination on women". He also adds that "the functions entrusted to women in the Church are great and significant enough that one cannot speak of discrimination".
[War alert #3!] Citing various female figures from Mary to St Monica and Mother Teresa, he points out that "in many ways, women define the face of the Church more than men".
[Of course, one wishes to say to each of the priestettes and aspirant priestettes and all their liberal advocates that instead of aspiring to be 'priests', they should aspire to be saints! And they can do that, whatever their station or occupation is!]
In one of the last chapters, Seewald asks the Pope: "What does Jesus want of us?"
The Holy Father replies: "he wants us to believe in him. That we allow ourselves to be led by him. That we live with him - thus becoming ever more like him, and therefore, truly just".
He says this is true of the Church as well. "Especially in a time like this that has been marked by scandal, we have experienced a sensation of sorrow and pain at how miserable the Church is and how much her members have failed to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ".
But, he concludes, we must be reassured by the fact that the Lord, "despite man's weakness... does not abandon the Church" but always acts through her.
Tomorrow's issue of OR has been posted online, and it contains a number of passages excerpted from THE BOOK. Will post as soon as translated!
The Pope, the Church and signs of the times:
Passages from 'Light of the World'
Translated from the 11/21/10 issue of
LIGHT OF THE WORLD is the title under which conversations held by Benedict XVI with the German journalist and author Peter Seewald will be published next week.
The new book, published in Italian by the Vatican publishing house LEV, will be released simultaneously in a dozen languages on Tuesday, November 23.
In its 18 chapters grouped into three parts - "The signs of the times', "the Pontificate", and "Where we are going' - Benedict XVI responds to the burning questions in today's world. Herewith we publish some passages.
The joy of Christianity
A thread has always run through my life , and it is this: Christianity brings joy, it widens our horizons. An existence that is lived always and only 'against' something would be unbearable.
A beggar
As for the Pope, he too is a poor beggar before God, even more than other men. Of course, I pray above all and always to the Lord, to whom I am linked, so to speak, by a long friendship. But I also invoke the saints. I am on 'very good terms' with Augustine, Bonaventure and Thomas Aquinas. So I ask them, "Help me!"
The Mother of God is always a great reference point, and in this sense, I see myself among the communion of saints. Together with them, strengthened by them, I then speak with the good God, begging above all, but also thanking him; or simply, being happy.
Difficulties
I have taken them into account. But first of all, one must be very cautious in evaluating a Pope - whether he is important or not - when he is still alive. It is only afterwards that one can know what place a person or thing will eventually have in history, all told.
But that the atmosphere would not always be joyous [as Pope] was evident because of the present world configuration, with all the forces of destruction out there, with the contradictions that exist in the world, with all the threats and the errors.
But if I had only received consensus in everything, I would have had to ask myself if I were really announcing all of the Gospel!
The shock of the sex abuses
The facts did not catch me by surprise at all. At the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, I was primarily occupied with the American cases, and I saw the situation mounting in Ireland. But the dimensions were nonetheless an enormous shock. [Despite the fact that they have involved, in the worst cases, a tiny fraction of priests, and in no worse incidence than in other social sectors!]
Since my election as Pope, I have met many victims of sexual abuse. In October 2006, speaking to the bishops of Ireland, I asked them "to establish the truth of what happened in the past, to take all measures necessary to avoid that they are repeated in the future, to assure that the principles of justice are fully respected, and above all, to heal the victims and all those who have been afflicted with these abnormal crimes".
To see the priesthood soiled in this way, and with it, the entire Catholic Church, has been difficult to bear. But it has been important not to forget that good exists in the Church, not just these terrible things.
Media and the abuses
It was evident that the media were not guided only by the pure search for truth, but that there was also some satisfaction in placing the Church on trial, and if possible, to discredit her.
Nonetheless, it is necessary to be clear about this: insofar as it meant bringing the truth to light, we must be grateful. Truth, when exercised with love, correctly understood, is the number-one value.
After all, the media would not have been able to report anything if there had been no evil committed at all. But because the evil was within the Church itself, they have been able to use it against her.
Progress
A problem has emerged with the term 'progress'. Modernity has sought its path guided by the ideas of progress and of freedom. But what is progress? Today we see that progress can be destructive. Therefore we have to reflect well on the criteria to adopt so that progress is truly progress.
An examination of conscience
Beyond isolated financial strategies, a global examination of conscience is absolutely inevitable. The Church has sought to contribute to this with the encyclical Caritas in veritate. It does not give answers to all problems. It is meant to be a step forward by looking at things from another point of view, not simply that of feasibility and success, but from a viewpoint in which the norm is love for one's neighbor that is oriented to the will of God and not to our desires.
In this sense, impulses and initiatives are necessary in order that a transformation of consciousness can truly take place.
The true intolerance
The real threat before which we find ourselves is that tolerance is being abolished in the name of tolerance itself. There is the danger that reason - so-called Western reason - claims to have finally found that which is correct, and therefore advances a claim of totality which is the enemy of freedom.
No one is forced to be a Christian. But neither should any one be forced to live according to the 'new religion' as if it were the only one that is true and binding for all mankind.
Mosques and burqas
Christians are tolerant, and as such, allow others their peculiar 'understanding' of what it is. We rejoice at the fact that in the Gulf states (Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Kuwait), there are churches in which Christians can celebrate Mass, and we hope that the same thing will occur elsewhere. That is why for us, it is natural that among us, Muslims can gather together to pray in their mosques.
As for the burqa, I do not see any reason for a general ban on its use. They say that some women do not use it voluntarily but that it is a sort of violence imposed upon them. It is clear that one cannot agree to that. But if they wear it of their own will, I do not see why they should be impeded.
Christianity and modernity
Being Christian is itself something living, modern, which traverses - forming and shaping it - all of modernity, and which in a way, truly embraces it.
But we need to wage a great spiritual battle, as I wished to demonstrate in the recent institution of the Pontifical Council for New Evangelization. it is important that we seek to live and think Christianity in a way that takes on what is good and just in modernity, but at the same time, distinguish and distance itself from what is becoming a counter-religion.
Optimism
One can think of it superficially, and restricting the horizon to the Western world. But if one observes more attentively - and this is possible for me thanks to the visits from bishops from around the world, and from so many other encounters - one sees that Christianity at this time is developing a creativity that is quite new...
Bureaucracy is worn out and tired. But there are initiatives that are coming from within, from the joy of young people. Christianity will perhaps take on a new face, perhaps a different cultural aspect.
Christianity does not determine world public opinion - others are in charge of that. Nonetheless, Christianity is the vital force without which even other things will not continue to exist.
Therefore, on the basis of what I am able to see and which I am able to experience personally, I am very optimistic about the fact that Christianity is taking on a new dynamic.
Drugs
So many bishops, especially those from Latin America, tell me that wherever cultivation and commerce in drugs take place - and this happens a great deal in their countries - it is as if a monstrous and evil animal has extended its hand over the country to ruin persons.
I believe that this serpent of drug trafficking and consumerism which has gripped the world is a power about which we do not always get an adequate idea. It destroys young people, it destroys families, it leads to violence and threatens the future of entire nations.
This, too, is a great responsibility that can be charged to the West. It needs drugs and therefore it 'creates' nations that provide that which will end up consuming and destroying their society. A hunger for happiness has emerged that cannot be satiated with what is, and thus finds refuge in what we might call the devil's paradise which can destroy man completely.
In the vineyard of the Lord
In effect, I have a directional function, but I have not done anything by myself, and I have always worked with a team - like so many other workers in the Lord's vineyard, who may have made some preparatory work. but is not made to be 'the first' and to take on responsibility for everything.
I understand that alongside the great Popes, there have to be small ones who make their own contribution. That is why at that moment, I was expressing what I truly felt...
The Second Vatican Council has taught us, rightly, that collegiality is constitutive for the structure of the Church - which means that the Pope is first in sharing, but not an absolute monarch who makes decisions by himself and wishes to do everything.
Judaism
I must say that from the day I started my theological studies, the profound unity between the Old and New Covenants, between the two parts of our Sacred Scripture, was somehow always clear to me.
I understood that we could read the New Testament only together with what preceded it, otherwise we would not understand it. Then, of course, what happened in the Third Reich was a blow to us Germans, and the more it has urged us to look at the people of Israel with humility, with shame, and with love.
These things were intertwined in my theological formation and have marked the course of my theological thinking. Therefore it was clear to me - and here, too, in absolute continuity with John Paul II - that in my announcement of the Christian faith, this new intertwining, loving and comprehensive, of Israel and the Church, must be central - based on respect for each other's way of being and of each other's respective missions...
And thus, at this point, I felt it was necessary to change something in the old liturgy [the Good Friday prayer]. In fact, the old formulation was such as to truly offend the Jews and certainly did not express in a positive way that great and profound unity between the Old and New Testaments.
And so, I thought that it was necessary to modify the prayer, in particular, as I said, with reference to our relationship with the Jews. I modified it in such a way that it contains our faith - that Christ is the salvation of everyone, that there do not exist two ways of salvation, and that therefore, Christ is also the Savior of the Jews, not only of the Gentiles. But to say this in a way that one does not directly pray for the conversion of the Jews in the missionary sense, but rather, that the Lord may hasten the historical hour when all men will be united. And that is why the arguments used by a series of theologians polemically against me are ill-considered and do not do justice to what was done.
Pius XII
Pio XII did everything possible to save people [during the war]. Naturally, one can ask: "Why did he not protest in a more explicit manner?" I believe he understood what would have been the consequences of a public protest. We know that because of this, he suffered a lot. He knew that he ought to have spoken but the situation kept him from doing so.
Now, more reasonable persons admit that Pius XII saved many lives, but they also say he had antiquated ideas about the Jews and that he would not have been up to the level of Vatican II. But that is not the question. What is important is what he did and what he sought to do, and I believe that it is truly necessary to acknowledge that he was one of the greatest among the 'just' and that, he saved so many Jews as no one else did.
Sexuality
To be focused only on the use of condoms is to banalize sexuality, and this banalization represents the dangerous reason itself that so many persons no longer see in sexuality an expression of their love but only as a sort of drug that is self-administered.
That is why the battle against the banalization of sexuality is part of the great effort by the Church in order that sexuality may have positive value and can exercise a positive effect on the human being in his totality.
There can be individual cases that justify the use of condoms, such as when a prostitute requires it, which could be a first step towards moralization, a first act of responsibility to develop anew the awareness that not everything is allowed and that one cannot do everything one wants to do.... Still, this is not the true and proper way to defeat the scourge of HIV. What is truly needed is to humanize sexuality.
The Church
Paul did not see the Church as an institution, as an organization, but as a living organism, in which everyone functions for each other, and are united through Christ. It is an image, but it leads deep and is very realistic, if only because we believe that in the Eucharist we truly receive Christ, the Risen One.
And if each of us receives the same Christ, then we all are truly united in this new body that has arisen like the grand space for a new humanity. It is important to understand this, and therefore to see the Church not as an apparatus which must do everything - there are limits to what it can do with the apparatus that it has - but as a living organism that comes from Christ himself.
'Humanae vitae'
The perspectives of Humanae vitae remain valid, but it is something else to find ways that are humanly possible. I think there will always be minorities intimately convinced of the rightness of those perspectives, and who, in living them, remain fully content, so that they become fascinating models for others to follow.
We are sinners. But we should not use this fact to act against truth, namely, when people do not live up to its high morality. We must try to do all we can to support and sustain ourselves reciprocally.
But to express all this from the pastoral, theological and conceptual viewpoints, in the context of present sexology and anthropological studies, is a huge task to which one must devote oneself so much more and far better.
Women
John Paul II's formulation is very important: "The Church does not, in any way, have the faculty to confer priestly ordination on women". It is not about not wanting, to but not being able to.
The Lord gave a form to the Church with the Twelve Apostles and their succession, though bishops and priests. It wasn't us who created this form of the Church - which was constituted by him, starting with him.
To follow the form he instituted is an act of obedience, and in today's world, perhaps one of the most serious acts of obedience. But this in itslef is important - that the Church demonstrates she is is not a regime of arbitrariness.
We cannot do whatever we wish. There is the will of the Lord, to which we hold, even if this is effortful and difficult in the culture and civilization of today.
Moreover, the functions entrusted to women in the Church are so great and significant that one cannot speak of discrimination. It would be so if the priesthood were a kind of power, but on the contrary, it ought to be a service. If one looks at the history of the Church, then one will realize that the significance of women - from Mary to Monica and to Mother Teresa - have been so eminent that in many ways, women define the face of the Church more than men do.
The ultimate things
This is a very serious question. Our preaching, our announcement, is in effect broadly oriented, unilaterally, to the creation of a better world, whereas the world that is truly better is almost never mentioned at all.
This requires us to examine our conscience. Of course, one must speak to one's audience, speak to them about what is within their horizon. But it is our task at the same time to break through that horizon, to widen it, in order to look at the 'last things' [in traditional Christian teaching, this term refers to death, judgment, hell and paradise].
The 'last things' are like hard bread to men today - they seem unreal to him. They would prefer concrete responses for today, solutions for their daily tribulations. But they are responses which will remain half done, if they do not allow me to sense and acknowledge that I go beyond this material life, that there is judgment, that there is grace, that there is eternity. But for this, we must also find new words and new ways that will allow man to break through the sound barrier of the finite.
The coming of Christ
It is important that every era be close to the Lord. That we know ourselves, here and now, to be under the Lord's judgment and that we allow ourselves to be judged in his tribunal.
There have been disputes about the double coming of Christ, first in Bethlehem, and again ath the end of times, since St. Bernard Clairvauz spoke of an Adventus medius - an intermediate coming - through which he repeatedly enters human history.
I believe he used the right tonality. We cannot establish when the world will end. Christ himself said nobody knows. But we must nonetheless remain always ready for his coming, and to be certain above all, that in our sorrows, he is always near. At the same time, we should know that we are under his judgment for all our actions.
OMG! Even as I was translating the above, the news crawl on TV is saying 'Pope changes his stand on condoms'! It begins already....
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 21/11/2010 00:02]