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When St. John Paul II died in 2005, he was interviewed by the BBC in Rome just before the conclave to elect his successor Joseph Ratzinger. When veteran BBC reporter Brian Hanrahan asked me, Ratzinger delivered a remarkable “dictatorship of relativism” speech in which he advocated objective moral truths against the dangers of fad subjectivism. How can you believe that Ratzinger will be elected Pope if you have only recently been elected? I replied that it wasn’t all that shocking to think that a Cardinal Elector might actually elect a Catholic Pope.
Despite reports that the death of Pope Benedict painted him as a “God’s Rottweiler”, an “iron fist in white gloves”, an antiquated and extreme form of Catholic “far right” representative, I Ratzinger are considered liberal. The truest and deepest meaning of the word.
Indeed, it is difficult to summarize a life that spanned some of the most important events in the Catholic world over the last 600 years. And it is sad to think that he will be remembered as the only pope to resign from the papacy during that period.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI dies at 95, Vatican announces
But even those who detracted from Benedict know that he was one of the great minds of our time, with a unique ability to articulate simplicity as opposed to complexity ( reluctantly) will admit. German theologian.
However, given John Paul’s role as head of doctrine, he was seen as someone who would use forceful methods to impose truth. In fact, he was painted as a caricature of the Inquisitor.
Even detractors of Benedict will (reluctantly) admit that he was one of the great minds of our time.
Still, his actions weren’t as illiberal or coercive as a Tesla salesman getting fired for selling Lexus over Tesla. It just makes things more honest and more appreciated.
Pope Benedict’s Catholicism, the Second Vatican Council, and Perspectives on the Future of the Church through Papal Teachings
As a theologian and later pope, Benedict showed no affinity for secular notions of power, especially in his homeland of Germany, where he saw political entanglements weakening him in his gospel witness. He doubted the proximity of the church and the state.
An examination of his writings reveals that he believed in the church’s most powerful role as a cultural force whose truthful claims influence hearts and minds. Like the Second Vatican Council, in which he attended, he preferred to suggest and persuade the Church rather than force its teachings onto the human mind.
Following that Council, a different form of liberalism contrasted with the old view represented by such figures as Antonio Rosmini, Cardinal John Henry Newman, Lord Acton, and the Catholic liberalism of their generation. Liberalism will emerge within Catholicism. They will complement the old political liberalism that embraces freedom and truth without challenging the heart of Catholicism, and will make freedom the best means of seeking and advancing truth. I considered it.
In contrast, New Liberalism wanted to discuss freedom from moral constraints, not freedom of religion. He was outraged by claims of truth and questioned the human mind’s ability to claim the truth about anything.
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Benedict’s writings on political and theological issues are fueled by a passion for a true understanding of freedom, rooted in Christian traditions that go back to Jesus’ astounding declaration that God and Caesar cannot be confused.
It is difficult to summarize a life spanning some of the most important events in the Catholic world over the last 600 years.
Christianity is not, and should not be, a politicized faith. It may inform politics, but it ultimately transcends politics. It does not materialize within the power of a king, a president, a central plan, or a sweeping revolution for rule by a new regime.
Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, appears on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican after being elected by the Cardinals’ Conclave on April 19, 2005.
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Benedict’s writings on the inviolability of conscience are at least as passionate and political as those written by Lord Acton, whose warnings about the corrupt tendencies of power apply as much to the Pope as they do to politicians. is indomitable.
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Given the vast intellectual corpus Benedict left behind, we need time to sort out what will become of his legacy.
He left the church and the world with many things on his mind.
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