ENCOUNTERS WITH THE FUTURE POPE: Stories about Joseph Ratzinger before he became Pope

I found this on a thread on Fr. Z's blog in regards to the news that H.H. will not be going to Quebec. I was going to post this in the Pope-Pourri thread but decided not to. Here is the comment that Fr. Z posted:

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Berolinensis: the Pope so far has NEVER presided over a Eucharistic Congress outside Rome, but always sent a legate.

I don't think that is quite right. If memory serves, at least once a Pope did so. I recall that John Paul II went to Seoul for a Eucharistic Congress. I remember his departure very clearly.

As a matter of fact, I have a funny story about that.

In those days, even as a seminarian I was already working the offices of the P.C. Ecclesia Dei, which are in the Palazzo del Sant'Uffizio, where the CDF is. On the day the Holy Father was to depart for Korea, I left the office for the midday break at precisely the same moment that Card. Ratzinger and his secretary Msgr. (now Bishop) Josef Clemens were walking out. There were big crowds outside the main arch of the palazzo, which in those days was the main entrance, so we stopped a moment to chat rather than just go out. We new it was for the Pope's departure and the street would be blocked for us anyway. We were basically stuck there until the Pope left. After a bit of banter, Card. Ratzinger said "Let's go see!", and promptly grabbed my elbow and started through the arch into the crowds to the barricade set up along the piazza. It was blazing hot and bright with sun.

When the Pope departed by car from the Vatican City, he would leave by the gate that leads up to the Paul VI Hall next to the Palazzo del Sant'Uffizio. Packs of police with motorcycles for the escort blocked the street leading around the colonnade. We could tell the Holy Father's car was coming when the radios on the motorcycles started their chatter and the officers revved their engines.

And so out came the Pope's car, very slowly. The crowds were dense and everyone was cheering and shouting "Viva il Papa!" and the various other chants popular during his reign. There we were at the barricade, I between the Cardinal and Msgr. Clemens. As the Pope's care crawled along the barricade, I saw the Pope's window in the back was down and he was making slight waving gestures to the crowds along with signs of the Cross in benediction. As he drew near the Cardinal and Clemens also began to shout "Viva il Papa!" and wave together with the crowds.

As the Pope's car drew up, you could see the poor man was rather tired and less than enthusiastic about the crowd. However, when he saw Card. Ratzinger, he sat bolt upright and leaned into the window and started to wave at him with some energy. In his turn, the Cardinal cheerfully traced the sign of the Cross in the Pope's direction and the Holy Father fell back into his seat chuckling.

A little glimpse of a Roman day, many years ago.

Comment by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

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SOURCE: wdtprs.com/blog/2008/01/pope-benedict-wont-attend-quebecs-400th-anniversary-and-eucharistic-congress/#comme...

Thank you, Lori! These short anecdotes are absolute gems and I always love to read something like this. I'll think of it every time I'm near there - which, please God, will be often!!!!
Luff, Mary x

I always thought that this interview had been posted on the Forum, but I just went back over both the APRIL 19 thread and this one (ENCOUNTERS...) and I don't find it. If it was already posted somehow, then I don't think anyone will mind re-reading it....



These are Father Joseph Fessio’s answers to a series of questions posed by IgnatiusInsight.com's Valerie Schmalz about Pope Benedict XVI. They were answered on April 21, 2005, before Father Fessio got on an airplane to fly to Rome for the formal installation of Pope Benedict XVI.

You have a long-standing relationship with Pope Benedict XVI. Can you describe when you first met him?
I first met Fr. Joseph Ratzinger when I arrived in Regensburg, (then West Germany) in the fall of 1972. I began my doctoral studies there and he was my doctoral director.

How that happened is a story in itself. I had begun my theological studies in France at the Jesuit Theologate in Lyons. There I was befriended by Fr. Henri de Lubac, S.J., a wonderful man of the Church and a renowned theologian.

When the time came for me to decide upon the subject for a doctorate I asked his advice. He immediately told me that I should do my doctorate on Fr. Hans Urs von Balthasar whom he considered one of the greatest theologians of the era, if not all time.

When I asked him where I should do it he immediately said, “Go to Regensburg and do it under Fr. Joseph Ratzinger; he’s a fine young theologian.” Fr. de Lubac graciously wrote to Fr. Ratzinger on my behalf and Fr. Ratzinger who was not accepting many new graduate students since he had so many already, accepted Fr. de Lubac’s recommendation.

Joseph Ratzinger was then as he is now, a very quiet and gracious person, always willing to listen; but when he speaks, he speaks with great clarity and depth of understanding. Even then one felt a presence because of his goodness, his openness, and his wisdom.

How has your relationship continued through the years?
The doctoral students of Cardinal Ratzinger, once they had received their doctorates, founded a Schulerkreis (or student circle) that had yearly meetings. Those meetings were usually two to three days long, held at a monastery, and had a specific theological topic and one or two invited speakers. We celebrated Mass together, ate together, listened to lectures and discussed them together. In the evenings, we would often sit around a table and have conversation accompanied by glasses of white wine.

In the period 1987-1989, four priests, working with the then Cardinal Ratzinger, planned and established the Association de Lubac, Speyr, von Balthasar whose main work was a house of formation in Rome called Casa Balthasar.

The four priests were Fr. Jacques Servais, S.J., another Jesuit who remains rector of Casa Balthasar; Fr. Mark Ouellet who is now the Cardinal Archbishop of Quebec; Fr. Christoph Schönborn, OP, who is now the Cardinal Archbishop of Vienna; and myself. (Jesuits are by rule required neither to seek nor to accept ecclesiastical preferment. Fr. Servais and I did not seek any nor were any offered us!)

Once Casa Balthasar was established, in 1989, we all met once a year to review the progress and plan the coming year. This gave us an opportunity to spend some time with Cardinal Ratzinger who would come to Casa Balthasar for a meeting, dinner and recreation after dinner. I also had the occasion to visit him in his apartment or in his office a number of times throughout the years.


How did you choose to publish his works and why did he choose Ignatius Press to publish so many of his works in English translation?
Ignatius Press was begun in 1978, with our first books published in 1979. The original intent was to make available in English the works of the great contemporary Catholic theologians of Europe. We began with Louis Bouyer and Hans Urs von Balthasar. We soon added Cardinal Ratzinger to our list of authors. He very graciously accepted Ignatius Press as his English language publisher.


What is the impact of Urs von Balthasar on the new pope?
The reason Fr. de Lubac directed me towards Fr. Ratzinger to do my dissertation on von Balthasar was that Fr. Ratzinger was both a personal friend and a student of the works of von Balthasar. Certainly von Balthasar has had a profound effect on Pope Benedict just as he has on any one who has spent time studying his massive and rich corpus.


Which of his works would you recommend to those wondering about the direction of Pope Benedict XVI’s papacy?
For those who would like an idea of the direction of this new papacy, I would recommend starting with The Ratzinger Report. It was an interview he gave to Vittorio Messori in 1985. Cardinal Ratzinger comments very openly there on the strength and weaknesses of the Church at that time. Not too much has changed except for the increase in enthusiasm generated by the vibrant papacy of John Paul II; the major challenges remain.


What is Pope Benedict XVI like as a person? What about his reputation as an “enforcer”?
As a person, Pope Benedict is courteous, kind, gracious, soft-spoken, with an ever-present sense of humor and a twinkle in his eye. I’ve never heard him express anger or raise his voice. He listens very attentively to people and while clear and firm in his expression of the truths of the Catholic Faith, he always speaks or writes with profound courtesy and respect.

He has a reputation as an enforcer because he had that task assigned to him. Even in treating dissident theologians, he was always open and fair, thorough and objective.

Although there are still lingering complaints about the “secrecy” of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, there is simply no basis for that. The Congregation has worked with complete transparency.

I can’t think of anyone in the Vatican who has been more open to being interviewed or being questioned on any topic than Cardinal Ratzinger. Of course, when he is obliged to tell someone who considers himself a Catholic of good standing that what that person is teaching or advocating is incompatible with Catholic truth, that is often not well received.

In trying to explain the hostility toward Cardinal Ratzinger, I can only think that it is a projection of the anger of those who are being corrected upon the one who has to administer the correction.


Comparisons will be inevitable with Pope John Paul II. Would you venture a comparison and a few thoughts on the relationship between then-Cardinal Ratzinger and Pope John Paul II?
Certainly Pope Benedict and Pope John Paul II were the closest of collaborators. Pope John Paul II brought Cardinal Ratzinger to Rome in 1981 to lead the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and he stayed there until he was elected Pope in 2005. No other prefect of a Vatican congregation has stayed so long in the same position. It was customary that Ratzinger would see the Holy Father once a week to discuss whatever matters were important at that time.

They both have “charisma” but of different sorts. Pope John Paul II was an actor on the world’s stage, very outgoing and with a personal magnetism that was palpable.

But Pope Benedict, while quieter and more serene in his demeanor, also has a warmth and a presence which all those who have come into contact with him have remarked.

I think that John Paul II, especially in his prophetic role, proclaimed Christ to the whole world. Pope Benedict will do the same but I believe he will turn his attention more towards the Church hierarchy.

Just as St. Benedict through his monasteries penetrated and informed a rising Christian civilization in Europe, Pope Benedict will focus on the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, on solemn and properly celebrated liturgies, so that the Church herself will be better able to go forth into the world and be a light to the nations.


Why do you think Cardinal Ratzinger was chosen so quickly as pope?
I can only speculate on why Benedict was chosen so quickly but I do think that the following elements had a role to play.

In the Conclave which elected John Paul II in 1978, all or virtually all of the cardinals had ample opportunity to get to know each other during the four years of the Second Vatican Council which ran from 1962-1965. Therefore they had a much better personal knowledge of their peers.

However, with the expansion of the College of Cardinals, and with the emphasis on new cardinals in far-flung parts of the world, I think it’s true that going into the conclave most of the cardinals did not know most of the other cardinals. In such an important decision, I doubt that anyone, especially someone with experience in administration, would want to elect someone who was not well known to him.

Since cardinals get to know each other when they come together, and that’s normally done in Rome, obviously cardinals who are living in Rome or near Rome, and those visiting often in Rome such as those in Italy and in Western Europe would know each other better. They’d also have more access to each other’s writings. For these reasons I think that the most likely candidates were in those groups.

But Cardinal Ratzinger was certainly the best known of the cardinals. He was older and he had published many books, spoken around the world, and acted in a very public way as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Divine Faith. He was also extremely respected even by those who disagreed with him.

So, while there was much suspense during the conclave, now that the choice has been made, it almost seems like it was a necessity. Despite the fact that there were cardinals with wonderful qualifications, there really was no one that had his depth of knowledge and experience, including experience with the Curial offices of the Vatican.


Critics have said that Benedict XVI is “backward looking” instead of “forward looking” and that he is at heart opposed to the Second Vatican Council. How would you respond to that charge?
Every Pope, and every Catholic, must be both backward-looking and forward-looking. The truths of the Catholic Church are God’s message entrusted to fallible human beings by God Himself through his Son Jesus Christ.

Our task is to receive that message and contemplate it, appropriate it, explain it, defend it and then pass it on intact. John Paul II did that. Cardinal Ratzinger did that, as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and I have no doubt that Pope Benedict XVI will do the same.

As for the Vatican Council, Pope Benedict was a theological peritus or advisor for the Council and was very influential at the Council; he’s one of its architects. And he made it very clear in his first public statement as pope the day after he was elected that he fully supports the Second Vatican Council.

He says powerfully: “I too declare, as I start in the service that is proper to the successor to Peter, wish to affirm with force my decided will to pursue to the commitment to enact [exsecutionem] Vatican Council II, in the wake of my predecessors and in faithful continuity with the millennia-old tradition of the Church [duorum milium annorum].”

This is a statement typical of Cardinal Ratzinger. He affirms in unmistakable terms that he is a Pope of the Council. But he also says that he is going to pursue its implementation. The implication is that the Council has not been or at least has not been fully implemented yet. Further, he affirms he will implement the Council in continuity with the tradition. A clear statement that he does not read the Council as a break with tradition but as an extension of tradition.


To those wondering about the spiritual life of the new Pope, do you have any insights? Does he have any particular devotions to Mary, any other saints?
The Cardinal was born on Holy Saturday, and was brought by his parents to the parish church and baptized at the Easter Vigil Mass. So he was born both naturally and supernaturally in the midst of the great Paschal Mystery of the Church.

I’ve heard him say very candidly that his life has been liturgical from the beginning; that he always feels nourished by the celebration of the Mass and the praying of the Divine Office.

He admired his fellow theologian von Balthasar for promoting kniende Theologie (kneeling theology), and his works could not have been produced by a man who was not a man of deep personal prayer. His devotions are Catholic devotions, to the saints, but particularly to St. Joseph his patron, and of course to the Blessed Virgin Mary.


Do you know what his favorite foods are? What is his favorite music?
I don’t know what his favorite foods are, but Mozart is his favorite composer. While he leads a simple life, he’s a Bavarian who enjoys a good meal, and he does love to listen to classical music. He also plays the piano.


Do you have any personal stories about the new Pope you can share with us?
There are many stories I could tell but let one suffice. He was asked by a very skeptical and agnostic journalist, Peter Seewald for a book-length interview. The cardinal, generous as always, agreed to this and made himself available to answer all his questions, even the most hostile ones.

After that experience – the results of which were published as Salt of the Earth – Peter Seewald became a Catholic! Later he did another book-length interview which became God and the World. The man sarcastically called 'God’s rotweiler' or the Panzerkardinal is a man who in real life can touch the hearts of the most hardened skeptics.

He has given his life and all his gifts to the service of the Lord and the Church. And when he speaks he speaks with a power that comes from beyond him but that works marvelously through him.

On thenewliturgicalmovement.blogspot.com/
this post, with pictures we have previously seen (and posted in various forms and on various threads in this forum), but told in his own way - I believe, a liturgically informed one - by a German contributor to the blog.


New Priest in 1951 - Part I
by Gregor Kollmorgen



We have recently - Deo gratias! - seen a fair number of beautiful photographs of Solemn Masses in the extraordinary form on the NLM.

Some time ago I found a series of pictures from a solemn Mass of 1951, which while not perhaps as spectacular aesthetically and of no very good quality, I am sure many of you will find interesting nevertheless.

The most salient reason for this is the person of the Subdeacon of this Missa Sollemnis. In case you did not immediately recognize him, here is a portrait from about the same time:



Now, I am sure many if not most of you have already seen a photograph taken that day, viz. this one:



Looks familiar? These three new priests, who all come from the same city of Traunstein, were all ordained, together with about 40 other deacons, on the same day by the Archbishop of Munich and Freising, His Eminence Michael Cardinal von Faulhaber (already 82 at the time), in St. Mary's Concathedral in Freising, on the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul in 1951.

They are, of course, no other but Fr Joseph Ratzinger, his brother Fr Georg Ratzinger, and their friend Fr Rupert Berger.

Here are two pictures of the ordination Mass:



Now back to the first picture of subdeacon Fr Joseph Ratzinger. This was the First Mass (in German called "Primiz", from Latin "primitiæ", i.e. "first offering"; the new priest offering it is the "Primiziant") of their friend, Fr Rupert Berger. It was held on Sunday, 1 July 1951, Feast of the Precious Blood, in the city parish church of St. Oswald's, and the deacon was Fr Georg Ratzinger.

I will leave you with a picture of the celebrant and the ministri at the sedilia; more pictures and a description from the local newspaper of the time in the next post.



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I think Kollmorgen's post - and especially the next one - may finally clear up the confusing nature of the pictures we have had so far - as for example, that some of the familiar pictures we have been seeing are from Fr. Berger's Primiz, not Fr. Ratzinger's, although all three (including Fr. Georg) celebrated their First Mass on the same day!

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New Priest in 1951 - Part II
by Gregor Kollmorgen


Continuing yesterday's post on the First Masses of Fr Joseph Ratzinger, his brother Georg, and their friend Fr Rupert Berger, this is how the local newspaper, the Traunsteiner Wochenblatt, reported on the occasion of the Primiz Fr Berger's Primiz on 1 July 1951, Feast of the Precious Blood (and you just have to love the good, old-fashioned tone):

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Impressive already was the procession which conducted the young man of God to St Oswald's church. Led by the city music-band, and the banners of the associations, followed by the high clergy, there then strode the Reverend Primiziant Rupert Berger, assisted by his confrères, the Reverend Deacons Joseph and Georg Ratzinger, in solemn procession, followed by the parents and guests of the family, headed by Dr. Hundhammer, President of the Landtag [Bavarian Parliament]. The cortège was bordered by confirmation children with garlands.

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There were so many people - the newspaper quotes the Bavarian saying "To attend a Primiz, you may walk down a pair of soles" - that not all fitted into the church, so loudspeakers had been deployed in the town square, which was richly decorated and had been specially illumined the night before.

[Mr. Kollmorgen then posts additional pictures of the Solemn Mass}



The Epistle, with Fr. Ratzinger, as sub-deacon holding the epistolary


The celebrant and his assistants at the lavishly adorned high altar.

The Primizen of the brothers Ratzinger took place on the following Sunday, 8 July 1951, but the celebrations really began on the evening before: About 1000 people came to the house of the Ratzingers in Hufschlag outside Traunstein, where the youth of the parish under the Regens chori Dr. Hogger sang canons and polyphonic pieces and the city parish priest, dean Els, delivered an address.

The next morning began with the Primiz of Fr Joseph Ratzinger, who together with his brother had been led in procession into the town through the festively decorated main street and received in the city square by the clergy.

The First Mass of Fr Joseph Ratzinger was celebrated as a community Mass with the special participation of the youth and youth Communion [remember that in those days, very frequent Communion was still rare, and at least in Germany it was common to have regular community Masses for various groups of the parish, at which all members of that group would, having made their Confession before, receive Holy Communion].


It began at 7 a.m. At 9.30 a.m. followed the First Mass of Georg. This was held as a Missa Sollemnis, with Joseph as deacon, and their friend Fr Berger, the celebrant of the Sunday before, as subdeacon. The preacher was the Religion teacher Studienrat Pöhlein [in those days there were so many priests, that many of them were Religion teachers at public schools; in fact, it was common to have a priest as Religion teacher in school]. The musical setting was Haydn's Nelson Mass.



After Mass, a festive dinner was had by all in the "Sailer Keller" [in case you would also like to eat there, have a look here; they inform us that larded roast veal was served]. After that, everyone went back to church for the afternoon devotion, and to receive the Primiz blessing.

Just a note to say I have now completed re-posting Gregor Kollmorgen's blog above, both Parts I and II. I will go back later to rearrange/re-caption these same pictures as posted so far in ALBUM FOR JOSEPH, and to add Kiollmorgen's information.

This interview was done for the Pope's visit to teh United Sattes, but it belongs to this thread first.
- and also to POPE-POURRI!


'Pope Benedict already has a legacy
which is going to last for centuries -
he brought it with him when he became Pope'

Father Joseph Fessio, S.J., founder of Ignatius Press,
talks about the man he’s known for over 30 years

BY JULIE L. RATTEY
Catholic Digest
April 2008 issue




In 1974, Joseph Fessio was a prospective doctoral student in theology seeking an advisor. He asked an acquaintance if he had any suggestions.

“Well,” said the priest, “there’s a very fine young theologian at the University of Regensburg (West Germany), Father Ratzinger.”

The rest, as they say, is history. Not only did Fessio become one of the future Pope’s students, but when Fessio founded Ignatius Press in 1978, he also became the publisher of much of the pope’s work — up to 45 books today.

In preparation for Pope Benedict XVI’s upcoming visit to the United States, Catholic Digest recently spoke with Father Fessio about what it was like to study with the future Pope, the ways he thinks the Pope has been misunderstood, and what it’s like being the Pope’s publisher.


CD: What were your first impressions of Joseph Ratzinger when you met him in 1974 in Regensburg?

FESSIO: By that time he must have been close to 45 years old, and he was already quite mature in his thought and in his person. I see him as being the same as I’ve always known him. He’s very gracious, very receptive — he listens very well — and very kind. Of course, he’s quite intelligent and has a wonderful sense of humor. And he’s very transparent also.

One reason that many of us who know him were so happy when he was elected Pope was that we realized, Now the world will know what we know — what kind of person he is.


CD: Certainly the public doesn’t know Pope Benedict as well as his predecessor, and we have a limited idea of what he’s like in the everyday sense. What are a couple of things about Pope Benedict that you think would surprise people in a good way?

FESSIO: In one sense, I don’t think there are any surprises left. When he was first elected in April 2005 people were saying, “Well, what do you think’s going to happen? The pope is a serious disciplinarian, this dour person, ‘God’s Rottweiler.’”

I said, “Well, no, you’ll be surprised.”

And a few nights later I was asked, “Well, Father, what’s caused this great change?”

I said, “Nothing’s changed, except you now see what he’s really like.”


CD: You talked about his kindness, his sense of humor. Do you have any examples of those sorts of qualities, any particular stories that stick in your mind?

FESSIO: I’ve been asked this question many times and I’ve racked my brain. But you know, he’s not the kind of person who suddenly jumps up and does something surprising that you remember. It’s just a kind of a constant presence.

When you celebrate Mass with him there’s a sense of the sacred that you just can’t explain. And when he gives his homilies, apparently without any notes, they’re so organized and so beautiful. Or at the end of a seminar after he’s listened to all his students, he’ll summarize things and, you know, you could write it down and publish it as an article. He thinks so clearly, organizes his thoughts so well. But I can’t think of any particular thing that stands out.


CD: How did you find him as a teacher and a mentor?

FESSIO: In the seminars and the classes he was certainly an outstanding teacher, which is why he had so many students and so many doctoral students.

Then when he was made Archbishop of Munich-Freising in 1977 his doctoral students decided to form an alumni group called the Schuelerkreis. We’d meet every year to discuss some theological theme and bring some speakers in. So we’ve done that every year since. That was a way of getting to know him a little better.

Then in 1989, three of the priests and I met with Cardinal Ratzinger and, with him as our patron, we established a house of formation and discernment in Rome called Casa Balthasar. We would meet with him every year, so then I got to see him much more personally and privately. In all those contacts he was still the same very warm and very open person. You get the impression that he didn’t have any arrogance or pride at all. He just was very natural with us.

It’s a little more formalized now that he’s pope. We have a speaker and then we have some discussion and interaction. Then he’ll meet with his small groups or privately if there are particular concerns he wants to speak with us about.

Then, of course, Mass with him is always beautiful.


Fr. Fessio is the man on the left. Phopto courtey of Ignatius Press

But the kind of neat thing is we’ve had a picnic lunch at Castel Gandolfo Garden, an outdoor lunch. The setting is beautiful, the weather is glorious in September, and it’s a very beautiful, tasteful meal with nice selections and good wine, sparkling water. That’s good, just to see him enjoying himself in an informal environment.


CD: Were there any insights that you felt you discovered through his tutelage that have been important to you in your theological journey or in your life in general?

FESSIO: I’d say two things: one general, one more specific. In general, he and Father Hans Urs von Balthasar and Father Henri de Lubac (the latter two were very close friends of his and influences on him), inspired in me a great love for the breadth of the Church’s tradition — not just in theology but also in philosophy and literature and history and the fine arts.

Specifically, the Holy Father’s very, very much a man of the liturgy. He was born on Holy Saturday morning at about 4:15 a.m. And in those days they had Easter Vigil at 8 o’clock in the morning. So he went from where he was born to the church and was baptized.

And he’s always seen that as a sign of God calling him to make his life one that’s immersed and centered in liturgy. That came through in his talk after he was elected pope, that the Mass would be the center of his pontificate. His ideas on the Mass had a tremendous influence on me.


CD: Any idea in particular?

FESSIO: One very symbolic idea that stands out: Most people think that the Second Vatican Council abolished Latin and called for the altar to be turned around at Mass facing the people. But in fact, the Vatican Council called for the retention of Latin with some vernacular for the readings and so on, and said nothing at all about the direction of prayer.

Well, in The Spirit of the Liturgy he has a whole chapter on the direction of prayer and he said that really the idea of the priest facing the people was based on historical errors, and that wherever possible we should restore the ancient tradition of facing the Lord together, facing the rising sun for the Mass.

So that’s a very large idea that is gaining much more support as time goes on. He mentioned it in the Holy Saturday vigil a couple of weeks ago.


CD: How has working with the pope over the years on his books influenced your faith?

FESSIO: I’m an old curmudgeon, Julie, in that I was a cradle Catholic, I’ve always accepted the Church’s teachings and always tried to understand them better. And I guess it’s just given me encouragement to know there are people who are so much more talented than I am who can say things so beautifully and make clear what I already know in my heart, and open up new vistas for me.


CD: What was your reaction when you heard that Benedict would be coming to visit the U.S.?

FESSIO: I’m happy. He does not like to travel and I know that. It’s an obligation he accepts gracefully.


CD: Why doesn’t the Pope like to travel?

FESSIO: Because he likes to play the piano and read and write. He’s a scholar. And especially traveling across the Atlantic, long-distance travel, it’s a burden. He’s going to be 81 years old.


CD: What do you hope will result from the visit for American Catholics or for just Americans in general?

FESSIO: I think that because people like to have an event or pilgrimage or something like this, that many people are going to watch because it’s an event and they’re going to see this person who really embodies what a Christian ought to be.

I think in a country where we’ve had so many scandals of leadership which seems to be not courageous, to see that someone who’s in the highest position in the Catholic Church is a man like this — truly intelligent and understanding and who really seems to be quite holy — that will be a great blessing for people.


CD: Is there anything else you would like to add?

FESSIO: Just one thing. John Paul II was elected at age 58 and he was still very energetic and young. Benedict XVI was elected at age 78 and obviously he can’t do all that John Paul II did as a younger pope.

But people say, “What’s his legacy going to be?” And I say he’s already brought it with him. That is, all the work he’s done now has become much more widespread and better known. And that’s a great legacy.

He’s been able to respond to the questions of our day about the faith and basically give reason for the faith — that it can touch modern, contemporary people.

So I hope he has a long papacy. But he already has a legacy which is going to last, I think, for centuries.



Portrait of Father Joseph Fessio, S.J.
(Courtesy of Ignatius Press)

A closer look at Father Fessio

His favorite among the Pope’s books: “I’ve got a lot of favorites among them. But I think The Spirit of the Liturgy is the most extraordinary book on the Mass ever written. ”

Some of his favorite books: “Anything by C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton. And The Lord of the Rings is a classic.”

Favorite food: “As I get older I’m getting back to basics. I love good bread and good wine.”

Favorite prayer: “The Mass. At Ignatius Press we have Mass together, we have divine office together. It’s not regular and it’s not required, but we do that. We have the Rosary together and then we have private prayer. So those are the four pillars.”

Hobbies: “I like to hike. But I’m thinking of founding a club for people who don’t sing, don’t dance, don’t act, and don’t play an instrument. And then we’re going to be the ones that appreciate everybody else who can do those things.”

It's been a while since I have come across any items that qualify for this thread... And any excuse to use a gorgeous Ratzi-pic.


'Those times I dined
with Cardinal Ratzinger...'
Translated from

10/6/08


"Here, in Rome, I have often conducted the Orchestra of Santa Cecilia, which I know as well as my own hand. Together, I can say unequivocally, we have truly made music together, and all the components of this Orchestra have shown proof of their true, vital and intense expression of musical values", says Wolfgang Sawallisch, a leading German conductor and pianist, who was in Rome last week to receive the Uto Ughi prize for his musical career.

Sawallisch, who is Bavarian, adds, "I believe I can say that I have given and left in Rome a piece of my heart, because I love this city with all my being as I love music. I can say that Rome and the music I have played in Rome are special parts of my life"

Then, he recalls an evening at the German embassy where he played for the future Pope Benedict XVI:

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Cardinal Ratzinger was always one of our guests at Santa Cecilia, especially when we played Haydn, Mozart, Bruckner, Brahms and his other favorites.

And every time, after the concert, the future Pope, his secretary, Maestro Ughi and myself would go and dine at a restaurant near the Conservatory.

On those occasions, Cardinal Ratzinger would tell us the great value that music was for him, a substantial part of his life. Today, certainly, we can no longer go out and eat together and chat as we did then, but those times will always be pure joy for me.

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Nov. 17, 2008


An unusual story by any measure!


When Bishop Smith was ushered into Cardinal Ratzinger’s office the Cardinal was holding a copy of 'Roman Catholic Christianity' in both hands. He raised it high above his head and brought it crashing down on to his desk saying: 'This book will not do. It must be suppressed.'

He emphasised his point by repeating the gesture and the words three times.

I can't tell you how many times I've read that account of a meeting between Bishop (now Archbishop) Peter Smith and the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and wondered: Is that what really happened?

And now, suddenly, the question is rather pertinent, as Archbishop Smith has emerged as the Magic Circle candidate to succeed Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor.

The quote is taken from an article by the doughty (and much respected) conservative Catholic campaigner Daphne McLeod in the December 2003 issue of Christian Order, a Catholic magazine of rather extreme views.

The article itself, however, makes claims that have never been repudiated, to the best of my knowledge. And, if they are true, one has to wonder whether +Peter really stands a chance of going to Westminster.

Some background, before I reproduce a long extract from Mrs McLeod's piece. Clare Richards is a Tabletista author of liberal catechetical material, some of which was judged so unsuitable for Catholic children that Rome forced it to be withdrawn from schools.

Bishop Peter Smith of East Anglia apparently complied rather reluctantly, on the orders of a man he had no idea was one day going to be Pope. Now read Daphne McLeod on the subject:

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On January 19, 1998 Bishop (now Archbishop) Smith issued this statement on the internet:

"At the request of the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy I am withdrawing the Imprimatur accorded to the book Roman Catholic Christianity (RCC) on October 6th 1994. In the judgement of the Congregation the expression of some elements in the book are not in full conformity with the Catholic Faith. Consequently in accordance with Canon 827:2 of the Code of Canon law this book may no longer be used in Catholic schools."

This book was in use in most Catholic Senior schools in England and Wales.

Bishop Smith followed this brief paragraph with three paragraphs extolling the author of RCC, Ms Clare Richards, ex-nun wife of ex-priest Bert Richards, and praising her work for Catholic schools. In a short accompanying statement he asked his brother bishops to pray for her "as she has been very hurt by some of the comments which have appeared in the media..."

When Ms Richards eventually retired as Head of R.E. in Notre Dame Comprehensive School she received a Papal medal for her work in Catholic schools!

The story behind this remarkable statement deserves a hearing now that Clare Richards has surfaced again with a book entitled introducing catholic theology (sic).

This book which carries no Imprimatur, points out on page 7 that it is written for "interested adults and students who are studying for the Catholic Certificate in Religious Studies (CCRS) awarded by the Bishop’s Conference of England and Wales."

This means it is written to help train future teachers of religion in Catholic schools and parishes. As it contains the same heresies, distortions and omissions condemned by Rome in 1997 these will continue to misinform generations of Catholic children unless stern action is once more taken.

In 1995 and 1996 numerous parents, worried about the content of RCC, wrote to the bishops and to the Catholic Press expressing their concern about the errors their children were learning from it. Unfortunately, the bishops did nothing to protect these youngsters.

Indeed, Bishop Smith wrote to the Press defending the book and its author Clare Richards. So, desperate parents were forced to turn to Rome, many sending copies of the book to various Congregations for examination.

This resulted in Cardinal Ratzinger inviting Bishop Smith to visit Rome and discuss the book with him. Apparently Bishop Smith refused to go, telling the Cardinal that he was too busy and telling friends, "If he wants to have me sacked for that he can. He can have this job".

However, in 1997 Bishop Smith was in Rome for an Ad Limina visit with other English bishops and Cardinal Ratzinger took the opportunity to ask him to come and see him immediately after his audience with the Pope.

When Bishop Smith was ushered into Cardinal Ratzinger’s office the Cardinal was holding a copy of Roman Catholic Christianity in both hands. He raised it high above his head and brought it crashing down on to his desk saying: "This book will not do. It must be suppressed."

He emphasised his point by repeating the gesture and the words three times.

[Can we really imagine the gentle Joseph Ratzinger doing this? Those who have worked with him for years say they have never seen him lose his cool. Nut he certainly mut have been emphatic enough to make Mons. Smith 'reconsider' his options and eventually obey.]

Dismissing Bishop Smith’s protests that he had approved the book publicly, the Cardinal demanded that for the sake of the faith of British youngsters, the Imprimatur must be cancelled and the book withdrawn from Catholic schools in accordance with Canon Law.

Back in England Bishop Smith asked Cardinal Hume if he had to obey and was told, "You have no choice. You have to do it." Even so, Bishop Smith continued to drag his feet until the Papal Nuncio was instructed by Rome to remind him that this matter must receive his urgent attention.

So the announcement appeared on the Internet three weeks after Christmas 1997. As such a discreet announcement was likely to be missed, Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice issued a Press Release and some Catholic papers gave it prominence.

The news was received with relief and joy by the parents who had been campaigning to protect their youngsters from Clare Richards’ strange religion and by the teachers who had been forced reluctantly to use RCC.

I remember that I received many cards and flowers from mothers grateful for the part Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice had played in the campaign and even a pretty gold bracelet from a group of parents who had banded together. I also received a rather cross letter from Clare Richards, who had suffered financially of course.

In case you are wondering how we know exactly what happened in Cardinal Ratzinger’s office and other details, perhaps I should explain that when Bishop Smith returned home he visited Mr and Ms Richards, who were friends and neighbours of his in Norwich, and told them the whole story.

Some time later they had a visit from Robert Blair Kaiser, a liberal ‘Catholic’ journalist from America. The Richardses told him exactly what had happened and Clare remarked that she could sue Cardinal Ratzinger because she had lost royalties on about a hundred thousand books. This seems a lot.

But as every Catholic child in almost every English Catholic senior school for many years to come would have needed a copy, it is probably about right. Ms Richards has published several religious textbooks so she would be able to forecast earning potential pretty accurately.

When Mr Kaiser eventually returned to the States he in his turn put the whole story on the Internet for the amusement of other members of a ‘chat room’ he belonged to. One of them printed it off for me and I still have the print-out dated December 9, 1999.

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