JESUIT THEOLOGIAN RECOUNTS CONSULTING THE CDF PREFECT
'When Cardinal Ratzinger helped me
avoid giving in to heterodoxy'
He had been described so often as the stern defender of Catholic orthodoxy, and yet when he was prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger explained very kindly to a young theologian - who wa flirting with heterodoxy - that'theological research must know how to take risks."
This was recalled by Jesuit priest Paolo Gamberini at a presentation of his book, "Questo Gesu"(This Jesus) at the Pontifical Lateran University.
Special guest of honor at the presentation was Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, who has been staying in Ariccio near Rome where he recently celebrated his 80th birthday. Since he retired as Archbishop of Milan in 2002, he spends most of the year in Jerusalem pursuing Biblical research.
At that time, Fr. Gamberini said, he had asked to see the Cardinal about a book he was writing on the Gospel of Luke.
"I decided to see him because I thought it best to speak ahead to the person who would pass judgment [
on the orthodoxy of the book]. I was with him half an nour, but I felt very encouraged afterwards," he said.
He added that one should "have the humility to be in the Church, accepting even the difficulties - which there are and which one overcomes - because with the gift of perseverance, we can move ahead."
One of the consequences of meeting with Ratzinger was, he adds, "I had to weigh every word I wrote down in the book."
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 28/02/2007 21.13]