Who is Benedict XVI?

Bento XVI: Teólogo, Papa e Devoto de Maria

Entre os Sucessores de São Pedro, a Igreja também teve Joseph Ratzinger.

Conhecido e consagrado teólogo alemão, que participou como perito teológico do Cardeal Arcebispo de Colónia Joseph Frings no Concílio Vaticano II de São João XXIII.

• Convocado pelo Papa Paulo VI para ser Arcebispo de Munique e Cardeal.
• Nomeado pelo Papa João Paulo II como prefeito da Congregação para a Doutrina da Fé até 2005.
• Com a morte do Papa João Paulo II, foi eleito Romano Pontífice em 19 de abril de 2005.

Depois da gigantesca figura de João Paulo II, que deu 29 voltas ao mundo em viagens apostólicas, unindo o anúncio de Cristo à expressão de uma profunda relação espiritual com a Madre de Cristo (Totus tuus), olhou-se com certa apreensão e curiosidade para a figura do novo Papa para averiguar qual era o seu testemunho vital e teológico sobre Maria.

A Teologia de Ratzinger

Joseph Ratzinger concentra a sua teologia nos temas mais importantes do cristianismo. Entre os seus escritos, o que até agora foi considerado um dos mais importantes é a Introdução ao Cristianismo (1969), na qual trata dos grandes temas do Credo Apostólico. Em seguida, vale mencionar o volume Dogma e pregação (1973), uma antologia de ensaios, homilias e reflexões dedicadas sobretudo à pastoral.

There was great resonance with the speech given by Joseph Ratzinger at the Bavarian Academy on the topic: Why I Still Belong to the Church, in which, as usual, he affirmed with clarity that one can only be a Christian within the Church and not outside of it. Over the years, there have been numerous publications from the Bavarian theologian:

In 1985, he published the book-interview Report on Faith.

In 1996, Salt of the Earth.

In 2010, Light of the World.

Finally, after his resignation as Bishop of Rome, he offered the Church his final meditations, published in September 2016, with a very significant title: Last Conversations, in which he explains, among other things, the reasons for his historic decision.

One of the issues that occupies a special place in Ratzinger’s theology is the relationship between truth and reason, between faith and science. These topics were very relevant even during the pontificate of John Paul II, to whom Ratzinger is closely linked as executor and inspirer.

It should also be noted that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, on behalf of John Paul II, edited a complex document from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Message from Fatima. He wrote the challenging theological commentary with the aim of shedding light on the thorny issue of the Third Secret.

In fact, in Cardinal Ratzinger’s Theological Commentary, then Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, specific theological criteria are identified and specified to attempt an interpretation of the symbolic language typical of the third part of what is known as the Secret of Fatima. The clear distinction between public revelation, characteristic of Sacred Scripture, and private revelations, to which the message of Fatima also belongs, leads not to overburden a prophetic theological and ecclesial interpretation that is difficult to understand, which does not bind the faith of the believer.

The Theology of Benedict XVI

As Bishop of Rome, Benedict XVI published three important encyclicals:

Deus caritas est, of December 25, 2005, on the nature and importance of God’s love.

Spe Salvi, of November 30, 2007, on the source of Christian hope that is faith.

Caritas in Veritate, June 29, 2009, on love as an act of freedom and truth as a necessary condition for love.

We must also recall the four Apostolic Exhortations, all linked to the celebration of a Synod of Bishops:

Sacramentum Caritatis, February 22, 2007, on the Eucharist as the high point of the life of the Church.

Verbum Domini, September 30, 2010, on the Bible as the Word of God to be read and interpreted within the tradition of the Church.

Africae Munus, November 19, 2011, on the role of the Church in promoting peace and justice, that is, the common good on the African continent.

Ecclesia in Medio Oriente, September 14, 2012, on the Community and Testimony that the Church offers in an environment so plural since the dawn of Christianity.

We must also refer to his three volumes on Jesus of Nazareth because they have drawn attention, not only from the faithful but also from scholars, for their inherent ability to present the mystery, reality, and Gospel message of the Nazarene.

Despite all this, he never ceased to exhort the whole Church to rediscover the beauty and commitment of Christianity in the contemporary world, to become ever more true disciples of Christ and collaborators of the Truth.

According to Benedict XVI, one must speak of Mary with sobriety. Exaggeration, the intemperance of words can only devalue what one wants to exalt. The Pope advises to mortify, before the mystery of God, chatter because depth pays the price. Sobriety does not exclude warmth. Sobriety is never dryness or coldness. Spouses or friends do not need words to tell each other they love and are happy to be together.

The silence of love is a wonderful praise, for praising someone is letting them know that they are worthy of being loved. To do this, a single look is more eloquent than a multitude of words. Warmth and sobriety: here lies the profound devotion of Benedict XVI.

In the next episode we will discuss Ratzinger’s Marian conversion.

To deepen Benedict XVI’s Marian theology, consult the encyclical Redemptoris Mater by John Paul II, a document that Ratzinger deeply admired about Mary in the life of the Church.

Deepen your studies: explore Mariology, Marian Theology, Marian Apparitions and the Master’s in Mariology.