When Joseph Ratzinger became Pope in 2005, the most dazzling headlines in church history could be read. “We are the Pope,” the German Bild newspaper rejoiced. “Oh my God!” sighed the Berliner “Taz”. The headline of the British newspaper “Sun” was “From Hitler Youth to Pope Ratzi”. “From God’s Rottweiler to one of the most controversial popes in history,” the Daily Mirror said.
None of these headlines were false, none of them true. Even in Benedict’s homeland of Bavaria, enthusiasm quickly faded when the crimes of church abuse were learned.
From Regensburg to Riyadh, Benedict’s well-meaning but often misleading statements have caused outrage – about Judaism, Islam, Holocaust denier Richard Williamson, or traditionalist Piusbrothers with their headquarters in Menzingen ZG. And then, of course, there was the Swiss theologian Hans Küng, who harshly criticized Joseph Ratzinger.
Benedict made history
Even Küng credits the next pope: Benedict made church history with his resignation in 2013. Thus, he humanized the papacy. He was not a god in white acting as Christ’s representative on earth, but a perfectly normal man who eventually became out of breath and resigned. Despite his red shoes, Benedict laid the foundation for the modern papal office with this step, which has not been taken since the Middle Ages.
Benedict never claimed to be infallible and could be wrong. As governor of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he was nicknamed the “Panzercardinal”. She fought liberation theologians in Latin America and liberal female theologians in Europe. It did not prevent troubled figures like Wolfgang Haas from becoming Bishop of Chur or Archbishop of Vaduz.
Ratzinger realized too late the harassment complex in the Catholic Church and struggled with it too late. And he didn’t always surround himself with the right people. Benedict allowed himself to be exploited and broke his promise to remain silent in retirement.
Schlager song turned into a sermon
However, the expressions of the armored cardinal and “papa emeritus” differ in nuances that are often overlooked. It is the delicate and harmonious echoes that the Mozart fan represents. Benedikt said he grew up in a Mozart environment, alluding to his Bavarian homeland, not far from Salzburg.
But Joseph Ratzinger listened not only to Mozart, but also to the Swiss pop singer Monica Morell. For a sermon on Holy Saturday, the day between death and resurrection, she processed your song “I’m not going to start anything again on Sunday”. Dealing with complex theological issues, Ratzinger also writes, “A young girl is singing, whose boyfriend was killed in an accident one Sunday. Behind this accurate text is the experience of many people.”
Sunday means harmony and happiness
For Monica Morell, Sunday means “harmony, happiness and joy”. Ratzinger preached that every Sunday became “more unbearable than everyday life” because his beloved friend died on a Sunday. But every Holy Saturday is followed by Easter morning. The resurrection gave Jesus’ disciples the courage to live new life. “But not just teenagers, each of us can hope that life goes on, yes, it actually comes to us.” Ratzinger was convinced: “I always start on Sunday!”
Benedict XVI leaves behind a torn church that struggles with the remnants of his work but also knows its virtues.
“Each of us can hope that life goes on.” This phrase from the Monica Morell sermon remains her legacy. Literally – the church continues without it – and figuratively: It is Easter, not Holy Saturday, that has the final word. The eternal Sunday for Benedict XVI began at 9.34am on Saturday, the New Year 2022.
* Raphael Rauch is the editor-in-chief of kath.ch. It will switch to SonntagsBlick in June.