Vatican City, Apr 16, 2017 / 03:00 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- In a lengthy interview with EWTN’s German television branch, Benedict XVI’s closest aide describes how the retired pontiff is doing as he turns the milestone age of 90, giving a rare look into what life is like for the Pope Emeritus.
Archbishop Gänswein has been Benedict’s personal secretary since 2003, while the latter was still Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He has remained close at Benedict’s side throughout his papacy, resignation and his life of retirement.
In anticipation of Benedict XVI’s 90th birthday, which this year falls on Easter Sunday, April 16, Gänswein gave a lengthy interview to EWTN.TV in German, sharing insights into how the Pope Emeritus plans to celebrate his birthday and highlights and personal memories of his pontificate.
Among other things, the archbishop recalls how Benedict handled his election, the frequently negative media-firestorm that enveloped much of his pontificate, his hope for what people take from his papacy as well as how he spends his days in retirement.
Please read below for the full interview with Archbishop Gänswein, conducted by the head of EWTN.TV Martin Rothweiler, and translated from the original German by EWTN’s Silvia Kritzenberger:
EWTN.TV: The question everyone’s interested in is, of course: How is Pope Benedict? The Psalm says: “Our lives last seventy years or, if we are strong, eighty years.” That happens to be psalm 90. And now on the 16th of April, Pope Benedict will celebrate his 90th birthday! How is he?
Gänswein: Yes, indeed, on Easter Sunday he will turn 90! Considering his age, he is remarkably well. He is also in good spirits, very clear in his head and still has a good sense of humor. What bothers him are his legs, so he uses a walker for help, and he gets along very well. And this walker guarantees him freedom of movement and autonomy. So, for a 90-year old, he is doing pretty well – even though, from time to time, he complains of this or that minor ailment.
EWTN.TV: How will he celebrate his birthday?
Gänswein: On Easter Sunday, priority will of course be given to liturgy. On Easter Monday, in the afternoon, we will hold a small celebration. He wanted something not too exhausting, appropriate to his strengths. He didn’t want to have a big celebration. That was never an option for him. A small delegation from Bavaria will come, the Mountain troops will come… The Bavarian Prime Minister will come to the monastery, and there we will hold a small birthday party in true Bavarian style!
EWTN.TV: Have you any idea if Pope Francis will come to see him?
Gänswein: That is quite likely. He will surely do so.
EWTN.TV: No one knows Pope Benedict better than you – apart from his brother Georg Ratzinger. How did you get to know Pope Benedict?
Gänswein: Actually, through literature. Back in the day, when I was just about to finish gymnasium, my parish priest gave me Ratzinger’s Introduction to Christianity, urging me: “You absolutely have to read this! That’s the future!” I said: “Okay, but have you read it?” “No,” he replied, “but you have to read it!” And I did. Later, when I started to study theology in Freiburg, and then in Rome, and then again back in Freiburg, I had practically read everything the then-professor and cardinal had written. But it was only 21, or maybe 22 years ago, that I finally met him in person here in Rome, when I was asked to become a collaborator of the Roman Curia … More concretely, I met him in the Teutonic College, that is, in the chapel, where Cardinal Ratzinger used to celebrate Mass for the German pilgrims every Thursday, joining us for breakfast. That was how the first personal contact with Cardinal Ratzinger came about, and since then we never lost that contact.
EWTN.TV: At some point, he decided to call you to his side. Why did his choice fall on you?
Gänswein: Well, you must know that I didn’t come directly to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; my first employment was at the Congregation for Divine Worship. But when, in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a German priest left after a certain period of time in order to go back to Germany, Ratzinger asked me to come. “I think you are suitable for the post, and I would like you to come,” he said to me. “If you agree, I would like to speak with the respective authorities.” And he did. That was how it came about that, in 1996, I entered the staff of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a post I held until 2003. Afterwards, he made me his Personal Secretary – which I still am, to this very day.
EWTN.TV: What was your first impression of him? What did you think when he called you to work closely with him?
Gänswein: My first thought was: Have I done something wrong? Don’t I have a clean record? So I examined my conscience, but my conscience was clear. And then he said: “No, it is something that concerns your future. Something I think might be a good task for you. Consider it carefully!” Of course, I was very pleased that he thought I was capable of working in his entourage. It is indeed a very demanding task, one that requires all your strength.
EWTN.TV: Which personality traits and characteristics did you discover in him?
Gänswein: The same I had already discovered in his writings: a sharp intellect, a clear diction. And then, in his personal relations, a great clemency, quite the contrary of what he has always been associated with and still is, of what has always been said about him, when he was described as a “Panzerkardinal” (army tank Cardinal), someone rough – which he is not. On the contrary, he is very confident when dealing with others, but also when he has to deal with problems, when he has to solve problems, and, above all, in the presentation of the faith, the defense of the faith. But what moved me most, was to see how this man managed to proclaim our faith with simple, but profound words, against all odds and despite all hostilities.
EWTN.TV: What were the main issues on his agenda when he was Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith?
Gänswein: When I joined the Congregation, he was dealing with the encyclical letter Fides et Ratio, and then with Dominus Jesus, documents which date back to years when I was already part of the Congregation. Later, of course, it was also about religious dialogue – a subject he revisited and deepened also after he’d become Pope. And then the big issue of faith and reason. A whole chain of subjects, so to say, I could witness in person. And it was all highly interesting, and a great challenge, too.
EWTN.TV: It was Pope John Paul II who nominated Cardinal Ratzinger Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. What kind of relationship did they have? What kind of relationship did Pope Benedict, then Cardinal Ratzinger, have with the Pope who was, as we now know, a holy man?
Gänswein: Cardinal Ratzinger, that is to say, Pope Benedict, had contributed with a relatively long essay to a small, but beautiful little book that was published on the occasion of the canonization of John Paul II. An essay, in which he describes his relationship with the holy Pope John Paul II – after all, they had worked closely together for 23 years – and the great admiration he has for him. He spoke of him very often. It is of course a great gift, an immense grace, to work for so long, and so intensely, side by side with a man like John Paul II, facing also many a storm together! And the then Cardinal Ratzinger had to take many blows for John Paul II, since the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith clearly cannot be everybody’s darling: He has to offer his back, so that he can take the blows that are actually meant for the Pope.
EWTN.TV: How strong was his influence on the pontificate of John Paul II?
Gänswein: I am convinced of the fact that the pontificate of John Paul II was strongly influenced and supported not only by the person of the then Prefect of the Congregation of Faith, but also by his thoughts and his actions.
EWTN.TV: Pope Benedict once said that he had learned and understood much of John Paul II when he watched him celebrate Mass; when he saw how he prayed, how very united he was with God, far beyond his philosophical and mental capacities. What do you think when you watch Pope Benedict celebrate Mass, when you might be present while he is praying?
Gänswein: In fact, that is something I see every day, but especially since the moment I became secretary to Pope Benedict. Before, I was already his secretary, but we didn’t live together. It did happen that we celebrated Mass together, of course. But from the very moment of his election, it was no longer a work communion, but also a communion of life. And the daily Mass has become part of this life, then and today. It is moving to watch Pope Benedict during Mass simply abandon himself to what is happening, even now, in his old days, with all the physical handicaps that come with it; to see how intensely he enters the depths of prayer, but also afterwards, during the thanksgiving in front of the tabernacle, in front of the Most Blessed Sacrament. As far as I am concerned, it makes me enter the depths of prayer. That is highly motivating, and I am very thankful that I was given the chance to have an experience like this.
EWTN.TV: 2005 is the year that marked the end of the long and public suffering and death of John Paul II. How does Pope Benedict XVI remember this moment today? After all, with his resignation, he has chosen to let his own pontificate end in a different way…How does he remember the suffering and the death of John Paul II?
Gänswein: I remember very clearly what he said to me when he made me his secretary. He said: “We two are interim arrangements. I will soon retire, and you will accompany me until that moment comes.” That was in 2003. Time passed by…and then came 2005. The interim arrangement lasts and lasts. And he was really looking forward to having some time off in order to be able to finish writing his book about Jesus. But then things turned out differently. And, well, I think that after the death of Pope John Paul II he had other plans, hoping that the new Pope would let him take his leave, entering his well-deserved retirement. But once again, things turned out differently: he became Pope himself, and the Lord took him up on his promise once again. He had plans, but there was another who had different plans for him.
EWTN.TV: Did he expect – or fear – that in any way?
Gänswein: He certainly did not expect it – but, at a certain point, he might have feared it. In this context, I always remember his first press conference (as Pope), where he described the 19th of April, the day of his election when, in the late afternoon, the ballot was so clear that it became obvious that he would be elected. Well, the image he used, the one of the guillotine, was a very strong one, and full of tension. And later, in Munich, referring to the image of the bear of St. Corbinian, he said that the bear was actually supposed to accompany the then-bishop Corbinian to Rome, and then return to where he had come from, whereas he, unlike the bear in the legend, couldn’t go back, but has remained in Rome to this very day.
EWTN.TV: How was your first encounter, after he had become Pope? What did he say to you?
Gänswein: We had our first encounter in the Sistine Chapel, right under the Last Judgement. The cardinals had approached him and sworn obedience to him. And since I had been allowed to be present at the Conclave – Ratzinger, being the Deacon of the Cardinals, had the right to take a priest with him, and his choice had fallen on me – I was the last in the queue. There were others before me, I was the last. And in this very moment…I remember it so well…I can still see him, for the first time all dressed in white: white pileolus, white cassock, white hair – and all white in the face! Practically a whole small cloud of white…He sat there, and in this moment I granted the Holy Father my unconditional availability, promising him that I would always gladly do whatever he might ask of me; that he would always be able to count on me, that I would back him, and that I would gladly do so.
EWTN.TV: What were the joys of this pontificate? Usually, the burden of the Petrine ministry is what first comes to mind. But are there also moments, events, when you could feel the joy Pope Benedict experienced in carrying out his ministry?
Gänswein: There were, without any doubt, moments in which he felt utter joy, and also manifested it. I think, for example, of various encounters, not only during his travels. Encounters with the Successor of Peter are always special encounters; even here, during the General Audiences or the Private Audiences – and, in another, very special way, when he acts as officiant, that is, during the celebration of the Holy Mass or other liturgical celebrations. There were indeed moments full of joy, fulfilled with joy. And afterwards, he never failed to remark on it. It made him really happy.
EWTN.TV: Are there any events you remember particularly well, especially in connection with Pope Benedict’s visits to Germany, which we all remember vividly, for example the first World Youth Day?
Gänswein: Yes, well, the first encounter hadn’t been brought about by Pope Benedict himself, but by John Paul II. And so, in 2005, as we all know, it was Benedict’s turn to travel to Cologne. It was surely something great, something really moving. It was the first time in his life he met such an immense crowd of young people, who were all waiting for him! How will it go? Will the ice break, will the ice melt? Or will it take some time? And how will we get along with one another? But there was no ice at all! It simply worked, right from the start! And I think, he himself was more surprised by it than the young people he met.
EWTN.TV: What are the key messages of his Pontificate? His first encyclical letter was Deus Caritas est, “God Is Love.” The second one was dedicated to hope; his third encyclical, the one on faith, was passed on to his successor who completed it. Don’t you think that especially Deus Caritas est, so full of tenderness and poetic language, was something many didn’t expect?
Gänswein: Yes, one has to say, he published three encyclical letters. And we must not omit Caritas in veritate, which is very important. In fact, the one about the third theological virtue, faith, fides, was then published under his successor: Lumen fidei. But these four encyclicals clearly contain a fundamental message that has moved him his whole life long; a message he wanted to bequeath to men, to the Church.
Another constant of Pope Benedict is a very important word, a very important element: joy, “la gioia,” in Italian. He always spoke of the joy of faith, not of the burden, the hardship, the weight of faith, but of the joy that comes with it. And he said that this joy is an important fruit of faith – and also the one thing that gives men wings; that this is how faith gives human life wings: wings which, otherwise without faith, man would never have.
Another important thing for him is – obviously – liturgy, that is to say the direct encounter with God. Liturgy does not represent something theatrical – it means to be called into a relationship with the living God. And then, in theology, we have the person of Jesus Christ: not a historical “something,” a historical person long lost in the past. No, through the scriptures and liturgy, Jesus Christ comes into this world, here and now, and above all: he also comes into my own life. These are the pearls Pope Benedict has bestowed upon us. And we should treat these pearls very carefully, just as we do with precious jewelry.
EWTN.TV: This joy of faith is something Benedict never lost, despite often even heavy media criticism. He never really was the media’s darling, at least not as far as the German media are concerned. How did he account for that?
Gänswein: Well, I have to say, to me that is still a mystery. Whoever defends the truth of faith – to say it with Saint Paul – be it convenient or not, cannot always trigger joy. That is clear. Some essential things just aren’t for sale, and then there’s always a hail of criticism. But he has never answered to provocation, nor let himself be intimidated by criticism. Wherever the substance of the faith is at stake, he had no doubts, and always reacted explicitly, without any inner conflict whatsoever.
On other points, I have to say, there was a mixture of incomprehension, and also aggression, aggressiveness, that became like a clustered ball that consistently hit at the person of the Pope. The incomprehension of many, and especially the media, is still a mystery to me, something I have to take note of, but cannot sort out. I simply have no answer to it.
EWTN.TV: Pope Benedict was never shy about talking to journalists. In the introduction you wrote to the book Über den Wolken mit Papst Benedikt XVI. (Above the Clouds with Pope Benedict XVI), published to mark his 90th birthday – above the clouds, because it contains interviews often given during Papal flights – you state that these conversations reveal his particular cordiality, his often not understood or underestimated humanity…
Gänswein: Pope Benedict has never shunned away from personal contact with the media, with the journalists. And one great gift was that everything he says is well-worded, ready for printing. He was never shy about answering questions, even questions that were embarrassing – well, not embarrassing, but difficult. And that made it even more incomprehensible that it was exactly this corner from where the arrows came, where the fire was set – and for no clear reason at all. He, too, took notice of it. Of course, there were also things which offended, hurt him. Especially when it was clear to see that there was no reason at all, when you couldn’t help asking yourself: why this snappish remark, this acrimonious presentation? Things like that would hurt anyone, that’s only normal. But, on the other side, we also know that our measure is not the applause we get; our measure is inner righteousness, the example of the Gospel. That thought has always comforted him; it was the line of reasoning he has always pursued, until the end.
EWTN.TV: But was he also aware of the value of the media in the process of evangelization? After all, he has awarded the Medal Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice to Mother Angelica, founder of our television network, which means he must really appreciate her! How did he judge the role of the media in the concrete work of evangelization?
Gänswein: The media are an important means; a means that will become ever more important, especially in our time. He has never failed to recognize the value of the media, of the work done by the media and those who are behind it. Because media work is done by people, not by “something.” Behind every camera, every written word, every book, there is a person, there are people he appreciated, whose work he appreciated, regardless of what sometimes had been used or said against him.
EWTN.TV: One cannot think of Pope Benedict without rekindling the memory of his resignation. That is not about to change, and will continue to be a subject that stirs people’s interest. So I would like to ask you again: Did you see it coming? Was it clear to him that he would go down that road one day?
Gänswein: Well, as far as I’m concerned, I didn’t see it coming. If and since when he started to nurture this thought, is something I don’t know. The only thing I know is that he told me about it when the decision was already made. But I definitely didn’t see it coming – and that made the shock for me even greater.
EWTN.TV: In his latest memoirs – I refer to the interview-book Last conversations with Peter Seewald – Benedict XVI makes it very clear that external pressure or adversities would never have made him resign. So this cannot have been the case…
Gänswein: That’s right.
EWTN.TV: …So this is the final word that puts an end to the discussion on possible motives…
Gänswein: In another book – the penultimate project carried out with Peter Seewald in Castel Gandolfo – he had already answered the question whether or not a Pope could resign, in the affirmative. I don’t know in how far he had, already then, considered resignation, stepping back from his office, an option for himself. When you start to have thoughts like that, you do it for a reason. And he has named these reasons very openly…and very honestly, too, one has to say: the waning of his forces, spiritual and physical. The Church needs a strong navigator, and he didn’t have the feeling that he could be that strong navigator. That’s why he wanted to put the faculty bestowed upon him by Jesus back into His hands, so that the College of Cardinals could elect his successor. So obviously, the pontificate of Benedict XVI will also go down in history because of his resignation, that is clear, inevitable…
EWTN.TV: I found it really moving to watch him deliver his last speech to the priests of the diocese of Rome, the one on the Second Vatican Council. In that moment, I couldn’t help asking myself: Why does this man resign? There was clearly a spiritual force! It was an extemporaneous speech in which he exposed one more time his whole legacy, so to say, on the Second Vatican Council, expressing his wish it might one day be fulfilled…
Gänswein: In fact, that was in the Audience Hall. There was this traditional encounter, established many years ago, where the Pope, every Thursday after Ash Wednesday, met with the clergy of Rome, the clergy of his diocese. There were questions and answers, or even other forms of encounter. And in 2013, he was asked to talk about the Second Vatican Council, which he did. He delivered an extemporaneous speech in which he described, one more time and from his point of view, the whole situation and development of the Council, giving also his evaluation. It is something that will remain; something very important for the comprehension of the Second Vatican Council and Ratzinger’s interpretation of it. As far as I know, up to this day there is no other theologian who has defended the documents of the Second Vatican Council on so many levels, and so intensely and cogently as he did. And that is very important also for the inner life of the Church and the people of God!
EWTN.TV: And I think it is safe to say that he contributed to the shaping of the Council…
Gänswein: In fact, being the consultor, the advisor of Cardinal Frings, he did have a part in it. Many of the theological contributions of the Cardinal of Cologne had actually been written by Professor Ratzinger. There are lots of documents where you can clearly see that. And there are also dissertations on this subject which investigate into the possible influence of the then-Professor Ratzinger.
EWTN.TV: Let’s come back to the moment of his resignation, the very last hours. Whoever watched it on TV, was surely moved to see the helicopter departing for Castel Gandolfo. You, too, were visibly moved…And then, the final moment, when the doors in Castel Gandolfo closed. That was the moment when I – and I guess, many others – thought that we might never see Pope Benedict again. But then things turned out quite differently…
Gänswein: Yes, indeed, the farewell: the transfer to the heliport, the flight in the helicopter over the city of Rome to Castel Gandolfo, the arrival at the Papal Villa. And indeed, at 8 p.m. the closing of the doors. Before, Pope Benedict had delivered a short speech from the balcony, his farewell speech. And then? Well, the works in the monastery Mater Ecclesiae hadn’t been finished yet, so the question was: where could he stay? And the decision was quickly taken: the best option would be Castel Gandolfo. There he will have everything he needs, since no one knows how long the works will last; so he can stay there as long as necessary.
And so two months later, he returned to Rome, and has been living in the monastery Mater Ecclesiae ever since. He himself had said that he would withdraw, going up to the mountain in order to pray. He didn’t mean a withdrawal into private life, but into a life of prayer, meditation and contemplation, in order to serve the Church and his successor. His successor often told him that he shouldn’t hide. He invites him often to important public liturgies, consistories like – I remember it well – the inauguration ceremony of the Holy Year on the 8th of December 2015.
He is present, even when no one sees him. But often he has been seen. He simply wants to be present, as much as possible, while remaining all the same invisible.
EWTN.TV: Many people wish to meet him, and he allows them to. Does he enjoy these encounters? I myself had the chance of a brief encounter with him. There are still many people who ask to see him.
Gänswein: Yes, there are many people who ask to meet him; and many are sad when this is not possible. But those who come, are all very happy, very glad. And the same goes for him. Every encounter is also a sign of affection, a sign, so to say, of approval. And human encounters always do us good.
EWTN.TV: Do some of these people also ask him for advice?
Gänswein: Definitely. I’m convinced of that. I’m never there, though; these encounters are private. Of course, he sometimes talks about it, we talk about those visits. There are indeed people who seek his advice on personal matters. And I’m convinced that the advice they receive is indeed good…
EWTN.TV: Does he still receive many letters? Who writes to him?
Gänswein: People he has known in the past. And also people I don’t know, and he doesn’t know, but who have clearly re-discovered him through literature. They express their gratitude, their happiness, but also their worries: people from all around the world. The people who write to him are very different; they do not belong to the same category, no: it’s people of different ages, of different positions, from all walks of life, a complete mixture.
EWTN.TV: We have talked about “seeking advice:” Pope Francis, who is of a certain age himself, has always said that we should ask our grandparents for advice. Has Pope Francis ever asked Benedict for advice? What kind of relationship do they have?
Gänswein: Yes, indeed, in one of his interviews, Pope Francis is said to be happy about having a grandfather like Benedict – a “wise” grandfather: an adjective not to be omitted! And I am convinced that, as far as this is concerned, one thing or another will come up, or come out, from their contacts and encounters.
EWTN.TV: Your relationship with Benedict is a very close, very personal one. I don’t know if it would be appropriate to talk about a relationship between father and son. Have you ever talked with him about your future?
Gänswein: No.
EWTN.TV: It is known that you would love to engage in pastoral care, that you already do engage in pastoral care.
Gänswein: It was always like that: we didn’t talk about it. Only the very moment he said that he would resign, he asked me to accept the office I still hold. It was his decision, and he hadn’t talked with me about it beforehand. I was very skeptical, and remarked: “Holy Father, that might not be my thing. But if you think it is right for me, I will gladly and obediently accept it.” And he replied: “I do think so, and I ask you to accept.” That was the only time we talked about me and my future career.
EWTN.TV: What are the subjects you talk about? What are the issues that concern him in our world full of crises; what worries him about the situation of the Church?
Gänswein: Well, of course, Pope Benedict takes an interest in what happens in this world, in the Church. Every day, as the conclusion to the day, we watch the news on Italian TV. And he reads the newspapers, the Vatican press review. That is a large range of information. Often we also talk about actual issues that concern our world, about the latest developments here in the Vatican, and beyond the Vatican, or simply common memories regarding things happened in the past.
EWTN.TV: Is he very worried about the Church?
Gänswein: Of course, he has noted that the faith, the substance of the faith, is about to crumble, above all in his homeland, and that inevitably worries, troubles him. But he is not the kind of man – he never was and never will be – who will have the joy taken away from him! On the contrary: he brings his worries to his prayers, hoping that his prayers will help to put things right.
EWTN.TV: He brings them to his prayers and surely also to Holy Mass. On Sundays, he delivers homilies, and is also keeping notes. What happens to these notes?
Gänswein: Well, it is true that Pope Benedict comments on the Gospel. He does so every Sunday, and most of the time only in the presence of the (consecrated laywomen of) “Memores Domini” and myself. Sometimes there might also be a visitor, or – should I not be there – a fellow priest who will then concelebrate. His homilies are always extemporaneous. It is true, he has a sermon notebook, and he takes notes. And I have been asking myself the same question: what happens to these notes? Of course we will keep a record of them. I would like to ask him one day if he could take a look at the notes we have, in order to approve them. I don’t know, though, if that day will ever come.
EWTN.TV: Pope Benedict is undoubtedly one of the greatest theologians…as far as of our century is concerned, he surely is! He has been referred to as the “Mozart of theology.” In your introduction to the already mentioned book Über den Wolken mit Papst Benedikt XVI (Above the Clouds with Pope Benedict XVI) you wrote: “Pope Benedict XVI is a Doctor of the Church. And he has been my teacher up to this day.” What have you learned from him, maybe even in the last weeks?
Gänswein: As I already said, my theological thinking started with the reading of Ratzinger’s Introduction to Christianity. The theological teacher who accompanied my theological studies, and the time that followed, has always been the theologian Ratzinger, and still is. Being given the chance to meet him in person, to learn from his personal example, is of course an additional gift, something unexpected, and I am very grateful for that. I know it is a grace – a grace for which I will thank the Lord every single day.
EWTN.TV: So what could be, in your opinion, the lesson Pope Benedict would like us to learn from his pontificate?
Gänswein: His great concern was that the faith could evaporate. And it is surely his greatest wish that every man be in direct relationship with God, the Lord, with Christ, and that we might dedicate to this relationship our time, strength and affection. Whoever does that, will prove the same sentiment Benedict has in mind when he talks about “joy.” I think the greatest gift would be, if men allowed his proposal or what moved him, to become part of their lives.
EWTN.TV: Our wish to you: could you please assure Pope Benedict also in the name of our viewers, of our thankfulness, our sentiments of appreciation, and convey him our heartfelt best wishes for his 90th birthday! And thank you so much for this conversation!
Gänswein: Thank you. I will gladly convey your wishes, and thank you for having me!
[…]
This entire Synodolatry enterprise is a sham and a lie. It’s theological kabuki theater.
The stacking of the deck in the naming of participants, the comments by Synadolotrous officials like Cardinal Grech and others that reveal the real agenda, the disregard for Christ and His people that pervades the new ‘Catholique’ church of Bergoglio and the Jesuiticals — these are proof enough of the falsity of the process for anyone to see.
And it is so sadly apropos that this story run on this of all days.
Will we never stop crucifying our poor Lord?
A rainbow Church provokes greater alarm than a female diaconate. The first unbearably perverse, a process already happening, the latter livable under certain conditions. Cardinal Grech now flies his true rainbow colors, the gay ensign. It doesn’t mean he’s gay, similar to Biden on abortion. It’s fine for everyone else but perhaps not if he were aborted.
The premise is we have to live with the Grechs and Bidens, nevertheless we need not agree with them. Further, we mustn’t agree with either of them according to our faith. And further than that, we’re obliged to repudiate their illogical errors, as if one may proclaim they’re disciples of Christ when they disavow Christ’s teaching. Christ is not a figurehead like they used to carve on the bows of wooden ships. Those were the days of wooden ships and men of iron. Now it’s the day of iron ships and gingerbread men.
Taken at face value Grech’s comments sound like secular moral relativism. However, the Cardinal as many of the same persuasion cloak their comments and intentions in just enough ambiguity and nonsensical language to be able to claim innocent and righteous intentions that they disingenuously and pridefully presume and present to be confluent with the Word of God, while denigrating over 2000 years of traditional Catholic orthodox discernment and morality as outmoded and obsolete. Wolf in sheets clothing perhaps? Be wary! Sounds like a recipe for a multitude of separate catholic denominations much like what happened to the protestants after the so called reformation. Unity, I think not. Division is more likely.
Dear MD. What is the meaning of your second sentence, if it is a sentence at all? Please diagram it for me.
What is this? CWR morphing into English Grammar 101?
Not getting the gist of a lengthy second sentence fragment suggests a comprehension problem—a reading comprehension problem.
Mr. Connor:
Perhaps you could present your thoughts instead?
Amen. 😄
I think that writing and thinking is a difficult multi-task. Done it myself on occasion. Solution is to rewrite separately, proof read, copy-paste.
We get the point – diagramable or not.
Let’s suppose these heretics are successful. And let’s be clear, that’s what Grech and the illegitimate cabal usurping Church authority are: heretics. What then? No Catholic can accept these proposed heresies in good conscience.
To reject is an easy part. Then what? For example, after ‘FS’ I published my paper about that. I publicly rejected it. I have no idea if our priests are prepared to do those blessings or not; ‘FS’ has never been mentioned by them. We do not have a bishop so I have no one to address for a clarification.
The issue I would like to discuss: supposedly a heresy is here, what are our actions? NB: the heresy will be very subtle.
One of the great intercessions at Good Friday liturgy is for ‘heretics and schismatics.’ I’d not previously decided or determined that the pope and his cohort were formal heretics or schismatics. HOWEVER, they certainly seem to be removing one by one the stumbling blocks in the way of their attaining and taking on that final destination-definition.
I’d not planned to pray for the pope and his cohort at this great intercession, but I was moved to include them there during that prayer. May they all return wholeheartedly to the Church and the God who loves them.
On target, as usual, meiron.
Anna, you write that the “heresy will be very subtle.” Whether Fiducia Supplicans fails in cleverness and actually is a heresy, or instead is a fallacy that then stumbles into explicit heresy, is subtle a point clarified by Cardinal Muller…
Responding to your/our desire for intelligent discussion: https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2024/02/does-fiducia-supplicans-affirm-heresy
True.
About the limits to so-called “’unity of differences’ rather than ‘uniformity of thought,’” we have this from emeritus Pope Benedict XVI:
“In reality this process of dividing-up only reflects the divisions in man’s mind and in the world [Grech’s ‘situations’]; indeed, the process only serves to intensify them. But Jesus did not come to divide the world but to unite it (cf. Eph 2:11-22). It is the one who ‘gathers’ with Jesus, who works against the process of scattering, ruin and dismemberment, who finds the real Jesus (cf. Lk 11:23).” [And regarding Scriptural sources and their interpretation]: “…its explanatory power is also its ability to unify, to achieve a synthesis, which is the reverse of superficial harmonization” (Ratzinger, “Behold the Pierced One,” Ignatius, 1986, pp.44-45).
“Superficial harmonization!” Behold the centrifugal synodal “roundtables,” then the “experts” in front of the synods, and then the “study groups” in front of the experts!
The rule is, “when you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.”
But, maybe the incomparable Cardinal Grech didn’t get that memo.
Returning to the ten themes identified earlier for the (now preemptive?) study groups, here are some early questions posted on CWR by yours truly only two weeks ago:
1. About the East, how to avoid quarantining of the recently estranged Eastern Orthodox Church, like all of the Church in Africa, as just another culturally defective “special case;”
2. About the “cry of the poor” as not excluding those who are impoverished spiritually and culturally (as noted in the less exclusionary teaching of Centesimus Annus, n. 57);
3. In the digital environment, yes!, the preservation of analogue reality over a Nominalist digital cosmos, and even AI; and affirmation in season and out of season of the “transcendent dignity of [each] human person,” and of the “real” Vatican Council in its Documents over the “virtual” council as is still peddled by clones of Hans Kung;
4. A “missionary perspective” which, however, clearly does not marginalize (a new “periphery”!) the received and missionary Deposit of Faith, with digital sociology;
5. Attention to “ministerial forms” in a way that now does not mutilate the unity of sacramental ordination, as has been pioneered with redefined ministerial “blessings” (Fiducia Supplicans), and such that the diaconate is not similarly rendered as both a sacrament and not-a-sacrament, and as a stepping stone (“walking together”!) toward an Anglicanized female priestess-hoody;
6. About “ecclesial organizations,” wording that does not dilute the individual and personal accountability of each Successor of the Apostles, versus the leveling administrative convenience of conferences of bishops, even if synodally “continental”—a matter already settled and clarified scripturally and in Apostolos Suos (May 21, 1998);
7. On the selection, judicial role and meaning of ad limina visits for bishops, perhaps guidance on how better to transcend the progressive intrusion of the zeitgeist into the particular Churches—as less polyhedral than equally rooted in the incarnate Jesus Christ, “the same yesterday, today, and forever;”
8. On papal representatives in a missionary synodal perspective, surely a functional role, still, for the Dicastery on the Doctrine of the Faith—as the Magisterium now preserves both faith and explicitly (!) morals (the natural law about which the Church is neither the “author” nor the “arbiter,” Veritatis Splendor, n. 95).
9. Theological criteria (etc.) for first distinguishing what is only controverted (!) from what else might be actually controversial,” and certainly without schizophrenic separation of the pastoral from the doctrinal—as earlier Nestorianism, likewise, tried to split the unity of Jesus Christ in twain;
10.Handling of ecumenical journey and ecclesial practices which, nevertheless, does not in practice redefine the Eucharistic and Mystical Body of Christ, now as a contour-free, congregational mosaic—”walking together” out of step with the “hierarchical communion” of the perennial Church and the Second Vatican Council (Lumen Gentium); and where, in the forwardist future, wide-screen congregational “synods” [and now study groups!] might even pretend to replace (“backwardist”?) internally coherent ecumenical councils.
[Yea, verily, on these self-evident questions, instead of the Cornerstone, the “Keystone Kops”!
I have attended Passion Thursday and Friday and today I was planning to go to the Easter Vigil.
However, I am in a very unsuitable mood for that i.e. full of anger and despair. Yesterday the priest delivered the homily and he managed to say nothing about Christ’s Passion (pain, suffering – on Good Friday!) but instead was going on about “open your hearts to receive God’s unconditional love, “come as you are” etc. things which I call PF’s church’s stuff. In effect he created a gnostic Christ, pain-free, no problem, no conditions. I despise that cheap stuff, “cheep grace” is Bonhoeffer put it.
It is pointless to say anything to that priest because he strikes me as “an effective manager” – his words are incredibly smooth, he does not talk to but talk at a person, nods to everything but does what he wants.
So, Good Friday became my last drop. It was not the worst thing I have seen but somehow it has finished me. Such people (and those in the article) remove Christ from the churches. This is what they do! While Our Lord in the Holy Communion is there those people make it psychologically impossible to experience Him!
To me it is a very real problem. I now feel “I do not want to go to church”. It is the first time in my life in the Church (more than three decades).
You are not alone. I’ve felt that way for years.
But go anyway. Your job is to suffer with Christ. Your complaints may well be fully justified, but are you sure they’ll get you to heaven?
Not only I am not sure but I do not think the way you described. What you called “complaints” was a desperation of someone who reached the end of her personal strength re: the situation in the Church (and most likely was also tempted as well). Frankly, it was the first time in my life. I firmly believe that we should share such feelings and support each other. I got the support I needed from the participants here – although I read the comment after I went to the Vigil. I am grateful for the prayers.
I think the Church would be healthier if the believers freely shared such things – not the secondary things but theological i.e. about minimizing Jesus Christ in the Church, pushing Him from the center. It is impossible to cope with that on one’s own. We need to work out how to resist. If “they” now form the anti-church we must stay together to withstand that.
Anna:
I fully understand, and I agree with your characterization of that what is being orchestrated is abusive rape of the Church by these false shepherds and false priests.
May the Holy Spirit strengthen you and keep you at the cross, all the way through this agony, and show you a parish where you can worship Christ in spirit and in truth.
I believe you will never leave Christ, so I can only say and pray: seek and ye shall find, knock, and the door will be opened.
God be with you at this hour Anna.
Chris, in the Greek the “seek … knock” are gerunds – present participles.
“Keep on seeking … keep on knocking”
Related to another teaching of our Lord, about asking for an egg and being given a scorpion.
But you are not children, and those you ask [pray to] are not loving like the ones he spoke to.
Now what?
Doug:
If one might be praying to men, one might not be understanding what one is doing, would one?
But as to understanding, one might ask you what it is exactly that you seek, Doug? Can you say what you seek, or is that too much to ask?
Or must we content ourselves that you bother to condescend to us by way of your mysteries ?
Now I read it fully. As I said in my previous comment, today, on the Passion Saturday, I truly feel that the various “stuff” which those people were feeding the Church is coming out of my ears. There is no space left. That “stuff” has nothing to do with Christ so those people attempt to rape the Church with something totally contrary to Our Lord.
I used the word “rape” deliberately. I truly perceive their actions to be a spiritual abuse, of the Church of Christ and of me, personally. Being a lay person, I am not protected from the homilies which are contrary to our faith, which undermine Christ and even make out of Him someone Who is not He. I cannot interrupt a homily and shout at a priest “stop twisting Our Lord!” so I have to sit and swallow whatever they say, boiling inside. Interestingly, it is an exact vector of an abuse, when a victim is powerless and cannot say anything. How does one cope with an abuse she cannot escape? – Via going numb. And, since it is impossible to be selectively numb, a believer becomes numb to Christ present in the Gospels and the Holy Communion. This is my current dilemma in the Church, how to connect to Christ in an environment that is often hostile to Him.
As for “synodality”, our Easter bulletin announces a talk about it and I even thought about attending, just to know what to expect next. Alas, that talk is to happen in a “man only environment”. I could have said that I identify myself as a man)).
Anna, Christ is crucified. Go worship Him. He has silently descended. At the moment, we can only hear the noise of the world. Wake up! Run behind the Magdalene to look for Him. He has risen! No one can steal Him from us. Jesus Christ is Lord.
“All the privilege I claim for my own sex (it is not a very enviable one, you need not covet it) is that of loving longest, when existence or when hope is gone.” Jane Austen, Persuasion
What a great great quote from Great Jane.
Amen
Dear Anna,
I am so sorry to hear that you’re feeling so alienated from our Lord and what He’s done for us.
I imagine that the ratfaced evil one is rejoicing this morning at its unexpected victory over one of its enemy’s staunchest and most beloved believers.
I will pray for you, dearest sister in Jesus.
If we focus on them, outside ourselves, we risk missing the Kingdom of God within us. God calls us to help Him carry the Cross of His Sacrifice for our sins. “Pray, brethren, that my sacrifice and YOURS may be acceptable to God the Father Almighty.”
Happy Easter! Stay Catholic.
Anna, what you’re suffering is experienced throughout most of the Church. As a priest I have a clear vision of what’s being denied the faithful. Laity have to suffer this form of crucifixion. If it were within my power I would rectify it. Know too that you go to Mass first and above all for the living Christ in the Holy Eucharist. It’s our love for him, for which he thirsts that ultimately matter. Pray for the many clergy who are securing their own doom as well as that of many laity.
It is very important for me to hear a priest saying this.
We had a good bishop for years, he was a true keeper of faith. Now, when he was promoted, things appear to go downhill. Worst of all, I have no recourse to the bishop now (I used to write to him when I saw really bad things (theology, liturgical abuse etc.)).
Two things came up for me as I read your posts. First, you are not alone. Though we individually seek a relationship with God, one of the purposes of the Church is that we unite with others in seeking and worshiping God, His Son, and the Holy Spirit. The second thing that came to me was John Paul II comforting words, “Be not afraid”. This is Christ’s church, and he remains its head. When we attempt to take upon us the Church’s problems, our shoulders are not nearly strong enough to carry them. However, that burden is not ours, but is the Lord’s to carry and he does. Our responsibility is to continue to pray, to forgive, to love, and to seek forgiveness.
We stood with the crowds and shouted for the release of Barabbas rather than Jesus the Christ. We must focus on our many failures, shortcomings, and sins. It is too much for us to look for the faults of others. Tomorrow, we celebrate the empty tomb, and we have much for which to rejoice.
As an aside, it would be appropriate to tell your priest how much you enjoy hearing about Jesus on Good Friday. Let our Master lead him to the cross.
I feel it is my duty to interfere when a priest twists Christ/puts a false teaching. It is my duty because I have the knowledge (theology) and I cannot be silent (Orthodox theology teaches that a laity must protect the Church teaching as well). If I am silent, I betray Christ and other parishioners who may not have the knowledge. And so I did it in the past on some occasions after a prayer, speaking privately but very straightforwardly.
The current situation is different. I once attempted to speak to the priest in question after he did something very serious, something that badly affected the meaning of Holy Communion. He is impenetrable and totally non-engaging; he continues doing what he is doing. So, it became clear to me that there is no point any more. And this is the most difficult thing for me, to be silent and witness all that.
“We must focus on our many failures, shortcomings, and sins. It is too much for us to look for the faults of others.”
100% agreed re: their personal faults. But it is different when a priest or laity starts teaching a fake. It is not about them; it is about what is coming out of their mouth and poisons the Body of Christ. I do not care if a priest is bad tempered or a drunkard (apart from a concern for his health) if he teaches the truth.
Anna,
You have my empathic sympathy. One year, literally I plugged my ears against hearing a priest’s atheistic homilies. Offering my roiling emotions up to the good Lord as atonement also helped me through.
Wishing you a blessed Easter.
Anna, Christ suffered, died and rose for you because of God’s perfect love. Anything said by a cleric contrariwise, ought to be dismissed. Never allow a cleric to interfere with your love of Christ and your worship of God.
Anna above – Some preaching is abysmal and off-putting (understatement). Fortunately, lousy preaching, while reflective of lousy thinking, is not the core of our liturgy.
I am lucky to be able to counteract a questionable Good Friday homily I just sat through with what I know will be a solid one on Easter Sunday at a different location.
Forgive me Lord for I have sinned. For I cannot resist the perception that His Holiness is clutching The Little Red Book in his right hand. Smiling as would a puppetmaster as his Cardinal Grech proclaims the dreaded Rainbow Church. A Church of embrace sans the exchange of promises.
Anna, what you’re suffering as you’re surely aware is this newly proclaimed Church of rainbow color. Suffering experienced throughout most of the Church. As a priest I have a clear vision of what’s being denied the faithful. Laity have to suffer this form of crucifixion. If it were within my power I would rectify it. Know too that you go to Mass first and above all for the living Christ in the Holy Eucharist. It’s our love for him, for which he thirsts that ultimately matters.
With his reference to the loaded “rainbow” Church, His Enemance has lost all remaining credibility. The fluid “non-uniformity of thought” is known as procedural positivism; in the Islamic world as consensus “abrogation;” and now in the ecclesial world as both—synodalized process theology.
Too bad that St. Paul admonishes us to think spiritually and become a new person! Too bad, this: “do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–His good, perfect and perfect will” (Romans 12:2). Mind? And, as for God’s will, too bad that in the Lord’s Prayer—given (!) to us by the incarnate Jesus Christ—we petition together: “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” As it is in heaven?
But, now, we are tutored that the correct translation from Aramaic is “Thy will be harmonized and conformed (!) to a ‘diversity of situations’ and only similar (!) to what is in heaven.”
The mischief of an extra “i” (as in self-referential!) becoming “homoiousios” at Nicaea (“similar”); and now as in “decide” becoming “deicide” at Synod 2024? The pygmies are in charge…
Dear Anna, when I am dismayed by a priests words I simply turn to Our Lord present in the tabernacle and offer words of love to Him. I also ask Him to send out upon me, others present and especially the priest, the Holy Spirit. Then I let go and let God work. Diane
St. Margaret of Antioch is a patroness invoked against diabolical infestation. The Devil in the guise of a dragon came to seduce her when she had been jailed and she made the sign of the cross and banished him.
She is one of the 14 Holy Helpers and a guide, on the testimony of St. Joan of Arc, to St. Joan of Arc.
‘ Saint Marguerite and Olibrius, also known as Marguerite keeping the sheep Hours of Étienne Chevalier, illuminated by Jean Fouquet. Paris, Louvre Museum, Department of Miniatures and Illuminations, MI 1093. Photo RMN This episode from the life of Saint Marguerite is borrowed from the Golden Legend of Jacques de Voragine. Fouquet captured the moment when the prefect Olibrius, returning to his castle, detached himself from his suite to contemplate Marguerite, with whom he had suddenly fallen in love. Indifferent to the gaze that falls on her, the young shepherdess, standing near her companions, spins the distaff while tending her nurse’s animals in front of a peaceful countryside landscape, where the fields extend as far as the eye can see. ‘
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Legend#/media/File:Sainte_Marguerite_et_Olibrius.jpg
https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=199
Anna. I wonder how your priest would react if the next time you were at Mass, you took out a pair of headphones (not earbuds but the larger ones that cover your ears) and put them on. You could listen to some Gregorian chant while you pray or read the text of the Mass, go to Communion, etc. I guess I don’t know if that would negate your Sunday obligation if you confined it to the homily. Maybe someone who knows more could say.
After experiencing the hit-and-miss of the Novus Ordo for decades, we were blessed with the chance to attend a diocesan TLM with a competent priest, at least until it is shut down.
Dear Anna, I understand your disappointment and disgust with your mass experience. Assuming that you attend the Novus Ordo, may I suggest attending a traditional Latin Mass? If you do, leave your Novus Ordo experience in your car. Attend the Latin Mass and just experience and absorb it, and fall in love. You will be in my prayers.
One final comment to the group at large… I find the notes of support and understanding for Anna from the usual contributors to be nothing short of acts of love. My heart is comforted.
Thank you so much to everyone who responded and prayed! It was very important for me to hear that I am not alone in all that awfulness. I cannot thank you enough!
I went to the Easter Vigil. I had a clear experience which I want to share. The Easter vigil is my favorite service. I usually feel joy because of the resurrection of Our Lord. This time there was no joy at all and also an enormous crushing sadness. I could not really “hear” the words of the Scriptures (I think they read five of them). I mean I heard them, tried to read them but I could not connect as if my brain was muffled. Then suddenly all was lifted up when they read the following words of the prophet Ezekiel:
‘Son of man, the members of the House of Israel used to live in their own land, but they defiled it by their conduct and actions. I then discharged my fury at them because of the blood they shed in their land and the idols with which they defiled it. I scattered them among the nations and dispersed them in foreign countries. I sentenced them as their conduct and actions deserved. And now they have profaned my holy name among the nations where they have gone…”
That text sounded in my ears like it is happening now, that the Church profanes God’s name and defiles itself with the idols. After that I lost the ability to understand anything. I believe that is the message for the Church. It was like a bell ringing.
During the homily I witnessed the same priest doing IT again. What he did: he said that the women went to the Tomb to anoint the Body of Our Lord but it was not there. So, he said, they could not anoint Him, their plans were disrupted – and this is what we should learn, to let God alter our plans. It was totally mad. What are “the plans” of those women? They were desperate; when they heard the angel telling them “He is risen!” they were both afraid and rejoiced. Which plans? So, his discourse totally ignored women as persons. His message about “plans” does not work here because one cannot use something high and grand (Resurrection) as a tool to teach about something low and small in comparison (our plans). In effect, a priest reduced the Resurrection; he did not say anything about Our Lord. Not a word!
This is truly awful, brothers and sisters. It was that warped psychology, depersonalization (of women and Christ both) again (about which I wrote so much) that is capable of “to destroy” Christ in the minds of believers.
Anna, responding here only to the notion of disrupted “plans”….
Yes, contrary to the historical and alarming event of the Resurrection, we do notice how all of our self-sufficient plans, at least as far back as the so-called Enlightenment, have been one gnostic failure after another. Even in the post-Christian ivory towers of inevitable Progress, such merely academic and worldly optimism—not the same as “hope,” which is a theological virtue!—was undeniably sucked into the trenches of World War I. A house of cards…
The Secularist Project, or “plan,” in all of its sophisticated variations has been permanently disrupted—and refuses to be embalmed and buried. Even philosophically, Etienne Gilson reminds us that “metaphysics always buries its undertakers.”
And, yet, we members of the Eucharistic Church are called to engage the world, even and especially in these dark times. Good news for us—clarified as early as the 4th and 5th-century Donatist Controversy—that the Consecration is valid and effective regardless of the sometimes superficial cerebral or even moral stature of the ordained priest.
“the Church as a ‘rainbow,’ with more flexibility in pastoral approaches and teaching in different places”
Is there any wonder that the Church in Malta (and most of western Europe) is dying?
God, come to our assistance. Lord make HASTE to help us!