We Have a Pope !
We Have a Pope! Benedict XVI
(an Excerpt)
by Matthew Bunson
Introduction
The idea for this book was first conceived several years ago during a conversation with Greg Erlandson, president and publisher of Our Sunday Visitor. We were discussing the flurry of activities that was likely to surround the passing of Pope John Paul II and the election of his successor. While aware even then of the magnitude of John Paul II no one was prepared for the depth of emotion, the spiritual power, and the sheer historical significance of his funeral we both realized clearly the amount of interest there would be in the next pope to be chosen to follow in the footsteps of John Paul the Great.
It occurred to Greg that a biography, published immediately after the election of the new pope, might go some way in introducing Our Sunday Visitor's readers to our new pope.
From the start, we were determined that such a biography should not be merely a project crashed through the editorial process and rushed out into print to be number one. There will be several such books published over the next weeks and months. Nor is this book expected to be a final definitive biography of the new Vicar of Christ. Such a work must by its nature be the fruit of long reflection and undertaken after the shape and scope of the new pontificate can be assessed adequately. The very length of this book would preclude such ambitions and be impossible owing to its chief aim.
This book is intended to offer a first gentle introduction to the new Vicar of Christ, Successor to Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, and the Servant of the Servants of God. What we hope with this present volume is to provide readers with a sketch of sorts of the amazing events of the last weeks: the passing of Pope John Paul II as an eloquent icon of suffering conformed profoundly to Christ; the largest and most memorable funeral in Catholic history; the quiet but portentous days after John Paul's interment in St. Peter's Basilica, the ancient tradition of the conclave; and the triumphant declaration of the white smoke, the ringing of the bells, and Cardinal Medina Estevez's declaration, "Habemus papam!" From there, attention will be paid to the life of Joseph Ratzinger who is now our shepherd as Pope Benedict XVI. Throughout, readers will find excerpts from his brilliant writings and accounts of the events that shaped his life.
The last chapter of this book is devoted to assessing the challenges, crises, and opportunities confronting Pope Benedict XVI, with an eye toward forecasting what he might do in dealing with them. We do not know what kind of a pope he will be or what he has in store for all of us who still mourn the passing of our beloved Karol Wojtyla.
And so a new pontificate commences, the 265th in the 2,000 year history of the Church. Papal history gives us little to go on for direction in anticipating what the next years will bring. Pope Benedict XVI is a pontiff aware acutely of the place of John Paul II the Great who is likely to be declared in the future John Paul II the Great, Doctor of the Church, and perhaps even a saint. The burdens of the papacy are heavy indeed, and the Shoes of the Fisherman are difficult to fill for any one pope. Pope Benedict XVI begins his pontificate with a double challenge. Not only has he been asked to succeed to the Holy See and so inherit the challenges of his 264 predecessors, he is a new pope following one of history's transcendent figures.
In assuming his place as successor to John Paul II and also to Saint Peter and all of the popes between them, Joseph Ratzinger as Benedict XVI offers a chance to see the faith alive within the context of continuity and consolidation: Continuity in the decision of the College of Cardinals to provide certitude to the continuation of John Paul's own grand vision for the Church in a new millennium and consolidation in advancing further that vision in dialogue with a deeply troubled and conflicted world.
There is no question that Joseph Ratzinger was the best known, most famous, and most influential member of the College of Cardinals. He was the most towering figure entering a conclave since 1939 when Eugenio Pacelli entered as Secretary of State and Cardinal Camerlengo, along with a sparkling reputation for his diplomatic and intellectual gifts. Joseph Ratzinger emerged from the conclave in 2005 as Supreme Pontiff for many of the same reasons that Pacelli walked out of his in 1939 as Pope Pius XII. In its collective wisdom, guided by the Holy Spirit, the Sacred College concluded in four ballots over two days that he was ideally suited to carry forward the legacy of John Paul II in continuity and consolidation while remaining firmly and eloquently faithful to his own gifts and his authentic commitment to the Catholic faith.
The challenges he faces are daunting, but Benedict XVI has long been preparing for this moment. He did not choose to be pope. Indeed, he did not even wish to remain in the positions of power he had been given by the man he succeeds. Then Cardinal Ratzinger tried to leave as prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith in the early 1990's. But John Paul II, his friend and pope, asked him to remain a laborer in the vineyard. And so he remained. Now, at the age of 78, the oldest pontiff in nearly three centuries at the time of his election (older even than Blessed John XXIII at the time of his election in 1958), Joseph Ratzinger has one more task to accomplish. He must undertake one more labor in the vineyard. This time he has been asked by his fellow Cardinals. More importantly, he has been asked by the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit who called him to serve as a priest, who set him aside to be a bishop and a cardinal, and who has guided every step of his life as a follower of Christ.
While his pontificate may prove long or short, great or transitional, Pope Benedict XVI has been chosen for this role by his fellow Cardinals. Above all, he has been chosen by the Holy Spirit. That truth alone should bring hope and confidence.
(an Excerpt)
by Matthew Bunson
Introduction
The idea for this book was first conceived several years ago during a conversation with Greg Erlandson, president and publisher of Our Sunday Visitor. We were discussing the flurry of activities that was likely to surround the passing of Pope John Paul II and the election of his successor. While aware even then of the magnitude of John Paul II no one was prepared for the depth of emotion, the spiritual power, and the sheer historical significance of his funeral we both realized clearly the amount of interest there would be in the next pope to be chosen to follow in the footsteps of John Paul the Great.
It occurred to Greg that a biography, published immediately after the election of the new pope, might go some way in introducing Our Sunday Visitor's readers to our new pope.
From the start, we were determined that such a biography should not be merely a project crashed through the editorial process and rushed out into print to be number one. There will be several such books published over the next weeks and months. Nor is this book expected to be a final definitive biography of the new Vicar of Christ. Such a work must by its nature be the fruit of long reflection and undertaken after the shape and scope of the new pontificate can be assessed adequately. The very length of this book would preclude such ambitions and be impossible owing to its chief aim.
This book is intended to offer a first gentle introduction to the new Vicar of Christ, Successor to Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, and the Servant of the Servants of God. What we hope with this present volume is to provide readers with a sketch of sorts of the amazing events of the last weeks: the passing of Pope John Paul II as an eloquent icon of suffering conformed profoundly to Christ; the largest and most memorable funeral in Catholic history; the quiet but portentous days after John Paul's interment in St. Peter's Basilica, the ancient tradition of the conclave; and the triumphant declaration of the white smoke, the ringing of the bells, and Cardinal Medina Estevez's declaration, "Habemus papam!" From there, attention will be paid to the life of Joseph Ratzinger who is now our shepherd as Pope Benedict XVI. Throughout, readers will find excerpts from his brilliant writings and accounts of the events that shaped his life.
The last chapter of this book is devoted to assessing the challenges, crises, and opportunities confronting Pope Benedict XVI, with an eye toward forecasting what he might do in dealing with them. We do not know what kind of a pope he will be or what he has in store for all of us who still mourn the passing of our beloved Karol Wojtyla.
And so a new pontificate commences, the 265th in the 2,000 year history of the Church. Papal history gives us little to go on for direction in anticipating what the next years will bring. Pope Benedict XVI is a pontiff aware acutely of the place of John Paul II the Great who is likely to be declared in the future John Paul II the Great, Doctor of the Church, and perhaps even a saint. The burdens of the papacy are heavy indeed, and the Shoes of the Fisherman are difficult to fill for any one pope. Pope Benedict XVI begins his pontificate with a double challenge. Not only has he been asked to succeed to the Holy See and so inherit the challenges of his 264 predecessors, he is a new pope following one of history's transcendent figures.
In assuming his place as successor to John Paul II and also to Saint Peter and all of the popes between them, Joseph Ratzinger as Benedict XVI offers a chance to see the faith alive within the context of continuity and consolidation: Continuity in the decision of the College of Cardinals to provide certitude to the continuation of John Paul's own grand vision for the Church in a new millennium and consolidation in advancing further that vision in dialogue with a deeply troubled and conflicted world.
There is no question that Joseph Ratzinger was the best known, most famous, and most influential member of the College of Cardinals. He was the most towering figure entering a conclave since 1939 when Eugenio Pacelli entered as Secretary of State and Cardinal Camerlengo, along with a sparkling reputation for his diplomatic and intellectual gifts. Joseph Ratzinger emerged from the conclave in 2005 as Supreme Pontiff for many of the same reasons that Pacelli walked out of his in 1939 as Pope Pius XII. In its collective wisdom, guided by the Holy Spirit, the Sacred College concluded in four ballots over two days that he was ideally suited to carry forward the legacy of John Paul II in continuity and consolidation while remaining firmly and eloquently faithful to his own gifts and his authentic commitment to the Catholic faith.
The challenges he faces are daunting, but Benedict XVI has long been preparing for this moment. He did not choose to be pope. Indeed, he did not even wish to remain in the positions of power he had been given by the man he succeeds. Then Cardinal Ratzinger tried to leave as prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith in the early 1990's. But John Paul II, his friend and pope, asked him to remain a laborer in the vineyard. And so he remained. Now, at the age of 78, the oldest pontiff in nearly three centuries at the time of his election (older even than Blessed John XXIII at the time of his election in 1958), Joseph Ratzinger has one more task to accomplish. He must undertake one more labor in the vineyard. This time he has been asked by his fellow Cardinals. More importantly, he has been asked by the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit who called him to serve as a priest, who set him aside to be a bishop and a cardinal, and who has guided every step of his life as a follower of Christ.
While his pontificate may prove long or short, great or transitional, Pope Benedict XVI has been chosen for this role by his fellow Cardinals. Above all, he has been chosen by the Holy Spirit. That truth alone should bring hope and confidence.
posted by angelo at 2:28 PM
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