Reflections and Responses from Professors at the Holy Cross on H. H. Benedict XVI's decision to resign and the election of Pope Francis
Some professors at the Holy Cross reflect and respond about the His Holiness Benedict XVI's decision to resign and the election of Pope Francis.
✎ Reflections and Responses from Professors at the Holy Cross
"WE WON'T BE LEFT ORPHANS"
H. E. Msgr. Javier Echevarría, Prelate of Opus Dei and Chancellor of University
WHAT POPE FRANCIS THINK
Prof. Giovanni Tridente, Professor of Ethics of information
Article on documetazione.info (ita)
A GLOBAL AGENDA FOR THE CHURCH
Rev. Prof. Angel Rodríguez Luño, Dean of the School of Theology
VIEWPOINT: THE POPE AS CEO
Rev. Prof. Robert Ghal, Professor of Ethics
THE SOLITUDE OF THE CARDINALS (LA SOLITUDINE DEI CARDINALI)
Dr. Joaquín Navarro-Valls, Visiting Professor of the School of Church Communication
RECENT PONTIFICATES AND THEIR RELATION TO THE POWER
Msgr. Mariano Fazio, Visiting Professor for the School of Communication
Article published in La Nación (esp)
MAY BE SOMEONE HAS TO APOLOGIZE TO BENEDICT XVI
Prof. Diego Contreras, Professor of Analysis and Practice of Information
Go to the reflection on www.laiglesiaenlaprensa.com
BENEDICT XVI: A GRATITUDE DUTY (synthesis)
Rev. Prof. Giuseppe Tanzella-Nitti, Professor of Fundamental Theology
The end of a pontificate always generates reflection, regardless of the circumstances that cause it. After the death of John Paul II, we understood how rich a Magisterium can be when it is developed and handed down faithfully over 27 years. His focus on dialog between faith and culture leaves an immense legacy, to which this portal's countless articles bear witness. Benedict XVI's focus on the relationship between faith and reason causes us to pause and reflect in a similar way upon the new legacy being offered to us. Though extended over a smaller period of time, it is nonetheless just as meaningful.
Many media outlets are proposing keys for interpreting Benedict XVI's resignation, underlining that they can help explain the Church's internal situation as well as the road she is choosing for the future. Others are offering helpful analysis about his pontificate, and the role that liturgy, faith, and reason take within it. In this article, we would like to offer a few ideas relevant to our own Portal's specific focus on faith and science.
For the first time, on April 20, 2005, a University professor rose to the Pontificate, boasting 600 publications and an impressive intellectual and ecclesiastical experience. During these years, spent immersed in an atmosphere of debate and study, Joseph Ratzinger developed the thought that he would later bring to the Chair of Peter. In this atmosphere one of his Pontificate's central themes also took form: Love for Truth. His message delivered at the Sapienza University of Rome is perhaps the most eloquent address on the topic, and is worth re-reading today. He spoke about the University as a place for seeking Truth, which in turn, founds and guarantees a University's autonomy and legitimate privileges. Truth certainly surpasses us--we do not possess it--yet Benedict XVI never opposed it to dialogue, nor to a legitimate freedom of thought. At the same time, he always emphasized that human thought cannot help but tend toward, and be attracted to, the Truth. In this way, he clarified the substantial difference between pluralism and relativism, between the Absolute and absolutisms.
Another theme the Pope sought to affirm was man's capacity to recognize a Creator Logos in nature. Perhaps his homily during the Easter Vigil on April 23, 2011 is the best reference in this regard. Reason, which is also Love--not irrationality or blind necessity--forms the foundation of everything. In fact, the correspondence between nature, and the human capacity to read and decode it, is astounding. He even described nature as an open book that speaks to us of the Creator, one that stands as complementary with Scripture. It is interesting to note that the Pope who has just resigned is also the man who spoke with astronauts orbiting in the international space station ISS in 2011, and reminded the world that 2009 began the International Year of Astronomy dedicated to Galileo. It is also the same man who gave a prestigious CERN's researcher a copy of Vatican II's message to intellectuals, showing how the Church wishes to dialog with the modern world and contemporary physics.
In continuity with these themes, we believe that Benedict XVI wanted to pay profound attention to recognizing the moral, natural law in man's heart. Upon these grounds, he often emphasized, rests the possibility of building a truly human society. The appeal to so called "non-negotiable values" is not the fruit of authoritatively imposing abstract doctrine, but rather the condition that provides the law with logical coherence, and the transcendent basis for being able to demand it in the first place. For this reason Christianity has a lot to say within political and civil society, reminding her that utilitarian and conventionalist ethics that renounce an essential connection with truth and goodness are ultimately illusory. Any culture that places the person and his freedom in its center is surely indebted to the Christian roots that nourished it. Rejecting those roots translates--and in fact, is now translating--into regression and dangerous involution on the cultural and spiritual levels.
The magisterium of a Roman Catholic Pontiff is never solely addressed to the Church's faithful. He is concerned for all humanity and wants to reach out to each individual. Surely in this way the teachings of John Paul II and Benedict XVI show supreme continuity.
Believers and non-believers alike recognize Benedict XVI's disinterested and sincere service to mankind. It is this recognition that inspirers their gratitude, as they witness with profound respect a Pope deciding to step aside and entrusting the Catholic Church's government to new physical forces. We are certain that this gratitude will continue, especially through the continued meditation upon Joseph Ratzinger's thought. It is a thought that is given up to us today, once and for all.
EVEN JOHN PAUL II AND PAUL VI CONSIDERED THE POSSIBILITY OF RESIGNING
Interview of Dr. Joaquín Navarro-Valls, Visiting Professor for the School of Communications,
with the Spanish news outlet“La Razon”
7 WORDS
Rev. Prof. Pablo Blanco (PhD Philosophy, 1997), article published in “El Mundo” (Spain) February 2, 2013
After seven years, we are in the position to see the cornerstones upon which Benedict XVI's pontificate was based, a pontificate of ideas. Here, in seven points, are the key ideas to his ministry as the Bishop of Rome.
1. Love. His first Encyclical was titled “God is Love.” He explained how, in a world where this sacred word is abused, eros needs to be purified in order to be converted into real human and Christian love, that is, into agape. Charity must also include affection, sweetness, and human love.
2. Reason. The Professor-Pope spoke on countless occasions about this topic (it was the real topic of Regensburg lecture not Islam). Then, a year before his election as Pope, he recalled with Jürgen Habermas that reason and religion can mutually heal each other from their respective sicknesses.
3. Adoration. He recognizes that this is the real engine of the Church and of the Christina life. Facing short term activism, the German Pope knows how to wait, pray, and think—most important of the three, he knows how to pray. The liturgy is one of the central points of his theology and for that reason he has shown special interest in it from his childhood.
4. Creation. Many people have spoken of the “green roots” of Benedict XVI's last social encyclical. In it he succeeded in connecting the economic crisis and market ethics with sexual ethics, bioethics, and respect for the environment. For this reason it is a global encyclical. Its references to ecology and the environment emerge continually. For Ratzinger, creation constitutes a forgotten dogma.
5. Jesus Christ at the center. Despite his many commitments, he never abandoned his personal project of writing the book Jesus of Nazareth. Perhaps this is because he considers it an important part of his obligation to speak above all of Jesus Christ. That is, to speak of Him as God and as man, as the Christ of faith and Jesus of history. He is not just one more avatar of divinity, but the Son of God made man. Only He saves.
6. Church. Facing the famous motto “Christ yes, Church no,” the Pope wanted to remind us that the Church is both the body and the spouse of Christ. She is also the people, the family of God. He is convinced that the Church's mission consists in proclaiming Christ and in growing in internal communion and cohesion.
7. Beauty. Ratzinger has always been in love with beauty. He once stated that a theologian who doesn't have this sensitivity can be dangerous. The beauty of Christian art and of the lives of the saints is the principal agent of evangelization in today's world
THE SUNSET OF POST COUNCIL LIVING
Rev. Prof. Miguel DeSalis, Professor of Ecclesiology, gives an interview to Alessandro Speciale for “Vatican Insider”
Pope Benedict XVI's resignation is not a “defeat before the world,” but a way of inviting the Church to remember that she is not just a human “structure,” but is at the service “of Christian life and ultimately, of God.” Fr. Miguel DeSalis, a professor of Ecclesiology at the University of the Holy Cross, is convinced about this. In an interview with the news web portal Vatican Insider, this priest and professor invites us not to look at Pope Ratzinger's resignation with “eyes that are too human,” nor as a “re-dimensioning” of the papacy that causes it “to lose its supernatural meaning.”
It is true that the Church was “taken aback” by his resignation, and that it created "sadness": "Benedict XVI's resignation makes us feel orphaned," admits De Salis. "In some places, where little information about his health and weak strength was available, his retirement was read in a very different way, and feelings have led many people to very confused readings... But - he added - we must not forget what the pope has repeatedly stated: our faith is in God and not in popes, bishops, theologians or momentary charismatic preachers."
Are Popes relevant then?
“I would say that Popes are not self-referential. Popes, like all ordained ministers, possess something of God's paternity. They make it present among us, says St. Paul, but they do not replace God. Benedict XVI has constantly demonstrated this during his pontificate. He wants everyone to know God, not himself.”
Can you offer us a key to interpreting Benedict XVI's choice?
“More than one key of interpretation. I think that Benedict XVI's Pontificate can be synthesized in three personalities that indicate three of his priorities.”
Who are they?
“The first is St. Hildegard, the second St. John of Avila, and the third, Blessed John-Henry Newman. The first two were declared Doctors of the Church last year, and the last was beatified by the Pope himself, disavowing a rule that he himself wanted to restore at the beginning of his Pontificate (that is, that beatifications should be done by local bishops, and not the Pope.”
How do these Saints indicate priorities in Pope Ratzinger's Pontificate?
“In St. Hildegard's visions, she described the Church with stains that disfigured her face. She represents the desire for internal reform in the Church and the conversion of every Christian, two aspects very present in this Pontificate. St. John of Avila reflects the Pope's interest in priestly formation—that of seminarians, as well as the continuing education of priests. Blessed John Henry Newman on the other hand, shows us the challenge of Christian life, that of opening a path in the modern world that is characterized by liberalism.”
And the liturgy?
“In reality the liturgy involves each of the three aspects I mentioned. There were in fact, different reforms made by the Pope in the liturgy, like the one regarding the words of consecration. Then, the application of these liturgical reforms had to be carried out by ordained ministers, which is why attention to practical, moral-judicial, and spiritual priestly formation is so essential. Finally, the faith celebrated is the foundation and root of Christian life lived in the modern world; without it, we would fall into worldliness, rather than a dialog with the world. This is how I see Pope Benedict XVI's Pontificate, which began in the Year of the Eucharist and ended during the Year of Faith: from the Eucharist to Christian life lived in the midst of the world, responding to the challenges of modernity.”
Are we at the end of an era?
“I believe so.”
In what way?
“In two different ways. First it is the sunset of Post-Council living. From now on, Vatican II will form more and more a part of Church and Council history. In practice, the distinction between Vatican II's authority and its narrative will be clearer. Popes that have lived through it leave us a great gift as inheritance that will bear peaceful and lasting fruits. The second is that we are living the final moments of a Church with a predominantly European cultural matrix. I refer to current European culture, not to her Christian roots. This will bring us to land that is largely unknown, but in which God is present—and in which He has been acting for a long time.”
THE RESIGNATION OF BENEDICT XVI AND PUBLIC OPINION
Prof. Norberto González Gaitano, Professor of Public Opinion
Anytime we are faced with a decision which has been contemplated, suffered, and made in clear conscience--even when it is made by the Pope--there is no other reaction to show than respect, profound respect. In this regard, world public opinion has been unanimous, from religious leaders, heads of State and Presidents down to the common people. Such agreement in judgment can be summed up by the classic aphorism: "vox populi, vox Dei."
Any other judgment, if it is to be reasonable, should be based on the decision's effects, not on the person who made it, or on the action itself. Thus, judgments are necessarily "historical," formed with the passing of time, and so subject to change. Let us leave such judgments to the historians.
Nevertheless, public opinion cannot wait for historical judgments to form. In fact, in the course of this event, it is already forming. On this type of judgment, more contingent than that of historians, I venture to write a few considerations from the point of view of someone involved for many years in research about public opinion and the Church.
1. A preliminary analysis of international public opinion as reflected in the media is clearly very positive. Just the fact that so much global attention is being given to the resignation of one religious leader--with the exception of China for obvious reasons of censoring--shows that in some way public opinion perceives the unique character of the Catholic Church, and of the man who governs it. Her claims are very different from those of other religions, and these claims may be accepted or rejected depending on whether one has faith or not. They have been, in any case, universally perceived. This kind of attention has not been given to the resignation of any other religious leader. Clearly, there are other factors: the number of followers, etc. On their own however, these factors don't explain the great interest received.
2. In Catholic circles, inside the Church, I have found loyalty to Benedict XVI and acceptance of his decision together with questions and confusion. Does a decision like this change the Pope's role in the Church? Will it be helpful or detrimental to the Church's future? Will it condition the decisions of his successors, and in what way? These questions regard public opinion within the Church. Concerning this field, I would like to present a few thoughts:
a) On the level of faith (of dogma, the essential content of faith), public opinion does not have a discursive role. One is either inside or outside the communion of faith. The Creed does not mention anything about resignations by the Vicar of Christ. Public opinion however, does participate on this level as the sensus fidelium--not with judgements of the Pope's decision, but with prayer. Truly, there has been a manifestation of prayer for the Church, the Pope, and for his successor. A quick look on the internet is enough to "hear" this noise.
b) On the practical level of communion--the Church is not a democratic community, but rather a communion--the decision to resign lies solely with the Pope, before God and his own conscience. He must, however--just like all the faithful--be accountable to the faithful in some way, given that his power is not despotic. That is exactly what Benedict XVI did. He accounted for his choice directly to the Consistory of Cardinals who represent the whole Church and assist in governing her. Beginning with them, it is transmitted to all the faithful and to public opinion in general.
c) On the contingent level, freedom reigns. Arguments may be reasonable, or not so reasonable, have better or worse foundations. Here discussions are open and necessary. In the future, Popes and Cardinals, canonists, theologians...and in some way all the faithful must think about how to govern the Church in a clear and transparent way when the Pope is no longer capable, whether he resigns or not. Benedict XVI's choice is a lesson in communications as well: free what is contingent with contingent decisions. Only saints have such freedom of spirit, because they care about the judgment of God and not of history--as in the case with John Paul II, when he decided to continue until his death. They arrive at different decisions using the same motives (faith, love for the Church, and humility) in different circumstances. No contradiction exists.
BENEDICT XVI, A COUNTERCULTURAL PONTIFICATE
Prof. Diego Contreras, Professor of Analysis and Practice of Information
Benedict XVI had already announced it, but we almost forgot (at least I did): "If a pope clearly realises that he is no longer physically, psychologically, and spiritually capable of handling the duties of an office, then he has a right and, under some circumstances, also an obligation to resign…" Peter Seewald reported it in his book-interview "Light of the World," published in 2010.
To me it seems unnecessary to seek other reasons for the Pope's decision. Guiding the universal Church today requires a great deal of energy and strength--much different from what it required years ago.
The Pope is in good health, and he continues to have a brilliant mind. Yet he feels that he is "incapable" of governing. I think that this has already been clear: the Pope concentrates on essentials, especially in doctrinal teaching and in the election of bishops--but he sees that he should be doing more. It has been said that John Paul II had much poorer health and never resigned. In his case however, he maintained that his mission was to witness to suffering as the Successor of Peter. And that is how it was perceived.
In retrospect, it can't be denied that Benedict XVI had to row against the tide for almost all of his eight year as Pope. That means spending a great deal of extra energy. He was left alone on too many occasions. For me, the most dramatic document he wrote was a letter to the bishops in March 2009, during the violent controversy about removing the excommunication of Lefebvrian Bishops.
In any case, Benedict XVI has shown that he has nothing to do with the caricatures some people (usually outside Rome--here it is easier to know the authentic Ratzinger) have attributed to him.
The very act of resigning confirms that this "humble servant in the Lord's vineyard," as he introduced himself after his election, was not just a pretty phrase he chose, but the truth.
(From his blog: www.laiglesiaenlaprensa.com)
GIVE WHAT IS DUE...
Rev. Prof. Jesús Miñambres, Professor of Patrimonial Canon Law.
The first reaction that the news of the Pope's resignation provokes in a lawyer is thanksgiving. It is right to give each person what he is due, and above all, we need to thank the faithful Joseph Ratzinger for the path of life that he has walked until now. We need to thank him for his openness to grace, an openness that has brought him far from his passion for teaching and research, towards a governing role at the service of the Church.
In more technical terms, Benedict XVI's resignation from the office of Roman Pontiff constitutes one of the two possibilities, both foreseen by the Church, that could cause the Apostolic See to be vacant (the other is a Pope's death). Though this possibility has always been legally provided for, (can. 332 § 2 CIC e 44 § 2 CCEO; n. 3 e 77 Universi Dominici gregis) it has never actually been put into practice. Now it is becoming a reality and poses some interesting juridical questions: what is the personal, legal state of a former Roman Pontiff? Could we speak of a “Bishop Emeritus” of Rome, as we speak of them in other dioceses? In more basic terms, what is expected of someone who “was” the Roman Pontiff before?
I am almost certain that Benedict XVI has personally meditated upon these questions, and has consulted experts in order to proceed with prudence. I am also certain that these questions were not the most important elements he considered before deciding which step to take.
Legal reflections aside, I think that the freedom of spirit and transparency with which Benedict XVI brought this decision to term deserves grateful acceptance among the faithful. In the upcoming weeks he remains Supreme Shepherd of the Church, and needs our prayers during this unprecendented chapter of Christian history.
COHERENCE AND HUMILITY IN BENEDICT XVI'S DECISION
Rev. Prof. Philip Goyret, Vice Rector of the University and Professor of Ecclesiology
We were all surprised by Benedict XVI's unexpected gesture, and every Catholic's first, natural reaction should be to pray intensely and profoundly for him and for the Church.
A closer look reveals that the Pope's decision is very coherent with the rest of his thought, and most especially, with his way of understanding the Petrine mission. This mission in fact, is not governed by the parameters of politics. When the apostles fight about who is greater, Jesus tells them: “Let the greatest among you be as the youngest, and the leader as the servant.”
It is essential for the head of the apostles—and for his successors—to be completely at the service of the flock. When it is perceived that conditions for fulfilling this service can no longer be met—something that can happen in many ways, not only in the sphere of physical or mental health—the decision to draw back emerges not only as a coherent choice, but also as the result of a personal attitude marked by humility. This attitude is very far from despotic attachment to power. Thus, the “simple and humble worker in the Lord's vineyard,” as he wanted to introduce himself to the world on April 19, 2005, looked then upon St. Peter's Square to greet the crowd gathered there, and has remained firm until the end.
Service always remains the essential element, as mentioned in the Gospel of Luke. The way one serves may be very difficult, and could even entail suffering and sickness, as in the last years of John Paul II's Pontificate.
Let us remember that the most effective “rule” over the Church was accomplished by Jesus on the Cross—a rule which was continued in some way by Peter the apostle, who also died on a cross.
We can say in closing that the Pope's resignation is also a type of “death to glory,” and thus Benedict XVI leaves an example for us that is just as valid as John Paul II.
A HISTORIC TURNING POINT
Rev. Prof. Johannes Grohe, Director of the Annuarium Historiae Conciliorum, and Professor of Church History
From the historical point of view, the resignation of Benedict XVI represents a turning point: although we could cite the resignations of St. Clement I (97) or of St. Pontian (235) as examples, these were—just like in similar cases during the first centuries—situations of persecution, in which the goal was not to leave the Church without a Shepherd.
Not even St. Celestine V's renunciation of the papacy (1294) can be taken as an example since this holy hermit became aware of his inadequacy, and the increasingly suffocating dependence on the Neapolitan court, after only a few months. With great humility he lived the consequences.
The Pope made his decision with great courage and in full freedom. As he wrote in Peter Seewald's book-interview Light of the World in 2010: “when a Pope arrives at the clear awareness of no longer being capable physically, psychologically, and mentally to carry out the mission entrusted to him, he has the right and even the duty in certain circumstances to resign.”
CONSCIOUSNESS OF RESIGNATION (LA COSCIENZA DELLA RINUNCIA)
Dr. Joaquín Navarro-Valls, Visiting Professor of the School of Church Communication
