Two years have passed since the death of Pope Benedict XVI. EWTN interviewed three of his closest companions: Archbishop Georg Gänswein, who served as his private secretary until the very end; Professor Ralph Weimann, who is dedicated to preserving and promoting Benedict’s spiritual legacy through various initiatives; and Swiss Cardinal Kurt Koch, who shared his personal recollections of the unique qualities of Joseph Ratzinger.
Cardinal Kurt Koch is the President of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity. He noted that Pope Benedict XVI was: “a man with a great humility, and [of] profound faith, and a very high intelligence. And these three characteristics in the same man are unique.”
Andreas Thonhauser, EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief, noted, “Also the role of the priest was very important for Pope Benedict. Maybe you can explain a little bit more how he viewed priesthood and the role of the priest in the Church.”
I still remember this when he spoke about the priest, or when one of these priests addressed him and asked him: ‘We are facing so many difficulties today. What could you recommend?’ and he was very practical in these moments,” Professor Ralph Weimann, Theologian and Contributor to Pope Benedict XVI's Legacy, explained.
He continued, “So, first of all, he spoke about the person of friendship with Jesus Christ. This is what characterizes a priest. He has to be a man of God. Then there are several means and at the same time he made reference to the saints.”
“He presented us concrete ways of how to realize how to live the priesthood,” Professor Weimann noted. “I think this is very important, because especially today, in our time, people want to have great examples: Carlo Acutis, for example, is the upcoming canonization right now. This is what we need. We need positive examples. There are so many negative ones. We need positive ones. That's what the saints are. Pope Benedict was always pointing towards them in order to understand our vocation. I think this is very important that we do understand the greatness of what has given to us.”
“When we're speaking of saints, who were his favorite saints?” Thonhauser asked.
Cardinal Koch noted, “His name is Joseph. And I think this is the most important saint for him. And I have the impression he has lived as Joseph. Because Joseph is in the background. Joseph is the bishop. And the bishop has no other thing than to protect the mystery that we have in the Child. And in this sense, I think he has [truly] lived as Joseph in the Church.”
Archbishop Georg Gänswein, former Personal Secretary to Pope Benedict XVI, highlighted, “Every March 19th, St. Joseph's Day, there was a small meeting, or a small reception by the staff and himself. And every year, after the greetings to him from the secretary, [there] was a very, very deep meditation about his patron, about St. Joseph. And there was no year that was the same. Every year there was another meditation. You could see that he prepared every year with other deep thoughts, his meditation. And therefore, I think it's really what the cardinal said, that he was for him like an example of his own life.”
Professor Weimann noted, “But he spoke very often about the saints because he said: ‘Who is actually at the center of the Church?’ It's very interesting, you would imagine, like perhaps the Pope, the cardinals, the bishops, the priests. No, he said the saints. The saints are at the center of the Church, because since God is holy, they participate in his holiness, and for that reason they are the center of the Church. And for that reason we too must look for holiness and strive for holiness. And I think this is very encouraging, especially also for our days.”
“What are the things that remain for you personally from the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI? What will you take away from that also, maybe on a personal level?” Thonhauser asked.
Professor Weimann shared, “So I think, first of all, he was a collaborator of truth, as he called himself. That was his quote of arms. And he was giving testimony of the truth. And the truth is Jesus Christ. So that’s one very important aspect. And I think this aspect will remain. You find this, everywhere, his writings, his preaching, and so forth.”
“And then there's perhaps a second dimension,” Professor Weimann continued, “being like a father of the church. Because he was like a father to everyone, just through his humility, his brilliance, and then also bringing all this together as a real father, but at the same time in his writings.”
Further, “his writings will remain. So his writings, his books, and so forth, are [a] great treasure. And I think people in the future will discover this. So I think these two elements come together. And the great fathers of the church, they were usually all saints. So hopefully that, I think that Pope Benedict also wasn't just preaching about these topics, but he was living it. And so that made his testimony credible.”
Archbishop Gänswein added, “In the Spiritual Testament, he said after a long life, as a priest, as a professor, and so on and so on, he said: ‘Faith is the fundament. You can build up on that faith, on that fundament, your death and your life. Your life and your death.’ And we know that his last word was like a point behind his whole life: ‘Signore, ti amo,’ ‘Lord, I love you.’ I think that is, for him, the last word he has said, but he has left for us as his biggest and most important and deepest witness.”
“Lord, I love you,” Thonhauser repeated, ending the panel discussion. “Thank you very much for your time. Thank you for sharing also all those anecdotes and those insights into the life of Pope Benedict XVI on his second anniversary of his passing. Thank you very much for being with us today.”
Adapted by Jacob Stein
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Andreas Thonhauser is EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief. He earned a Master of Business Administration from the WU Executive Academy in Vienna and a Master’s degree in German Philology/Anglistics and Americanistics from the University of Vienna. Prior to joining EWTN, Thonhauser worked as the Director of External Affairs for a global human rights organization, and for several media outlets in Vienna, Austria.