Benedict XVI was one of the most important Catholics and religious leaders of the past century. But he was, above all, the pope of paradox. | OPINION by Miles Pattenden
Benedict XVI, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, was one of the most important Catholics and religious leaders of the past century. But he was, above all, the pope of paradox: a conservative intellectual who became the papacy’s constitutional radical, “God’s Rottweiler” who loved nothing better than sitting quietly at his piano,Magazine’s “Accessorizer of the Year” who proved utterly incapable of managing his own public image.
Pope Benedict XVI greets the crowd from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican soon after his election on April 19, 2005.Benedict’s was a life of accomplishment: more than 50 books at the cutting edge of Catholic theology, five years as archbishop of his Bavarian homeland, almost 25 years as John Paul II’s “enforcer” at the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith, institutional successor to the notorious Inquisition.
His relations with Jews and Muslims were mixed to put it mildly. His 2006 Regensburg lecture, “Faith, Reason and the University – Memories and Reflections”, outraged Islamic leaders. Benedict’s defence was that his remarks were misrepresented: he gave not his own opinions but was quoting a medieval Byzantine emperor when he said “you will find things only evil and inhuman” in Islam.
As so often, his political acumen was deficient: he lacked astute advisers to guide him through dirty games of realpolitik and foresight that his words might be heard by a world far removed from a rarefied university seminar.But Benedict’s problem was more than just naivety. Yes, he was one of those clever people who are too otherworldly to notice when they say or do stupid things. But he also seemed to lack understanding of the consequences of his demands and actions.
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