The passing of Pope Benedict XVI marks the loss of an extraordinary theologian, churchman, and pope as well as the passing of an era.
Widely recognized as one of the premier theologians of the 20th century, as a peritus at Vatican II at the young age of 35, Joseph Ratzinger played a major role in the development of some of the council’s most important documents, while his theological and ecumenical work have shaped the contemporary Church. He was also a public intellectual, able to enter into dialogue with thinkers of the stature of Jürgen Habermas of the neo-Marxist Frankfurt School. He was elected to the Académie Française, the European Academy of Sciences, and the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences, Humanities, and the Arts.
Perhaps one of his most significant initiatives was resigning as pope, the first pope in 600 years to do so. In a real sense, he demythologized the papacy, showing it to be a ministry that one could take on and later for good reasons give up. His death also brings to a close the time of those who participated in the council, freeing younger churchmen such as Pope Francis, more representative of the universal Church and more able to face today’s pastoral issues.
Join Father Rausch Thursday, Jan. 12, at 7 p.m. PST for a 45-minute retrospective of the life and ministry of Joseph Ratzinger / Pope Benedict XVI. Father Rausch is the author of “Faith, Hope, and Charity: Benedict XVI on the Theological Virtues” (2015) and two other books on the late pope. Free and open to the public on Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/lmucrs/.
