Pope Benedict RESIGNING

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Pope emeritus Benedict XVI:  Responding to the Munich abuse report

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2022-02/benedict-xvi-ratzinger-abuse-claims-response-forgiveness.html
Abuse, Ratzinger: ‘Shame, sorrow, heartfelt request for forgiveness’
08 February 2022, 13:00

In a letter to the faithful of Munich, the Pope Emeritus speaks of clerical pedophilia, taking his cue from the words "mea maxima culpa" repeated at Mass: “We ourselves are drawn into this grievous fault whenever we neglect it or fail to confront it with the necessary decisiveness and responsibility."
By Vatican News

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI intervenes directly and personally to respond to the report on abuse in the diocese of Munich and Freising where he was archbishop for less than five years. He does so with a text filled with a penitential aspect, which contains his personal "confession" and a look of faith on the "most grievous fault" of abuses and cover-ups.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250319/benedict-letter-munich-sexual-abuse-report-analysis
Benedict XVI asks abuse survivors for forgiveness as advisers defend handling of Munich cases
By CNA Staff
Vatican City, Feb 8, 2022 / 05:00 am

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Pope emeritus Benedict XVI:  Responding to the Munich abuse report

Video at the link:  Georg Gänswein, Benedict XVI's personal secretary, read out Benedict's letter to the media
https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/benedict-xvi-issues-letter-on-munich-abuse-report-full-text
Benedict XVI Issues Letter on Munich Abuse Report — Full Text
‘The victims of sexual abuse have my deepest sympathy and I feel great sorrow for each individual case.’
February 8, 2022

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250321/full-text-benedict-xvi-s-letter-in-response-to-the-munich-abuse-report
Full text: Benedict XVI’s letter in response to the Munich abuse report
By Benedict XVI
Vatican City, Feb 8, 2022 / 05:01 am

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Pope emeritus Benedict XVI:  Responding to the Munich abuse report

https://www.ncregister.com/news/benedict-s-advisors-provide-analysis-on-munich-abuse-report-rebutting-criticisms-full-text
Benedict’s Advisors Provide Analysis on Munich Abuse Report, Rebutting Criticisms: Full Text
The three German canonists and an attorney present each criticism along with an explanatory response in the form of a 'fact-check.'
Edward Pentin  Vatican  February 8, 2022

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250323/full-text-benedict-xvi-s-advisers-analyze-munich-abuse-report
Full text: Benedict XVI’s advisers analyze Munich abuse report
By CNA Staff
Vatican City, Feb 8, 2022 / 05:35 am

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https://www.ncregister.com/blog/archbishop-gaenswein-movement-wants-to-destroy-benedict-xvi-s-life-and-work

Archbishop Gänswein: Movement Wants to Destroy Benedict XVI’s Life and Work
Speaking to an Italian newspaper, the pope emeritus’ personal secretary noted that such people ‘never loved him as an individual, his theology, his pontificate.’
Edward Pentin 
February 10, 2022

VATICAN CITY — Archbishop Georg Gänswein has claimed that a movement is not only out to destroy Benedict XVI’s life and work but also views the recent accusations of mishandling abuse as an opportunity to erase him from the official memory of the Church.

In Feb. 9 comments to the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, the pope emeritus’ personal secretary said he believed a movement exists “that really wants to destroy the person and the work [of Benedict XVI].

“It has never loved him as an individual, his theology, his pontificate,” he said. 

Archbishop Gänswein added that members of this movement see recent attacks against him as “an ideal opportunity for a reckoning, like a quest for a damnatio memoriae [condemnation of memory so a person is excluded from official accounts].”
 

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https://www.catholicnews.com/retired-pope-has-full-support-of-pope-francis-aide-says/

Retired pope has full support of Pope Francis, aide says
By: Carol Glatz
Date: February 10, 2022

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis was among those showing their support for retired Pope Benedict XVI, sending his predecessor “a beautiful letter,” according to the former pope’s secretary.

In the letter, Pope Francis “speaks as a shepherd, as a brother” and “expressed once again his complete trust, his full support and also his prayers,” said the secretary, Archbishop Georg Gänswein.

The archbishop spoke to the Italian news program TG1 Feb. 9 about the retired pope’s letter in response to a report on sexual abuse cases in the German Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, which the former pope headed as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger from 1977 to 1982.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250375/archbishop-ganswein-benedict-response-munich-abuse-report

Archbishop Gänswein tells inside story of Benedict XVI’s response to the Munich abuse report
By CNA Staff
Vatican City, Feb 14, 2022 / 05:40 am

Archbishop Georg Gänswein has shared the inside story of how Pope emeritus Benedict XVI responded to a report criticizing his handling of four abuse cases when he led Germany’s Archdiocese of Munich and Freising.

In an exclusive interview with EWTN’s Vatican Bureau Chief Andreas Thonhauser, Benedict XVI’s personal secretary defended the retired pope’s actions, described his pioneering work in combating clerical abuse despite resistance at the Vatican, and spoke of Pope Francis’ strong personal support for his predecessor. The full interview will air on Feb. 14 at 6:30 p.m. EST on a special episode of EWTN’s “Vaticano” program.

The interview was conducted on Feb. 11, days after Benedict XVI personally requested forgiveness from abuse survivors following the publication of the report covering his tenure as Munich archbishop from 1977 to 1982.

The 94-year-old retired pope said in a letter that his pain was all the greater as he had “borne great responsibility in the Catholic Church.”

The letter was accompanied by a three-page rebuttal of the report’s criticisms, signed by four advisers of the pope emeritus.

‘A mistake was made’

In the interview, Gänswein acknowledged the controversy generated by an 82-page statement submitted on Benedict’s behalf to investigators compiling the study.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250379/archbishop-ganswein-pope-emeritus-benedict-personal-secretary
Here's what you need to know about Archbishop Gänswein, Benedict XVI's personal secretary
By Jonah McKeown
Denver Newsroom, Feb 14, 2022 / 05:45 am

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Video, with English commentary and translation, at the link

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250376/full-text-ewtn-interview-archbishop-ganswein
Full text: EWTN’s exclusive interview with Archbishop Gänswein
By CNA Staff
Vatican City, Feb 14, 2022 / 16:30 pm

Editor’s note: In a Feb. 11 interview in Rome, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, the personal secretary of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, spoke at length about the controversy surrounding then-Joseph Ratzinger’s handling of clerical sexual abuse cases while archbishop of Munich and Friesing. The on-camera interview was conducted in German by EWTN Rome Bureau Chief Andreas Thonhauser. The English translation appears below. EWTN will broadcast the full interview on Feb. 14 at 6:30 p.m. EST. Minor editing changes were made for clarity.

Excellency, you are the private secretary of Pope emeritus Benedict XVI. How is he doing? How did he receive the abuse report and what does he think of the media storm accompanying it?

This morning we celebrated Mass together, like every day. Then we prayed Lauds and had breakfast. And then he went about his business, and I am here now. He is doing well, the pressure was lifted, thank God, after his letter had been published together with the fact check. But I might say, he was always calm and full of trust in God. Of course, it’s one thing to resist pressure, and quite another to withstand pressure internally. But, thank God, he has managed to do so, he is calm and, above all, he has never lost his sense of humor.
 

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https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2022/03/archbishop-ganswein-defends-retired-pope-criticizes-munich-abuse-report

Archbishop Gänswein defends retired pope, criticizes Munich abuse report
By Catholic News Service
Mar 17, 2022

HAMBURG, Germany — Archbishop Georg Gänswein, private secretary of retired Pope Benedict XVI, has defended his boss and criticized the Munich abuse report, which made international headlines when it was released in January.

The report alleges misconduct by Munich Archbishop Joseph Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict, in dealing with four abusers during his time as head of the archdiocese from 1977 to 1982. The lawyers who conducted the investigation on behalf of the archdiocese accused the retired pope of misconduct in four cases. The allegations included the transfer of clerics who had committed criminal offenses and were allowed to continue pastoral care elsewhere.

“Not one of the allegations stood up to scrutiny of the files,” Gänswein said in an interview with the newspaper Die Zeit, published March 17. The German Catholic news agency KNA said Gänswein told Die Zeit the report was “in reality an indictment.”

However, he said, the former pope was right to provide testimony for it: “What a storm would have broken over him if he had refused!”

KNA reported Gänswein said Pope Benedict had committed a “serious oversight” with his statement about a meeting Jan. 15, 1980, in which a decision was made about a priest who was an abuser. At first, the retired pope denied taking part in the meeting, but he later corrected this. That is why some people had accused him of lying, an accusation the archbishop said “hurt” the 94-year-old.

He said the pope’s participation in the report had been demanding. In order to answer the catalogue of questions, 8,000 pages of archives had to be sifted through, and many of the questions had been “uncleanly and downright suggestively formulated.”
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250738/pope-emeritus-benedict-xvi-consecration-russia-ukraine

Will Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI join in the consecration of Russia and Ukraine? Here's the answer
By CNA Staff
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 20, 2022 / 10:30 am

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI will join with Pope Francis and the bishops of the world in praying for the consecration of Russia and Ukraine on March 25.

It is expected that he will do so privately, however, and not be present at the consecration ceremony at St. Peter’s Basilica.

CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language sister news agency, confirmed those details Sunday with the retired pope’s personal secretary, Archbishop Georg Gänswein.
 

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250735/pope-francis-appeal-to-end-ukraine-war
Pope Francis pleads for an end to 'abhorrent' war in Ukraine
By Shannon Mullen
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 20, 2022 / 05:28 am
 
Also on Sunday, Pope Francis also called on the faithful to join him on March 25 in praying for the consecration of Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. EWTN will broadcast the consecration ceremony at 12 noon EST.

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-04/pope-francis-jesuits-malta-conversation-apostolic-journey-church.html

Pope to Maltese Jesuits: Vocation of the Church is to evangelize
14 April 2022, 10:00

During his recent Apostolic Journey to Malta, Pope Francis met with the Jesuits working in the Mediterranean island nation, and engaged them in conversation on issues ranging from climate change, the Church’s synodal journey, and the challenge of migration.
By Benedict Mayaki, SJ

Pope Francis’ 36th Apostolic Journey abroad saw him visit the Mediterranean island of Malta from 2 – 3 April. The two-day trip, themed “They showed us unusual kindness” drew attention to the plight of migrants who cross the Mediterranean, and promoted evangelization in the country.

Among the activities on the Holy Father’s schedule during the trip was a meeting with the members of the Society of Jesus in the country, who assembled at the Nunciature on the morning of 3 April. Pope Francis engaged the 38 Jesuits present in spontaneous conversation, responding to their questions about the Church and the world.

The Church of the future

The Holy Father responded to a question about the future of the Church and the synodal journey.

Saying that his predecessor Benedict XVI was a “prophet of this Church of the future”, Pope Francis pointed toward a Church that will become smaller and may lose many privileges, but become humbler, more spiritual and more authentic.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250979/benedict-xvi-was-a-prophet-of-church-s-future-pope-francis-tells-malta-s-jesuits
Benedict XVI was ‘a prophet’ of Church’s future, Pope Francis tells Malta’s Jesuits
By Courtney Mares
Vatican City, Apr 14, 2022 / 04:30 am

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250977/catholics-invited-to-congratulate-benedict-xvi-on-95th-birthday

Catholics invited to congratulate Benedict XVI on his 95th birthday
By CNA Staff
Vatican City, Apr 14, 2022 / 02:00 am

Catholics around the world are being invited to congratulate Pope emeritus Benedict XVI on his 95th birthday.

The Tagespost Foundation for Catholic Journalism has created a website to collect the messages, which will then be shown to Benedict XVI.

“I know he is very happy about it,” said Archbishop Georg Gänswein, the private secretary of the pope emeritus, reported CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner.

Benedict XVI will celebrate his 95th birthday on April 16, Holy Saturday. He was born Joseph Alois Ratzinger in 1927 in Marktl am Inn, a small Bavarian town not far from Austria, also on a Holy Saturday.

Looking back to his birth in his memoir, published before his election as pope, he wrote: “The fact that the birthday was the last day of Holy Week and the eve of Easter was always noted in the family history, because it was connected with the fact that I was baptized right on the morning of my birthday with the water that had just been consecrated in the ‘Easter Vigil’ celebrated at that time in the morning. To be the first baptized with the new water was considered a significant providential event.”

He continued: “The fact that my life was thus immersed in the Paschal Mystery from the beginning in this way has always filled me with gratitude, for this could only be a sign of blessing.”

“Admittedly — it had not been Easter Sunday, but only Holy Saturday. But the longer I think about it, the more it seems to me to be in keeping with the essence of our human life, which is still waiting for Easter, not yet in full light, but nevertheless confidently moving toward it.”
 

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Happy 95th Birthday!   

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-04/pope-emeritus-benedict-xvi-95-birthday-interview-ganswein.html
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI turns 95 on Holy Saturday
16 April 2022, 12:48

As Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI turns 95 years old on Holy Saturday, his personal secretary, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, grants an interview to Radio Horeb in Munich, and describes the daily life of a man who "has shaped the Church and theology".
By Mario Galgano and Johannes Wieczorek

It was 16 April 1927 - a Holy Saturday - when Joseph Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI, was born in the Bavarian town of Marktl am Inn. This year, too, his birthday falls on the Holy Vigil of Easter.

As Archbishop Georg Gänswein, Benedict XVI's private secretary, points out, his personality has profoundly shaped the Church and theology. "The Pope Emeritus," says Archbishop Gänswein, "is in good spirits. He is of course physically relatively weak and frail, but lucid."
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250989/5-things-to-know-about-benedict-xvi-on-his-95th-birthday
5 things to know about Benedict XVI on his 95th birthday
By Hannah Brockhaus
Vatican City, Apr 16, 2022 / 01:00 am

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https://www.ncregister.com/blog/parolin-maintains-vaccine-mandates

Cardinal Parolin Orders All Vatican Vaccine Mandates to Remain in Place

The Holy See has chosen not to follow the lead of many EU countries, including Italy, that are already easing their COVID-19 restrictions.
Edward Pentin   April 20, 2022

VATICAN CITY — Despite a steady lifting of COVID-19 restrictions worldwide and the elimination of all rules in some countries, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, has ordered that the Vatican’s tight controls will continue.

In a decree issued April 20, the cardinal said the decision had been taken due to the continuation of the current pandemic situation, which “requires specific extraordinary and exceptional measures to counter it and ensure the safe conduct of activities.” The Vatican also published on Wednesday, for the first time, a March 30 order from the president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State that extended all restrictions until April 30 for personnel and visitors to the small territory. 
 
On April 20, the German Catholic news agency KNA reported that Benedict XVI’s personal secretary Archbishop Georg Gänswein has had COVID-19 since April 11. Despite being triple vaccinated he remains in quarantine as he continues to test positive for the virus.

Archbishop Gänswein has assured the faithful that Benedict XVI and all others in the Pope Emeritus’ Mater Ecclesiae residence have tested negative for the virus.
 

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Photos at the link

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251080/benedict-xvi-greets-st-john-paul-ii-s-long-time-secretary-on-canonization-anniversary
Benedict XVI greets St. John Paul II’s long-time secretary on canonization anniversary
By CNA Staff
Vatican City, Apr 28, 2022 / 02:45 am

St. John Paul II’s long-time secretary visited Pope emeritus Benedict XVI on Wednesday.

Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz met with the pope emeritus at the Vatican on April 27, the eighth anniversary of the Polish pope’s canonization.

The Archdiocese of Kraków, southern Poland, said that Dziwisz, who led the archdiocese from 2005 to 2016, celebrated Mass at the tomb of St. John Paul II in St. Peter’s Basilica.

The cardinal then greeted Benedict XVI at his Vatican residence, the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery. The German theologian succeeded John Paul II as pope in 2005 and retired in 2013.

Pope Francis canonized St. John Paul II, who led the Catholic Church from 1978 to 2005, on April 27, 2014.

The pope recalled the anniversary at this Wednesday general audience.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251252/benedict-xvi-95th-birthday-wishes-from-around-world-made-me-very-happy

Benedict XVI: 95th birthday wishes from around world ‘made me very happy’
By CNA Staff
Vatican City, May 16, 2022 / 10:40 am

Pope emeritus Benedict XVI has said that receiving congratulatory messages from around the world on his 95th birthday made him “very happy.”

The retired German pope received almost 3,000 greetings in 24 languages via the website benedictusXVI.org, CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, reported.

On the website of the Tagespost Foundation, originally launched by Benedict XVI, the pope emeritus thanked well-wishers.

He said: “On the occasion of my 95th birthday, I received a great number of messages from around the world wishing me a happy birthday. These many expressions of devotion and solidarity have made me very happy. In my gratitude, I feel united with everyone in prayer.“

The messages were mainly written in German, English, Italian, and Polish.
 

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Video at the link

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251724/archbishop-ganswein-moved-to-tears-over-benedict-comment-about-journey-to-heaven
Archbishop Gänswein moved to tears over Benedict XVI's comment about journey to heaven
By CNA Staff
Denver Newsroom, Jul 5, 2022 / 18:10 pm

The personal secretary of Pope Benedict XVI, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, could not hold back tears as he recalled what the pope emeritus once told him about his journey to heaven.

The scene took place at the Nymphenburg Palace in Munich, Germany, during a June celebration organized by the Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI Foundation for the 95th birthday of the pope emeritus. The event was broadcast in German on EWTN.

Gänswein was visibly choked up as he recalled that Benedict XVI once told him that “I would never have believed that the last stretch of the journey that would take me from the Mater Ecclesiae monastery (where he currently resides) to the gates of heaven with St. Peter would be so long.”

Benedict XVI turned 95 on April 16, a little more than nine years after he resigned from the papacy on Feb. 28, 2013.