This towering work of almost a thousand pages is the fourth biography of Joseph Ratzinger – Benedict XVI published by Professor Pablo Blanco Sarto (b. 1964) since he first became interested in the German theologian more than fifteen years ago, thanks to the research for his doctoral dissertation (Blanco Sarto Citation2005).
The book follows a chronological approach. Its fourteen chapters are divided in two clearly distinguishable halves. They introduce in a linear fashion the main events in the life of Benedict XVI. Throughout the book, the major theological writings and magisterial documents of the German Pope are discussed within the historical context in which they were written.
The first seven chapters of the book narrate his life prior to the pontificate: his origins and childhood in Bavaria (chapter 1); his studies of philosophy and theology in Freising and München (chapter 2); his participation in the Second Vatican Council as theological advisor to the Archbishop of Köln and then as a conciliar peritus (chapter 3); his scholarly activity at the Universities of Freising, Bonn, Münster, Tübingen and Regensburg (chapter 4); and his years as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith between 1982 and 2000 (chapter 5), and from 2000 to 2005 (chapter 6).
The second half of the book covers the years of his pontificate. Each chapter corresponds, more or less, to one academic year.
The eighth chapter covers the period from April 2005 to September 2006. It narrates the beginnings of his pontificate: his surprising election to the See of Peter, his first trips abroad (Köln, Poland and Bavaria), the publication of his first encyclical (‘Deus Caritas Est’) and the Consistory of 2006, the conclusions of which – on the importance of the liturgy, the reform of the Roman curia, Christian unity and dialogue with Islam – constitute an authentic guiding thread to his pontificate.
The ninth chapter goes from April 2007 to April 2008. It narrates his trips to Turkey and the United States, his trip to Austria and his participation in the Fifth General Conference of CELAM in Brazil. The chapter also recounts two events of special importance for the unity of the Church that occurred in 2007: a letter sent to the Chinese Catholics (in which he speaks about religious freedom for the Underground Church and about the validity of the sacraments of the Patriotic Church) and the liberation of the ‘Tridentine Mass’, an event that constituted an important step forward on the road towards unity with the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius the Tenth (the Lefrebvrians). Finally, the chapter also discusses two important texts published during that year: his second encyclical (‘Spe Salvi’) and the first volume of the trilogy Jesus of Nazareth.
The tenth chapter reports on the main events that took place between June of 2008 and April of 2009: the inauguration of the Pauline Year and the Pope’s trips to Sydney (WYD), France, Cameroon and Angola (for the presentation of the ‘Instrumentum Laboris’ for the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops). The chapter also reviews his difficult trip to the Holy Land (Jordan and Israel); difficult because it was preceded by the controversy caused by the Shoah-denying statements made by one of the Lefrebvrian bishops from whom the Pope had shortly before lifted the excommunication. In the field of interreligious dialogue, the chapter speaks of the stimulus that the Regensburg speech paradoxically provided for the dialogue with Islam, citing as an example the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Arab League shortly before his trip to the Holy Land.
The eleventh chapter (covering events between May 2009 and June 2010) is a chapter of contrasts. On the one hand, it recounts the scandals caused by the abuse of minors perpetrated by Roman Catholic priests that were brought to light in 2010 (the very same year that the Church was dedicating to priesthood as part of the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the death of the holy Curé de Ars). On the other hand, the chapter also reports on the great ecumenical joys that took place during that period: the Catholic-Orthodox meeting in Cyprus, the publication of the Apostolic Constitution ‘Anglicanorum coetibus’ with the scope of welcoming groups of Anglican bishops and faithful who had asked to be admitted into the Catholic Church, the rapprochement of the Russian Orthodox Church with Rome (accompanied by the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two Sees), and the beginning of a new round of talks with the Lefebvrians. As part of the ecumenical advances, the chapter also mentions the Manhattan Declaration: a joint declaration of the Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Evangelical communities of the United States on the defence of life, marriage, religious liberty and conscientious objection. Other important events reported in the chapter are the publication of the long-prepared social encyclical ‘Caritas in veritate’, the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, and the Pope’s trips to the Czech Republic, Malta, Turin and Portugal. The chapter also includes a brief explanation of the hard line taken by Joseph Ratzinger in dealing with the cases of child abuse both during his time as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith as well as in his office as Roman Pontiff.
Referring to Benedict XVI’s decline in health during the 2010–2011 academic year, the twelfth chapter of the book begins with an account of a normal day in the life of the Pope and with a description of the ‘Benedict method’ to avoid succumbing to the bête noire of activism. The chapter also tells about the Pope’s trip to Cyprus (for the presentation of the ‘Instrumentum laboris’ for the Synod on the situation of Christians in the Middle East), about his trip to the United Kingdom (for the beatification of John Henry Newman), about his trip to Spain (for the dedication of the Church of the Holy Family in Barcelona) and about his trip to Croatia. In the area of the editorial production, the chapter mentions the release of the second volume of the trilogy on Jesus of Nazareth.
Chapter 13, which covers the period from August of 2011 to May of 2012, focuses on two painful events in the life of Benedict XVI. First: the leak of confidential documents of the Vatican involving the Pope’s chamber assistant (the so-called ‘Vati-Leaks’). And secondly, the negotiations with the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius the tenth, negotiations in which Benedict XVI was particularly interested, but which got once again stuck that year. The chapter also recounts the Pope’s trips to Madrid (for World Youth Day), Germany, Benin, Mexico and Cuba; as well as the interreligious meeting for Peace held in Assisi in October 2011.
Like the previous one, Chapter 14 (which runs from September of 2012 to March of 2013) revolves around two major issues. The first is the reform of the Church carried out by Benedict XVI, characterized by its evangelizing purpose and quiet pace. The chapter discusses the main areas of the new laws issued by the Pope during his pontificate (liturgy, Vatican finances, ecumenism and criminal law), and other measures such as the internationalization of the curia’s leadership positions and the reorganization of the Roman Dicasteries. The other major issue dealt with in this chapter is the historic resignation of Benedict XVI from the See of Peter in February of 2013 for health reasons. In this context, the details of the resignation, the different interpretations that the event received in public opinion, the new ecclesial status that Benedict XVI went on to acquire and his last public meetings are recounted. The chapter closes with a final assessment of his work of reform and with an account of the election of Pope Francis.
The book concludes with an epilogue narrating the celebration of the Pope Emeritus’ 90th birthday in his new home in the Vatican gardens, as well as a brief summary of his pontificate by the director of the Sala Stampa during those years, Fr. Federico Lombardi.
As a whole, the work fulfils the objective set by its author, namely: to dismantle the main clichés that circulate in public opinion about the figure of the theologian Pope. Faced with the weight of evidence shown by Professor Blanco throughout the book, the reader discovers that the German Pope is not the reincarnation of Dostoyevsky’s Grand Inquisitor, but a humble thinker who takes his interlocutors seriously and who is capable of refreshing the minds and warming the hearts of his audience with the honesty of his analyses and the beauty of his explanations. The book also shows that Benedict XVI is not the ‘good intellectual but bad ruler’ that the media often portray him as. Using numerous examples, the author illustrates throughout his work the courage and seriousness with which the Holy Father confronted the problems that afflicted the Church during his pontificate, and tries to show that a great part of the fruits of Pope Francis’ ecclesial springtime were possible thanks to the silent work of reform carried out by his predecessor.
It is a very complete and well-documented work. As the author explains in the presentation of the book (cf. p. 9), the volume was written little by little over a period of thirteen years. Perhaps this circumstance, together with the temporal proximity of the events narrated, is the reason why, despite the completeness of the biographical account, the overall assessment of the life of its protagonist is less well worked-out.
In any case, the book represents a first-rate source not only for those who wish to situate the thought of Benedict XVI in the historical and cultural context in which it was forged, but also for those who wish to know his human and ecclesial trajectory beyond the clichés, often critical, in which his figure has so often been pigeonholed.
School of Theology, Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome, Italy
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References
- Blanco Sarto, Pablo. 2005. Joseph Ratzinger: Razón y cristianismo. Madrid: Rialp.