José António Ribeiro de Carvalho is a professor and researcher of history. A regular contributor to national and regional newspapers on politics, ideology, and teaching, he is the author of several books, some of them real bestsellers, such as Bento XVI o Papa da renúncia. The Mission of a Man the Size of the World (2023), The Popes Who Marked Portugal (2023), Pius XII: The Pope Who Was a Friend of Salazar’s Portugal (2022), John Paul II: The Pope of Affections (2020), Dom Nuno Álvares Pereira: The Man, Hero and Saint To Be (Re)Recognised (2019), Fatima: Portugal and the World of Its Time (2017), Salazar and Paul VI: The Dictator’s Relationship With the First Pope To Visit Portugal (2013).
You have written several books which discuss the popes and the Church. What makes Benedict XVI unique?
After writing several books dedicated to the popes of the 20th century—namely Pius XII, Paul VI, John Paul II, and Francis—it is imperative to mention that Benedict XVI stands out as one of the most remarkable popes, especially for what were his relentless struggles for faith, decency, and morality. These are struggles in which he distinguished himself, from the first days of his life to the last, when he had the title of pope emeritus.
Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI, is one of the great names of the Church—a cultured man of profound intelligence and a stoic faith—that is important to know. He is part of history and is history itself. No one can write the fascinating history of the 20th century, and the beginning of the next [century], without mentioning the German pope.
The man who presided over the papacy between 2005 and 2013 surprised some and infuriated others. He inspired and provoked in equal measure, both within the Church and around the world, leaving no one indifferent. He was, in short, an excellent fighter and battler. He was one of the last crusaders of the 20th century, with a clear projection for our troubled 21st century.
He died on the last day of 2022, December 31. He was 95 years old. He is considered the oldest pontiff in history. Now, one year after his death, the world is preoccupied with analysing his legacy. This is important for the history of the Church, but also for the history of humanity, especially for this Christian West of ours, which for years has abandoned the legacy of our ancestors in the defence of Western Christian civilisation. This is a struggle to which we are all called and to which Benedict XVI inspires us.
It was recently published that the Vatican had decided to remove all symbols of Benedict XVI from the liturgical chasubles of the Holy See. The Vatican denied these claims, but it is clear that Benedict XVI continues to generate controversy. Why does he inspire discomfort in some circles?
Because it must be realised that Benedict XVI is not, nor was he ever, a man of consensus. Rather, Benedict XVI was always a man of ruptures and causes, to which he dedicated himself as a life mission and for which he was willing to sacrifice himself. We have seen it, for example, in the fight against the “dictatorship of relativism”; in the fight against the abuse of minors by members of the clergy; in the defence of human life, from the moment of conception to natural death; and, in the defence of the Western Christian legacy.
The media tried very hard to portray Benedict XVI as a man who was unpleasant and distant from the people, but this has nothing to do with reality.
No; Benedict XVI was a beloved pope. From the moment he was elected in 2005, a defamatory international media campaign was launched against the man, the cardinal, and the supreme pontiff, which seemed to be aimed at destroying his image and his figure. Not only by enemies of the Church but even from within. In general, however—and as we saw in the hours and days following his earthly death, excluding some petty prejudices on the part of certain sectors—people generally admire and respect the figure of Benedict XVI. The social networks, for example, were filled with tributes to the deceased pope.
I stress, however, that I do not recall ever having seen a pope so insulted by the media as Benedict XVI, who, with the same overflowing faith and joy, continued to proclaim the Good News of the Risen Christ! But I also remember, for example, the pope’s exceptional trip to Portugal in May 2010, and the impetus that the Holy Father received in his image, in the eyes of the world, when he was in Fatima, at the Shrine of Our Lady. And I recall how, in the cities of Lisbon and Porto, several hundred thousand Catholics were in the streets to accompany him and greet him effusively.
There were also attempts to tarnish his image with various polemics.
Benedict XVI’s pontificate, like the whole of society at the time, was marked by great tensions and unpredictable changes. The pope himself was the victim of harsh attacks from both inside and outside of the Church. And, in the face of these attacks, the pope’s response was always clear: a pope who only received applause would have to ask himself if he were not doing something wrong because, in this world, the message of Christ is a scandal, starting with Christ himself. There will always be contradiction, and the pope will always be a sign of contradiction.
In this context of polemics, fed by powerful media machines and based on manipulation, let us remember that Benedict XVI knew always how to face them with exemplary stoicism and without compromising on what is essential: the authenticity of the Gospel message and Catholic doctrine.
Earlier, you mentioned that Benedict XVI stood up to abuse by members of the clergy; yet the image presented by the media was that of a cover-up.
Regarding sexual abuse in the Church and the need for “purification,” Benedict XVI understood these as a grave sin of the Church, acknowledging in public and with unprecedented frankness that the “worst attacks against the Church come from within, from the sins of the members of the Church.”
The Irish case was paradigmatic of the orchestrated campaign to create and feed a real ‘moral panic,’ as if all Catholics were guilty and had no right to defence. On 19 March 2010, Benedict XVI published the magisterial document of the pope’s letter to the Catholics of Ireland. Although the document was addressed to Ireland, it could be read from a general perspective and it represented a clear response by Benedict XVI to the drama of child abuse around the world. The entire text of the letter showed the pope’s contrition, remorse, and shame. He called on the priests responsible for the abuse to assume their responsibilities before God and before the courts, without sparing criticism of the bishops.
It is also important to note that the vicious attacks against Benedict XVI had nothing to do with a concern to protect children, but were rather motivated by the hatred of certain groups who wanted to destroy the so-called ‘orthodoxy of Benedict XVI.’ A disturbance arose against this pontiff because he was a Catholic and not a ‘modern progressive.’ In this case, as in so many others, it is clear that Benedict XVI has suffered the responsibility for errors that we all know were not his own. But one thing remains certain: Benedict XVI was the pope who fought hardest against abuse and who was toughest in his fight.
Another high-profile case was the Regensburg speech, which was taken out of context by Al-Jazeera.
Yes; in the famous Regensburg speech, Benedict XVI mentioned religious violence and used a quote from the Byzantine emperor Manuel II Palaeologus. This quote, taken out of context, inflamed Muslim circles, who took the opportunity to criticise the pope.
Benedict XVI repeated several times that he had been misinterpreted and that it was simply a quote from the 14th century. But the voices condemning the pope were not prepared to listen to explanations. They were only determined to ‘burn’ Benedict XVI in the public square.
A little-known facet outside the Church is his role as a theologian. Tell me about this.
Benedict XVI was a titan: a brilliant mind, a giant theologian. He was and is, for believers, a true gift from God for every Catholic and for the Church.
The conviction with which he stood up for what he believed is what makes me admire him most. His consistency and steadfastness, as well as his example of faith and trust, make him a true man of God. Pope Benedict’s thinking is certainly well known, but not always understood. I hope that the coming years will be a time of real contact and deep understanding of one of the richest pontificates in the history of the Church. May the invisible wall of our incomprehension about Benedict XVI be torn down.
Benedict XVI showed the mettle of an intellectual and a theologian who never stopped searching for the Truth. He had as his motto, “Collaborator with the Truth.” Ratzinger considered it his mission to speak and act not in his own name, but in the name of the Truth of Christ and of the Church.
He was a giant of faith and reason. He was a giant of Christianity, like St. Augustine, whom he studied with care, or St. Thomas Aquinas. He put his life at the service of the universal Church and spoke, as he will continue to speak, to the hearts and minds of men with the spiritual, cultural, and intellectual depth of his Magisterium. He also played a key role in the Second Vatican Council and in theological debates over the decades. This is a legacy to which we must pay more attention.
Benedict XVI ‘revolutionised’ the history of the Church with his resignation from the papacy; this, too, is exceptional.
Yes; Benedict XVI was a pope who revolutionised, and even resigned. He was accused of being a conservative pope. However, his humble gesture of resignation was revolutionary.
When, on 11 February 2013, the world was shocked by Benedict XVI’s decision to resign, the Church was once again without a pope. Benedict XVI’s love for the Church was such that he was willing to step down, and this marked a turning point in the history of the Church. It provoked applause, but also perplexity. Although it was not an unprecedented decision in the history of the Church—remember that in the middle ages there were popes who resigned, especially in the 11th and 12th centuries—the German pope’s resignation was nevertheless surprising.
In the immediate aftermath, however, an admiring feeling prevailed for such a human resignation. To underline the humility shown by the pontiff and to realise his personal frailty is not to ignore his gesture. The pontificate of this conservative was revolutionary in its beginning and in its end, with a resignation that all of his closest predecessors considered.
In this sense, we must realise that those who know how to enter and be at the service of the Church also know how to leave, and Benedict XVI knew how to leave. Only those who resist the temptation to make ministries in the Church their own—ordained or lay; institutional, political, or public—can exercise them well. Ministries require freedom and detachment, and Benedict XVI knew how to show this freedom and detachment. From this perspective, Benedict XVI was not a defeatist, but rather a very conscious, resilient person. In the eyes of believers, he left through the front door, with the dignity of true men of character who are described as ‘great.’ In this sense, his resignation was not a gesture of weakness but of humility, and, above all, of freedom. It was a gesture that we should reflect on and emulate in our own lives.
What is Benedict XVI’s legacy?
It is difficult to classify him, but at the same time, it is impossible to ignore him. With some distance, time will probably shed some light on him—light and serenity. But Benedict XVI leaves us several legacies, including the legacy that missions must be fulfilled and continued until the last breath of life. Benedict XVI always carried them out with his feet on earth and his eyes on heaven. This was true for himself, of course, but above all for the Church and for humanity.
He was not afraid to speak and act against the “dictatorship of relativism” and to propose a rational faith. He was always in dialogue with everyone, including non-believers. For Ratzinger, the great debate of our time is not political or economic, but moral and cultural (yet not forgetting the religious aspect). It is a conflict between two visions of the world: there is the vision of those who believe that there are immutable moral principles and values, inscribed by God in man’s nature; and there is the vision of those who maintain that nothing is stable and permanent but that all things are relative to time, place, and circumstances.
Benedict XVI served to bring the doctrine of God to bear on the problematic issues of the modern world: the relationship between faith and reason, ethics and science, religion and politics. For him, moral, ethical, cultural, and civilisational issues mattered more than economic and financial ones, especially in this troubled present crisis. There is a great lack of morality in our ailing society and institutions.
He knew how to be a leader at all times in his life. He never sought his own welfare. Rather, he was concerned for others and to serve, while many take advantage of the places they occupy. Benedict XVI shows us that he only served, and moreover—although he was sometimes wrong—he always had the right intention. He is an example to follow, especially in times of snares, deceptions, and spinelessness. And one of Benedict XVI’s greatest lessons, if not the greatest, is humility.
In short, Benedict XVI’s greatest legacy is to show that we should be honoured by the rich heritage of Western Christian civilisation. It is a heritage that we must all maintain and preserve for future generations, who will guarantee the Christian West of ours that is under attack all the time, especially in our current de-Christianised Europe.
He fought against the “dictatorship of relativism”; he fought for truth; he fought for transparency in the Holy See; and, he defended the family and life. In short, he was a courageous pope, a pope of renunciation, a beloved pope, and, at the same time, he was a giant of Christianity, a giant of our time, the master pope, the ‘Great’ pope, and the theologian pope. We might say that he was the last crusader of Christianity, and that we should know him and imitate him in his surpassing virtue of service.
