Benedict XVI Research Articles

Reason, Islam and Christianity

The debate sparked off by Benedict XVI’s speech in Regensburg has not only relaunched relations between Islam and Christianity, but has also provoked an internal debate in all around the world. In these lines we offer a summary of some interventions that have appeared so far, which serve to rethink and relaunch the current dialogue between faith and reason, modernity and Christianity, non-Christian religions and the Catholic Church. In this article, we will look at the responses that emerged after the speech and other subsequent interventions, which have made this a “globalised discourse.” Rationality must be found not only in the sciences but also in philosophy, religions, ethics and art.

Motivation from Joseph Ratzinger’s Eschatological Realism for Protecting Humanity’s Future

Abstract This article outlines one way in which Joseph Ratzinger’s eschatology could contribute to reducing the risk humanity now creates to its own survival. Studies of ‘Existential Risk’ warn that hazards arising from Artificial Intelligence, Nuclear Weapons, Climate Change, and Engineered Pathogens require mitigation to safeguard the future of the human race from a calamitous end. Preventative measures, however, entail sacrifice, and there is no shortage of resistance to regulation of behaviours and technological development. Ethics of empathy, utility, and duties reach breaking point when stretched to overcome the temporal and moral gap between present agency and future well-being. This article proposes that Ratzinger’s theology of history and commitment to eschatological realism offers an intertwined double benefit: his warning about the danger of conflating hope in God’s Kingdom with hope in a future world humanity could perfect for itself opens up the uniquely rich ground of a trans-historical hope in Jesus Christ, in which an impactful relationship of love for humanity’s future can put down roots today.

The Basic Principles of Personalistic Pedagogy According to Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI

The rapid changes in the socio-cultural context of life and education of the young generation in Europe prompt contemporary educators to look for pedagogical trends that may be an inspiration for comprehensive education that rises to current challenges. The authors, therefore, refer to the relational concept of a person by Joseph Ratzinger and derive from it, the fundamental principles of personalistic pedagogy. In the first part of the paper, the basic terms related to the person and their upbringing will be outlined. The second part focuses upon chief educational difficulties; in the subsequent sections, they present the conditions of authentic upbringing and the assumptions of the education process presented by Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI.

Service through Worship: Forming a Eucharistic Devotion for a Synodal Church

Pope Francis’s Synod on Synodality gathers the universal church towards a discerning path of accompaniment that seeks to address the contemporary and pressing issues of the Church. While the Church develops a theology of synodality, this article argues that fundamental to the synodal path requires an incorporated Eucharistic devotion. This liturgical mechanism incorporates dialogue and worship between the people and God with the hope that Christ’s will manifests itself through the grace of the Holy Spirit. The Eucharistic theologies of Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI demonstrate how worship integrates a desired union between God and neighbor. Developing a vibrant Eucharistic devotion enhances synodal conversation and highlights a Christocentric vision, broadening the Church's ability to discern how to serve more effectively. Concretely, the example of The Spiritual Diary of St. Ignatius of Loyola provides a devotional and practical lens by which God can work through this method of Eucharistic discernment to help bring about God’s will for his people.

A cross-cultural study of condolence strategies: The cases of Mr. Shinzo Abe, Queen Elizabeth II, and Pope Benedict XVI

In 2022, a year marked by high-profile deaths, leaders worldwide expressed their condolences for the passing of Mr. Shinzo Abe, Queen Elizabeth II, and Pope Benedict XVI. This study primarily compares the condolence strategies employed to honor these distinguished figures. An analysis of the deceased individuals naturally revealed some significant differences, such as their role, gender, cause of death, and length of reign or term as a leader. This study investigates how these differences influenced the choice of condolence strategies. The dataset comprises 150 official statements, including letters and Twitter messages, written in English by world leaders, with 50 messages dedicated to each deceased individual released to the public shortly after their passing. A modified coding scheme, focusing on linguistic realizations, was applied to perform the relevant analysis on these official condolence communications. While there were a variety of condolence strategies used for the three deceased individuals, direct strategies prevailed over indirect strategies, with slight variations among sub-strategies. Among the direct sub-strategies, the use of an address term, was the most commonly utilized. Differences in role, cause of death, and length of reign or term as leader contributed to the choice of condolence strategy made by well-wishers, while gender did not.

John Paul II and Benedict XVI’s concern for the protection of the faithful against the most serious crimes, with particular emphasis on the sexual abuse of minors committed by clergy

The problem of dealing justly and efficiently with the most serious crimes in the Church after the promulgation of the Code of Canon Law in 1983 became the concern of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, later Benedict XVI, and John Paul II. Their cooperation and the decisions of Benedict XVI, as a continuation of the path started, laid the foundations for the creation of a system of canonical criminal law capable of responding properly and effectively to the most serious crimes committed by the faithful in the Church. The introduction of a clear scope of competence for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the definition of a longer limitation period, the possibility of revoking it, the centralization of procedural steps, entrusting them to qualified personnel, enabling the control of the action of individual superiors are very concrete legal solutions that confirm the teaching of the Church and the definite statements of the two Popes on the protection of the most vulnerable in the Church from the immense harm of sexual abuse that some clerics could commit against them. The article presents and discusses concrete legal solutions and relates them with the teachings and attitudes of the two popes towards protecting minors in the Church. It is an attempt to argue for the defense of their good names and to oppose the unfounded accusations made against these two authorities.

Preparing a homily as an important element of pastoral care

The homily, which the Second Vatican Council assigned a special role among various forms of preaching the Word of God, is an important task for those, who are entrusted with pastoral care. The faithful eagerly listen to homilies, but at the same time, they often complain that their level is too low and expect homilies on the good level. Yet, the solution to the problem lies in good preparation of the homily. Also, preachers must be convinced that the time allocated for this is one of their most important pastoral duties. We have evidence of how the last popes, Benedict XVI and Francis, prepared their homilies. Working on a sermon is a creative process that goes through the following phases: research and collection of materials, incubation, illumination, and verification. The fruit of reflection and prayer is a homily characterized by Christocentrism, a positive message from which a moral call arises; it contains the teaching of the Church, actualizes the word of God, introduces the celebrated liturgy, and is single-thematic. Hence, in the pastors’ belief in the important role of the sermon and its reliable preparation, there is an opportunity to improve the quality of the homily.

A Living Sacrifice: Liturgy and Eschatology in Joseph Ratzinger by Roland Millare (review)

A Living Sacrifice: Liturgy and Eschatology in Joseph Ratzinger by Roland Millare (review)

From Natural Law to Relativism: Joseph Ratzinger on the Normative Transformation since Kant

ABSTRACT The aim of this article is to fill a certain gap in the assessment of relativism by drawing on Joseph Ratzinger’s (1927–2022) criticism of the normative transformation since Kant. During the Enlightenment, Natural Law was doubted as a cultural feature of Christianity that had no bearing on pluralist society. Consequently, this jurisprudential tradition underwent de-Hellenization and branched out in radical directions, the most decisive of which was Kant’s post-metaphysical system of natural values. Positivism and German Idealism attempted to restore the unity of philosophy that Kant’s philosophy had disrupted. Yet even more influentially, in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries it was Marxism that relativized the doxological aspect of normativity by emphasizing the importance of praxis. Since philosophy became neither an exact science as Kant had conceived it to be, nor a practical programme for social justice as Marxism had promised, the Existentialists, and particularly Sartre, advocated a more radical philosophy of freedom. Ratzinger argues that despite the nuances of post-Kantian philosophy, Positivism, Existentialism, and Marxism failed to comprehend the human condition and that the positivist method resulted in an overwhelming relativism that has reduced normativity to a matter of correct procedures rather than regarding it as the foundation of the inviolable dignity of the human being.

“An Exchange of Gifts”: Benedict XVI’s Eucharistic Ecclesiology as an Approach to Ecumenism

Christian unity, or the “ecumenical movement,” is one of Joseph Ratzinger’s (turn Benedict XVI) most apparent apostolates during his Pontificate. His thought on the matter is a development of the theologies developed in the Second Vatican Council’s Lumen Gentium and John Paul II’s Ut Unum Sint, borrowing the words “exchange of gifts,” which affirms elements of sanctification present in churches “separated” from Rome. This work will expand on how Benedict XVI’s teachings about the Eucharist as the Sacrament of Unity gained merit in the Church’s ecumenical movement. This theology can be described as a “Eucharistic Ecclesiology,” and it has earlier codification made formal through the thought of Henri de Lubac. It will be done firstly through an exposition of de Lubac’s commentary in Mystici Corporis, which confirms the origins of Eucharistic Ecclesiology through Patristic and Pauline theology. Next is a look at Pope Benedict XVI’s interjection of this theology into his ecumenical thought with a particular emphasis on the essentialities of the ontological reality of the Church, the shared Christian traditions, and “spiritual ecumenism.” In the final discussions, we shall include a quick run through his Pontificate’s ecumenical initiatives where the teachings about Eucharistic Ecclesiology are dispersed in various circumstances.

Allah Yang Menderita sebagai Kekuatan Menghadapi Penderitaan

This paper describes the suffering God as strength in facing suffering. This research departs from the philosophical-theological issues about evil and suffering in relation to the existence of God; If God exists why is there evil and suffering? Philosophy by using pure reason tries to keep looking for answers to the problem and the final answer is that there is no satisfactory answer. Whereas theology, based on revelation and with the help of reason, provides the final answer that closes the entire series of questions, namely that evil and suffering are mysteries. Humans will not get a definite answer to this problem, but one thing that is certain is that humans experience evil and suffering in the world. Therefore, there are two main problems involved in this research. First, what is the philosophical-theological view of the existence of God in relation to the phenomenon of evil and human suffering? Second, what is the Christian response to human suffering in light of the event of God suffering? This study uses a qualitative method with a doctrinal approach. This research more or less refers to the Encyclical Salvifici Doloris from John Paul II, the Encyclical Spe Salvi from Benedict XVI, and the book Iman Katolik: Buku Informasi dan Referensi from the Indonesian Bishops' Conference. This research found two things, first, Christ's suffering on the cross is proof of God's existence. Second, the God who suffers is strength in the face of suffering.

Searching for Human Dignity: The Anthropological Dimension of Moral Teachings of Benedict XVI

Shaping the Christian vision of moral life, Pope Benedict XVI referred to the anthropology centred around the Biblical vision of man. The first and fundamental thesis of the revealed anthropology is the truth about the dignity of a human person. Nevertheless, in today’s world one can observe certain symptoms of the lack of respect for self-dignity and dignity of other people. Being aware of this fact, in his teachings, Benedict XVI pointed out the value of human dignity; he promoted it and presented a genuine vision of personal dignity. Man and his dignity was the first principle, “so to say heart and soul” of the moral teachings of Pope Benedict XVI.

Relativizing Relativism? Variations on a Theme in Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis

AbstractWhile the rise of a ‘dictatorship of relativism’ was a longstanding concern for Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI, some commentators have suggested that—for better or for worse—the challenge posed by relativism appears to be less of a priority for Pope Francis. Indeed, Francis's remark, ‘Who am I to judge?’ appears to have become as much the defining soundbite for his papacy as the ‘dictatorship of relativism’ was for Benedict's. Contrary to these perceptions, this article argues that a critique of relativism is in fact a central aspect of Pope Francis's magisterium. Francis exhibits continuity with Benedict by amplifying his concerns about the danger of attempting to reconstruct reality according to human desire, but Francis also develops his predecessor's teaching by introducing the category of ‘practical relativism’. With this development, relativism cannot be dismissed as a theoretical problem that only plagues those who refuse to assent to the truth intellectually. The willingness to set aside the truth to which one assents when it proves inconvenient represents a more pernicious—precisely because more subtle—form of relativism that Francis argues must be rooted out, not by argument, but through self‐examination and the practice of solidarity.

Dogmatic and Legal Grounds for the Administration of Mass Intentions by the Particular Church Legislator

Benedict XVI distinguishes between munus and potestas as useful concepts in understanding the authority of the diocesan bishop. While the concept of potestas goes back to the Roman law of jurisdiction, the munus terminology is relatively new, since it stems from the theology of Dietrich von Hildebrand, who distinguished between munus sanctificandi, munus docendi and munus regendi. As highlighted by Pope Benedict XVI, thanks to the orders of the episcopate, the bishop shares in the munus, which is not equal to potestas; therefore only the diocesan bishop, who persists not only in communio but also in communio hierarchica with the Catholic Church, enjoys legislative power, which he exercises directly; however, his sacred power of the sacraments can be exercised through sacred ministers, and in the case of the executive power also through the lay faithful, by virtue of missio canonica. The bishop implements that by administering Mass intentions and offerings donated in the diocese.

Peranan Roh Kudus Dalam Hidup Gereja

In this paper, we try to reflect on one of the important aspects of the Church's faith, namely the essential belief in the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In particular, we will reflect on the universal Church's faith in the Holy Spirit. Although this article is very limited, we would like to make an important contribution to the relationship between the Holy Spirit in the life of the Trinity and the life of the Church. Therefore, the author tries to analyze the works of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) on the relationship of the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of the Communion of the Father and the Son and the relationship of the Holy Spirit with the Church. In other words, we will find an unbroken continuity, an inseparable, organic dynamic between the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of the Trinity and the role of the Holy Spirit as the Principle of Communion in the Church.

It is Good for Us to Be Here: Joseph Ratzinger’s Christocentric Doctrine of Creation in Response to Anti-Natalism

AbstractThis paper sets out Joseph Ratzinger’s Christocentric theology of creation as a counter to the increasingly popular naturalist movement anti-natalism. Paradoxically, anti-natalism is parasitic on the doctrine of creation and yet, at the same time, denies creation, for, as Ratzinger argues, the doctrine of creation affirms both the human person and the natural world within which she lives; creation is necessary for self-acceptance. Furthermore, creation and redemption go together. It is with and through the human person, not without, that the natural world is brought to its proper end.

MISA TRADISIONAL MENURUT MOTU PROPRIO TRADITIONES CUSTODES

Liturgy is an expression of faith in God which is expressed in a great way through the Eucharistic Celebration. Before the Second Vatican Council, the Church celebrated the Liturgy by using the 1962 Roman Missal, or celebrating the Traditional Mass (Tridentine). After the implementation of the Second Vatican Council, it was mutually agreed that the expression of Faith through the liturgy, using the 1970 Roman Missal, which was issued by Pope Paul Vi. Since then, the practice of using traditional mass is rarely used anymore. During the Pontifical period of Pope Benedict XVI, he issued the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum, which permitted the Return to the Practice of this Traditional Mass. Three years later, Pope Francis asked the bishops through the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to review the implementation of the Summorum Pontificum. The Pope discovered that there was a movement towards division, so Pope Francis issued the Motu Proprio Traditionis Custodes to cancel the existing norms and laws in the Summorum Pontificum, to maintain the unity of the Church.

Uniwersytet jako stały element kultury europejskiej w myśli Josepha Ratzingera – Benedykta XVI

Aim: The aim of the text is to present the role and threats facing universities from the perspective of a Joseph Ratzinger - Benedict XVI. The challenges universities face are: the unity of reason and faith, truth and the question of academic community. Theologian points to the lack of these elements in modern science, where the focus has been on technical skills at the expense of other needs. Methods: The research strategy used includes the application of the hermeneutic method, which has proved helpful in the analysis and interpretation of source texts. In addition, elements of a descriptive method and a comparative method were used as part of the methodological approach. The second one was used to present the structure of the relationship in question, while the comparative method was used by the author to juxtapose the theologian's reflections with the conclusions of other scholars on the issue. Results: The results of Ratzinger's reflection show that focusing mainly on the development of technical skills is not sufficient both for the structure of the university and for society as a whole. The theologian emphasises that science has an impact on the world, producing effects that can be useful or destructive for human beings. The former prefect suggests that it is necessary to rethink the role of faith and truth in the context of education. In this light, he acknowledges the important role of Catholic universities, which can exemplify the harmonious coexistence of truth, reason and faith, realising that these elements can complement rather than exclude each other. In the context of the university community, Benedict XVI notes the loss of an authentic bond between students and teachers as a result of academic specialisation. He warns against the utilitarianism and pragmatism of universities, stressing that their true idea is the search for truth. Ratzinger encourages the integration of faith and knowledge in universities, pointing out that truth, spiritual development and an authentic academic community are crucial to the university's role in society. Coclusion: The theologian emphasises that faith is not a constraint on development, but stimulates dialogue, reflection and an informed approach to the consequences of actions. Similarly, truth, dialogue and ethical responsibility are the foundations by which the university should be guided. The basis for analysing Ratzinger's thought on the issue of universities is a collection of his works: Opera Omnia T. IX/1 - Faith in Scripture and Tradition. Hermeneutics and principles of Catholic Theology, and the works: Introduction to Christianity, Europe: Today and Tomorrow Oryginality: The work is the new approach by analysis of Ratzinger-Benedict XVI’s thought in the context of contemporary society, from a cultural studies perspective

The Mediating Mission of The Holy Spirit – Some Theological Models

esus Christ, going to the Father, sent his disciples the Holy Spirit, who was to remind them and explain everything. The same Holy Spirit continues to act in the Church, sanctifying the Mystical Body of Christ. The first Paraclete is Jesus Christ himself, who undertook a salvific mission and became a mediator between God and people. The Holy Spirit sent by Christ is the second Paraclete fulfilling the mediating mission. The Holy Spirit works both in the Immanent Trinity (God’s inner life) and in the Economic Trinity (God’s saving action in history). Interesting in this context are the theological models developed by, among others, Heribert Mühlen, Joseph Ratzinger, Walter Kasper, Hans Urs von Balthasar, Matthias Joseph Scheeben, Maximilian Maria Kolbe and René Laurentin, whose concepts have been briefly presented in the above article. The mediating mission of the Holy Spirit is oriented Christocentric and is revealed during the most important salvation events performed by Jesus Christ (incarnation, baptism in the Jordan, proclamation of the Kingdom of God, death and resurrection). Moreover, the Holy Spirit sanctifies the Church, connecting people with God and people with each other. This action is inscribed in the ontic mediation of Jesus Christ, who has two natures – Divine and human, and in the functional mediation of the Savior (royal, prophetic and priestly functions). Undoubtedly, the last decades have been characterized by a great revival among theologians who deal with pneumatology, especially in the dimension of the mediating mission of the Holy Spirit.

Myślenie Josepha Ratzingera o wieczności i nieśmiertelności w kontekście filozoficzno-teologicznym

The subject of reflection in this publication are the concepts of eternity and immortality of the human soul shown in a philosophical-historical and theological outline, with particular reference to the teachings of Joseph Ratzinger. His views are shown against the background of ancient, biblical, New Testament, early Christian concepts, medieval Christian thought, as well as modern and contemporary thought, which were the platform for Ratzinger’s inspiring explorations and conclusions; they led him to combine his fidelity to tradition and the truths derived from it with his original and profound view of the reality of eternal life.