2023
THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA FOR THE PAPACY OF POPE FRANCIS
The death of emeritus pope Benedict XVI on December 31, 2022, marked the beginning of a new era for the papacy of Pope Francis. For the first ten years of his papacy Pope Francis exercised his leadership of the church in the shadow of a former living pope. Under normal circumstances a new conclave is held, and a new pope is elected only after the former pope has died and been buried. In a normal papal transition, the old pope is gone, leaving the way open for the new pope to take over. But, in Francis’ case, this did not happen. Pope Francis began his papacy on the threshold of the old and the new, in the middle, so to speak, of two popes. Adding to the ambiguity of Francis’ election to the papacy was the fact that, although Benedict retired, he did not really go away. He accepted the title of pope emeritus, continued to wear white, and live in the Vatican under conditions that were not dramatically different from when he was pope. There was no way that such a situation would not have made it difficult for Francis to establish his own papal vision and mission. Massimo Faggioli refers to this situation as the liminal papacy of Pope Francis. (Faggioli, The Liminal Papacy of Pope Francis, Orbis: 2020, pp. 1-3).
But, with the death of Benedict XVI, the situation of the papacy of Pope Francis has radically changed. The normal transition between a former pope and a new pope has finally transpired. The liminal papacy of Pope Francis has ended. There can no longer be any question about the authenticity, completeness, and uniqueness of his papacy. Now is not the time to remain entrenched in the old, but to embrace the new. Those who wish to celebrate the legacy of Benedict XVI could not find a better way of so doing so than by embracing Pope Francis and his leadership. All too often we have heard the words of Benedict through the words of his supporters, who, more often than not, use his words to criticize Francis and oppose his papacy. I suggest that those who wish to find the legacy of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in this negative and destructive dialogue are doing a disservice to Benedict and to the church that he served during his entire life. Perhaps, a more positive approach to securing Benedict’s legacy might be found by looking at a couple of his most recent statements unfiltered by the interpretations of his supporters.
On February 28, 2021, marking the eighth anniversary of his resignation as pope, Benedict XVI, in an interview in the Italian newspaper, Corriere della Sen, put to rest the conspiracy theories about his resignation and urged Catholics to accept Francis as the one and only pope of the Catholic Church. In the interview Benedict rejected the view of those whom he referred to as his most “fanatical” followers who have refused to accept his resignation and have accepted “conspiracy theories” maintaining that his resignation was forced and not legitimate, claiming that Benedict was still the pope and that Francis’ election was not legitimate. Benedict categorically denied all of these false claims and theories stating that his decision to resign as pope was a free and conscious choice. Benedict wanted to clearly affirm that he was no longer the pope. In the interview he emphatically stated that there was only one pope and that was Francis. (Benedict XVI Defends his Decision to Resign, America, March 1. 2021). It was a call for Catholics to accept Francis as pope, the vicar of Christ on earth, and the sole head of the church. In his own words Benedict legitimized the papacy of Pope Francis. Now that Benedict is gone, would it not be a unitive experience for the church if all Catholics accepted and embraced Benedict’s affirmation of the legitimacy of Pope Francis’ papacy.
In another recent statement, delivered in a letter to the participants of a conference on Ratzinger’s vision of the church on October 20-21, 2022, at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Benedict left us with a very positive affirmation of the Second Vatican Council. In his letter Benedict stated that the Second Vatican Council was “not only meaningful, but necessary.” The former pope states that there were many important issues that the church had to face at the time of the council, like the theological understanding of the world’s different religions, the relationship between faith and reason, and the nature and mission of the church in the modern world. He told the participants that the “need to reformulate the question of the nature and the mission of the church has gradually become apparent. In this way, the positive power of the council is also slowly emerging.” (Vatican II was Necessary, Pope Benedict Writes to Steubenville Conference, America, October 21,2022). Isn’t it refreshing to hear these inspiring words of Benedict urging us to have a positive and hopeful view of the council? In a general sense, they sound very compatible with Pope Francis’ objective to reform the nature and the mission of the Catholic Church based upon the teachings of the Second Vatican Council. It is true that during his life Benedict’s own attitude toward the Second Vatican Council had been ambiguous and, to say the least, somewhat uneven. Still, it does not seem that his legacy on the council is going to be faithfully represented or adequately served if his radical right-wing supporters continue to use him as their pawn in their efforts to oppose Pope Francis and the Second Vatican Council.
But, with the death of Benedict XVI, the situation of the papacy of Pope Francis has radically changed. The normal transition between a former pope and a new pope has finally transpired. The liminal papacy of Pope Francis has ended. There can no longer be any question about the authenticity, completeness, and uniqueness of his papacy. Now is not the time to remain entrenched in the old, but to embrace the new. Those who wish to celebrate the legacy of Benedict XVI could not find a better way of so doing so than by embracing Pope Francis and his leadership. All too often we have heard the words of Benedict through the words of his supporters, who, more often than not, use his words to criticize Francis and oppose his papacy. I suggest that those who wish to find the legacy of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in this negative and destructive dialogue are doing a disservice to Benedict and to the church that he served during his entire life. Perhaps, a more positive approach to securing Benedict’s legacy might be found by looking at a couple of his most recent statements unfiltered by the interpretations of his supporters.
On February 28, 2021, marking the eighth anniversary of his resignation as pope, Benedict XVI, in an interview in the Italian newspaper, Corriere della Sen, put to rest the conspiracy theories about his resignation and urged Catholics to accept Francis as the one and only pope of the Catholic Church. In the interview Benedict rejected the view of those whom he referred to as his most “fanatical” followers who have refused to accept his resignation and have accepted “conspiracy theories” maintaining that his resignation was forced and not legitimate, claiming that Benedict was still the pope and that Francis’ election was not legitimate. Benedict categorically denied all of these false claims and theories stating that his decision to resign as pope was a free and conscious choice. Benedict wanted to clearly affirm that he was no longer the pope. In the interview he emphatically stated that there was only one pope and that was Francis. (Benedict XVI Defends his Decision to Resign, America, March 1. 2021). It was a call for Catholics to accept Francis as pope, the vicar of Christ on earth, and the sole head of the church. In his own words Benedict legitimized the papacy of Pope Francis. Now that Benedict is gone, would it not be a unitive experience for the church if all Catholics accepted and embraced Benedict’s affirmation of the legitimacy of Pope Francis’ papacy.
In another recent statement, delivered in a letter to the participants of a conference on Ratzinger’s vision of the church on October 20-21, 2022, at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Benedict left us with a very positive affirmation of the Second Vatican Council. In his letter Benedict stated that the Second Vatican Council was “not only meaningful, but necessary.” The former pope states that there were many important issues that the church had to face at the time of the council, like the theological understanding of the world’s different religions, the relationship between faith and reason, and the nature and mission of the church in the modern world. He told the participants that the “need to reformulate the question of the nature and the mission of the church has gradually become apparent. In this way, the positive power of the council is also slowly emerging.” (Vatican II was Necessary, Pope Benedict Writes to Steubenville Conference, America, October 21,2022). Isn’t it refreshing to hear these inspiring words of Benedict urging us to have a positive and hopeful view of the council? In a general sense, they sound very compatible with Pope Francis’ objective to reform the nature and the mission of the Catholic Church based upon the teachings of the Second Vatican Council. It is true that during his life Benedict’s own attitude toward the Second Vatican Council had been ambiguous and, to say the least, somewhat uneven. Still, it does not seem that his legacy on the council is going to be faithfully represented or adequately served if his radical right-wing supporters continue to use him as their pawn in their efforts to oppose Pope Francis and the Second Vatican Council.