5th Sunday of Easter
24 April 2005
Dear Friends in Christ,
Last Tuesday, 19 April 2005, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was elected by the College of Cardinals on only the fourth ballot of their Conclave to be the 265 th Bishop of Rome and 264 th Successor to St. Peter, and as you know, the new pope took the name Benedict XVI at the beginning of his Petrine ministry. Pope Benedict has one of the most agile and subtle theological minds of our time, and in the bulletin today you will find a reprint of an essay published in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday by George Weigel, the biographer of John Paul the Great and a friend of St. Mary’s Church. I hope that Mr. Weigel’s description of our new pope, his life’s work, and his choice of the name of Benedict will help you understand more deeply why I believe the pontificate of Benedict XVI is an extraordinary gift to the Church.
Even as hundreds of millions of Catholics rejoice in the election of Pope Benedict, however, others will express reservations about his previous work and concerns about what the future holds for the Church. I encourage you all to take the opportunity to read some of the many books written by Cardinal Ratzinger and published in translation by Ignatius Press. His written works reveal Pope Benedict to be a man of penetrating intellect, gracious manners, self-effacing good humor, and natural sympathy for those who suffer, but this is not likely to be the portrait we will see painted by the popular press and the electronic media. Let us remember, however, that the mission of the Pope is to continue the mission of the Lord Jesus, who came with this proclamation: "The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel." Calling the nations to repentance and faith in the Gospel always makes the preacher, like Christ, a sign of contradiction, and Pope Benedict will not shrink from the difficult task of bearing faithful witness to the Lord Jesus and teaching the Gospel in season and out. Simon may die, but Peter lives on. John Paul the Great has completed his work, and now in the person of Benedict XVI, we have another Rock of unshakable faith. For that we should all pray: Thanks be to God!
On Tuesday afternoon when he appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Benedict asked the whole Church to pray for him. Among the ways to honor the pope’s request is with this prayer: "Father of providence, look with love on Benedict our Pope, your appointed successor to St. Peter on whom you built your Church. May he be the visible center and foundation of our unity in faith and love. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen."
Father Newman