Second anniversary of the death of Benedict XVI – Swiss Catholic Portal

On the occasion of the second anniversary of the death of Pope Benedict XVI, commemorations and tributes are multiplying, in Rome and around the world. One of the most direct witnesses to the life and work of Joseph Ratzinger was thee cardinal suisse Kurt Koch, prefect of the Dicastery for Christian Unity.

In a round table on Benedict XVI recorded by the American Catholic television channel EWTN and transcribed by Daily mailCardinal Kurt Koch returned to some of the personality traits of the Bavarian pope.

Great intelligence, deep faith and sincere humility

“Benoît was a man of great intelligence, a deeply believing Christian and a very humble colleague. And that has always impressed me. In him, these three qualities were united in one person,” noted Cardinal Koch. “I always responded to journalists when they said that now, with Pope Francis, we have a humble pope, that humility had already entered the Apostolic Palace before.”

Jesus of Nazareth

For the Swiss cardinal, the trilogy on Jesus of Nazareth will remain the major work of Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI. “I remember it well. The last time I met Joseph Ratzinger as cardinal was a month before the death of John Paul II, and he said to me: ›You know, I have tendered my resignation twice, the pope did not accept it. The next pope will have to accept it, and then I will go to Germany and write my book about Jesus.’ It showed me how important it was to him. It was his life’s work, it had to be completed, because his whole life was going towards Jesus Christ. And conveying that was very, very important to him.”

What impact on the Church?

The long-term impact of Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI is also an important theme for Kurt Koch. What will remain of him, his theology, his works, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, his action within the Church in his many functions? He will have a big impact story. The time will come again, I am convinced, because many of those who criticize him do not know him at all.”

“When I was a teacher, I did an experiment. I simply took a text from Ratzinger, I copied it and I distributed it to the pupils, to the students, saying, guess who it is by. The reactions were: ‘it’s so beautiful and so good, it can only be by Hans Küng!’ I then told them that it was by Joseph Ratzinger and that they should learn to read it correctly. And in that sense, I am convinced that the story of its impact will be very big and good.”

An honest man

“I have always seen him as a very honest, authentic man, who truly believes and lives what he says and what he announces,” continued Cardinal Koch. He always seemed to me to be like John the Baptist, who always turned away from himself and turned towards Jesus Christ. It was his essential concern, that everything revolves around God in the Church, around Jesus Christ, and not around all these things which are at the center today. And this centrality of the question and the search for God is the main message we need today. If God is not at the center of the Church, people will only perceive it as a curious association that turns on itself. Benedict XVI’s concern was to lead to the center, and I think that’s what many people felt.” (cath.ch/tagespost/mp)