“I will remain hidden from the world,” Benedict
XVI told Roman priests last 14 February, two weeks before stepping down
as leader of the Catholic Church.
But partly because of the affection
shown and the invitations sent to him Francis, Ratzinger has not
disappeared from the public scene completely.
Last Sunday, for the first
time since he resigned, the Pope Emeritus dressed in white and
celebrated mass for his former students who meet once a year for a day
or so at the end of the summer.
The Pope Emeritus gave a homily,
speaking off-the-cuff in German and the most important passages from
this were translated and published by Vatican Radio.
Benedict XVI’s homily focused on parts of the
Gospel where Jesus speaks about humility and choosing the lowest places,
in tune with Bergoglio’s message.
The fact that the homily went public
confirms that Ratzinger has not withdrawn completely from public life
and neither is he living a cloistered life, despite the fact the elderly
Pope Emeritus lives in a former convent.
Benedict XVI lives a withdrawn
but not a monastic life, assisted by four Memores Domini belonging to
the Communion and Liberation movement and by his most loyal assistant
Fr. Georg Gänswein. Gänswein is both personal secretary to
the former Pope and Prefect of the Francis’ Papal Household. He doesn’t
write books or speeches but does receive visits from friends,
acquaintances and ecclesiastical and lay figures.
Some of these visitors
have given public interviews about their meetings with the former Pope,
or have commented on them anonymously, denying certain statements
falsely attributed to Ratzinger, such as the recent comment he allegedly
made about the reason for his resignation being that God wanted him to.
The Pope Emeritus has not disappeared from the public spot light
altogether, partly because his successor allowed photos of the two of
them together to be published.
From their first meeting in Castel
Gandolfo, to their first embrace, their moments of prayer together,
their conversation about the Vatileaks documents and Ratzinger’s return
to the Vatican.
Then last 5 July, the day the encyclical co-written by
the Pope and the Pope Emeritus was published, Francis wanted his
predecessor by his side at the inauguration of the statue of St. Michael
the Archangel.
Francis sees the Pope Emeritus as an asset.
“It’s like
having your grandfather in the house, a wise grandfather. Pope Benedict
is a man of great prudence. He doesn’t interfere! I have often told
him so: “Holiness, receive guests, lead your own life, come along with
us,” Bergoglio said on his return from the World Youth Day celebrations
in Rio de Janeiro.
The attention Francis shows to Ratzinger has also
been demonstrated by his decision to keep Georg Gänswein as Prefect of
the Papal Household.
Gänswein is a bridge between the reigning Pope and
his predecessor who is becoming less and less hidden.