EWTN Interview with Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger - your comments

Irondale, AL (EWTN) – EWTN Global Catholic Network will air an exclusive interview conducted by EWTNews Director, Raymond Arroyo, in Rome with Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger as part of the international newsmagazine The World Over Live. The complete interview will air on Friday, September 5 at 8 PM EDT.

Cardinal Ratzinger, often referred to as the Vatican's doctrinal watchman, is responsible for protecting Catholic doctrine and exposing heresy. He is considered the single most powerful man in the Vatican aside from Pope John Paul II. A notoriously private man, the cardinal rarely grants interviews or takes questions from the media. In this historic session with Raymond Arroyo, Cardinal Ratzinger, whose primary language is German, consented to the request that the interview be conducted in the English language.

The cardinal answered far-ranging questions posed by Arroyo on current Church issues, including the root causes of the sexual abuse crisis in the United States, his estimation of the Church's future, his diagnosis of the problem with the Bishops' Conference, his views on efforts to convert the Jewish people, and a comment on his possible retirement. On the latter, Cardinal Ratzinger said, "Yes, I had the desire to retire in 1991, 1996, 2001 because I had the idea I could write some books and return to my studies as Cardinal Martini did…but, on the other hand, seeing the suffering Pope, I cannot say to the Pope, 'I will retire, I will write my books'…I have to continue."

When asked by Arroyo what he identifies as the root cause of the current sexual abuse crisis, Cardinal Ratzinger said, "The general element is a weakness of human beings, even of priests…temptations are present also for the priests…I think the essential point is a weakness of faith…So, two things are essential. Conversion to a profound and deep faith with a life of prayer and sacraments and clear moral teaching and connection of the teaching that the Church has the Holy Spirit and can give us the way."

Directing the discussion to the much-discussed topic of the role of bishops with regard to the crisis, Arroyo asked, "The Bishops' Conference has largely taken the lead, the National Conference, in trying to heal and put an end to this crisis. Because there is such a lack of confidence, if you will today, among the faithful in their episcopacy, do you believe the Bishops' Conference to be the best instrument of that healing at this point?" Cardinal Ratzinger replied, "Coordination between the bishops is certainly necessary because the United States is a great continent. From the outset it is clear that the personal responsibility of the bishop is fundamental for the Church, and perhaps the anonymity of the Bishops' Conferences can be a danger for the Church. Nobody is personally, immediately responsible. It was always the Conference and you do not know where or who is the conference."

Bringing up another controversial subject currently in the news, Arroyo posed, "You've discussed often the nature of sexuality and that it finds its home in the context of marriage. This today is a very contested notion and a very contested teaching. How does the Church bring that message into a culture where we now have homosexual marriages being legalized, in vitro fertilization and technologies of reproduction outside of the marital act? How do you bring this teaching to the culture?" Cardinal Ratzinger answered, "It is always essential that the nature of a human being is a given, and we understand that men and women were created one for the other…So I think even if our culture is against marriage as an essential form of relations between women and men, I think our nature is always present and we can understand it if we will to understand it. I hope it is possible in a sincere and open dialogue with the people to understand even today that our nature is this: man and woman are created one for the other."

In recent days, Cardinal Ratzinger has taken on greater responsibilities, personally overseeing the investigation of all sexual abuse claims and deciding the fate of accused clergy.

EWTN Global Catholic Network is available in more than 84 million television households in 110 countries. And with its worldwide short-wave radio station, satellite delivered AM & FM radio network, Internet website www.ewtn.com and publishing arm, EWTN is the largest religious media network in the world.

Let me tell you about those dirty dog bishops and what they did. A couple of years ago the Bishop responsible for the diocese where her studio is located pronounced that no priest could use the ad orientumposition. It was shortly after she had had the little to-do with card Mahoney,so I imagine it was forced on him by the USCCB power bloc.I believe it is impossible to offer the Tridentine Mass facing the congregation and it was a deliberate action taken to prevent her from using that Rite.

Furthermore,at the bishops conference prior to the scandals,they passed a directive which stated that the bishop had to approve any broadcast,video or audio,originating from their diocese. They really put her Bishop in a terrible position and her too. Since all 180 dioceses could choose to monitor EWTN any time they chose and could yammer like crazy it placed everybody in a very vulnerable positiion,given the givens.

She used to have her Bishop on fairly regularly presenting the Catechism and he was excellent,he has not been on for a very long time.I wrote to him when he ordered the priests to face the congregation and told him how disappointed I was. I didn't get a response and dropped it. The only thing I could hurt by speaking my mind would have been EWTN. Occasionally,I remember that discretion may just be the better part of valor and shut up or maybe it was the Holy Ghost. Whatever,I still think the USCCB should be dismantled,but it does seem that the direction of the Church in this country is changing.So we will probably be seeing some mighty thrashing by the "enemy" as they fight for their life,hope we are prepared and can withstand it without going bananas.

I am thinking that a perfectly offered Tridentine Mass may be an almost inpenetrable obstacle to the ever present threat from the "gates of hell". I think we forget sometimes that God's world encopasses both the natural and supernatural,and His Kingdom which begins here,would contain both. I don't know but I think it has something to do with it,got to work on it some more.Any thoughts?

Not sure what you mean, exactly. Are you saying that the Tridentine is a stopgap? I'll have to think about that, if that is what you are saying. I'm off to bed, not sure why I am up so late when I didn't even work tonight! It is 02:00 here and I have to get up early tomorrow... all the talk on these threads have given me the mind to take the ride and attend the indult Tridentine. Hey! My daughter is taking Latin this year and loves it! Says the opening class prayer in Latin. I think it may be easier to get her to attend the Tridentine now... and I think I have finally penetrated her brain and explained properly that it is the Mass of all who have gone before us. Our indult is beautifully said and you never hear a homily that you want to walk out on (unless you are a revolutionary, that is).

Found this fairly succinct recap of the Ratzinger/EWTN interview on "Catholic Analysis" blogspot.

Saturday, September 06, 2003
Ratzinger Interview: Major Points

Below are some major points made by Cardinal Ratzinger in his EWTN interview broadcast on September 5, 2003. The following is a paraphrase; any of my personal comments will be clearly indicated. The interview obviously included more than is summarized here. The interview is worth viewing, if you recorded it, because it is the witness of a believer calmly sharing his wisdom and perspective. Moreover, we get to see the human face of Ratzinger: an obviously humble man with a warm smile. Here are some of the major points arranged by topic:

1. Liturgy: The Cardinal clarified that the new norms on the Eucharistic celebration, referenced in the Pope's latest encyclical, will be focused on identifying liturgical abuses. As far as I could tell, on the issue of general permission or indult for celebration of the Tridentine Mass, the Cardinal was positive but non-specific. He noted that the old rite makes an important contribution by affirming the continuity of the Church. He emphasized that authentic liturgy is not so much a matter of just following rules ("juridical positivism") but rather a matter of focusing on the gift of the Lord made present in the liturgy. He spoke favorably of the priest and congregation facing toward the east as a classical and apostolic expression of the cosmic and historical dimension of the liturgy in which we look in the direction of the future toward the Lord. He favored the use of some Latin as expressive of the universality of the Church.

2. Catechesis: He emphasized the need for education in the faith to counter the relativism of the modern world. In this regard, he noted a forthcoming new compendium which would make the Catechism of the Catholic Church even more accessible to people.

3. Springtime of the Church/Evangelization: He outlined his view of the New Evangelization as likely proceeding, as in the apostolic era, through small, convinced communities exhibiting the "elan" of the faith. These highly committed communities would testify to the world that Christianity is the "way to life for tomorrow."

4. Fighting Heresy: He noted an ecumenical aspect to his duties as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in which Protestants have thanked him for standing up for common Christian teachings. (My comment: this ecumenical appreciation for the Cardinal's efforts to protect the orthodox Christian faith has, of course, been little noted by liberal media, both "Catholic" and non-Catholic, which prefers the false and simplistic caricature of Ratzinger.)

5. Scandal in the Church: Ratzinger spoke of the fact that Peter was a great sinner and that we should therefore not expect all the popes to be great saints. The fact that there is much chaff in the fields of the Church should allow us to relativize the scandals and not be amazed at their occurrence. He also noted that the Lord sits at the table with sinners.

6. The Current Scandals: Ratzinger believes that the current sexual scandals are due to weaknesss of faith" in which faith becomes a mere "hypothesis" instead of a deep and personal friendship and relation with the Lord. He calls us to re-convert to deeper faith. He views unclear moral teaching by moral theologians as a cause of the scandals.

7. Fatima Secret: He views the revelation of the last secret of Fatima as referring to the attempted assassination of the Pope in the eighties because Marian apparitions tend to focus on the next generation after the revelation is received, but he does not rule out some other application in the more distant future.

8. John Paul II: He views John Paul's papacy as significant in two dimensions: politically, in the sense of the demise of Communism in Eastern Europe and of theestablishmentt of relations with the state of Israel. In the spiritual dimension, he noted how John Paul has made Christ present to youth by proclaiming that we can still pray, that Christ is still here with us.

9. The Great Danger for the Church: He views the great danger for the Church as being the tendency to view the Church as a mere social association in which faith is underestimated, rather than viewing the Church as founded on faith in the Lord.

10. The Great Promise of the Church: The great promise for the Church is the new emphasis on the presence of the Lord in the Eucharist, the Eucharistic Christ. posted by Oswald Sobrino at 12:31 PM

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