Bento XVI

Leitura recomendada: Pope Benedict XVI, por Jeffrey Tucker.

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, is perhaps the smartest man alive--I really do think so--a man of vast learning, astonishing erudition, and impressive intellectual discipline.

Only recently I read his long essay on Christianity and politics, and found myself just thrilled by its level of understanding and grasp of history. Not that politics should be the first concern, but he knows and understands the state, sees Christianity as separate from the state, condemns the role the state has played in diminishing the impact of faith on the world, and believes in the right to resist. On Church and State relations, he is genuine liberal in the late 19th century sense.###

Politics aside, he is a theologian first who understands non-Catholic faiths better than they understand themselves. I can recall many years ago reading his long essay on eschatology and realizing that had I ran across this 5 years earlier I would have saved myself countless hours slogging through large but lesser treatises on the topic.

Another hugely important issue for him will be liturgy: he is a liturgical conservative who has written that rock music under any guise belongs not at Christian worship. Not that this man breaths fire: not at all. He has always struck me as very gentle and soft spoken. I don't know why, but I also have an image of him in my mind as a somewhat sad person, burdened in some way too.