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Pablo Blanco, Biographer of Benedict XVI and Professor of Theology at the University of Navarra, Spain

What is your spiritual bequest ?

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 11:23:00 +0000 Published in La Razón, February 25, 2013

Could it be said that Benedict XVI's spirituality is based on the centrality of Christ in his message?

-Yes, this is undoubtedly one of the central points that has been talked about a lot. Benedict XVI always tells an anecdote in this regard: once some Latin American bishops came to see him and told him that some indigenous people had contacted them to thank the Church for everything it had done for their people. They built a school, brought doctors and even drinking water to their village. Despite all this, the Indians told them of the need to be told about Jesus Christ. Ratzinger was very surprised, because many times they talk about everything ecclesiastical but leave Jesus Christ aside. For this reason, the Pope took advantage of his free time and vacations to write the three encyclicals.

What is the idea, of all those you have raised in your pontificate, that should remain with us for posterity?
-Together with the idea of Jesus that I mentioned earlier, the need for the Church. Christ and the Church are related because the Church is nothing other than the body of Christ. The fathers of the Church used to say that Christ is the light and the Church is the moon.

Could Benedict XVI be defined as the Pope of the word?

-Yes, he is spoken of as the Pope of reason, love and hope, which are, in turn, the titles of his encyclicals. In his homilies there is a lot of warmth and closeness, reason is innate. Benedict XVI has insisted that the Church must preserve the word of God and preach it accordingly.
Those who know him say that the exquisiteness in the exposition of his arguments and doctrinal approaches has reached its peak in the words of his Withdrawal. Is he from agreement?

It is probable, because in that Withdrawal is contained the best of the Pope. He sees the Church as a communion, in which he does not govern alone, but as a team with the rest of the bishops of the world. He does not consider himself an indispensable piece, if one of these pieces wears out, he changes it and moves on.