Ratzinger himself recounted this when describing his episcopal coat of arms: "From the legend of St. Corbinian, founder of the diocese of Friesland, I took the figure of the bear. A bear - the story goes - had torn the saint's horse to pieces on his journey to Rome. Corbiniano reprimanded him severely for such a misdeed and, as punishment, loaded him with the bundle that he had carried on the horse's back until then. Thus, the bear had to carry the bundle to Rome". He also saw himself as this improvised pack animal, for his master was God. This old bear with which the German pope identified himself has died in Rome. Unlike Corbiniano's bear, which was released upon arrival in the Eternal City, he had to stay there, he continued.

We saw him wandering for years with his burden on his back through the streets of Rome. He faced with determination the problems that came from inside and outside the Church. He did not hide or shy away from them. He has also been able to dialogue "with the main icons of atheism", as Francisco Umbral said. The German professor - later archbishop, prefect and pope - was also familiar with the drama of the division between the atheist and the believing world. He worked hard to get to the roots of the problems and give greater credibility to the Church. The best reform is cleansing, inner purification: removing what is superfluous in order to get to the heart of the matter. That is why he was called "the pope of the essentials"; this bear did not beat around the bush.

His appearance was not that of the jovial and exuberant Wojtyla in his early years, nor that of the enthusiastic Francis. The Bavarian bear had more the appearance of a small bear. With his weak voice, he did not seem too dangerous. However, he showed fierceness when the occasion called for it, such as tackling pederasty cases or starting to root out financial scandals within the walls. He was a quiet man, "a humble laborer in the vineyard of the Lord," as he defined himself upon his election as pope. He carried his burden with courage and dignity, without seeking success and risking his popularity. Then he got out of the way with the revolutionary gesture of Withdrawal. He, who had a reputation as a conservative. The bear was left wandering in the Vatican Gardens. He was a true reformer. He himself said in his native Germany, land of the Protestant Reformation, that "the true reformers are the saints". Perhaps this phrase sums up his program: "less bureaucracy, more holiness", as he himself said, and bears - "the Lord's beasts of burden" - could also be saints.