Benedict XVI “he saw the dangers that threatened our Church, Europe and humanity, but he was also aware of the prospects that were opening up and the reason for our hope”. It is the memory of the cardinal Peter Erdoprimate of the Hungarian Church, archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, who underlines how Joseph Ratzinger, who died on December 31, was a “collaborator” with Jesus “who, like a good shepherd, seeks and carries the lost sheep on his shoulders”, which is “humanity itself”.
“I received the news of Pope Benedict’s death with deep sorrow”, writes Cardinal Erdo, tomorrow in Rome for the funeral of the Pope Emeritus. “As a theologian, a cardinal, an incumbent and then retired pope, he was a determining figure in the life of our Church. He radiated light and serenity even in the years of weakness and illness. The greatest Catholic theologian of our time has left us”.
“He carried the Second Vatican Council in his heart”
“He heard and understood the signs of the times”, writes the archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest. “He carried in his heart the Second Vatican Council, in which he participated as an expert. He saw the dangers that threatened our Church, Europe and humanity, but he was also aware of the prospects that were opening up and the reason for our hope. He knew that there is truth in the realm of faith and that it must be represented in love. At the same time, in his last great encyclical, Caritas in veritate, he wrote that love manifested in society must also be rooted in truth, and from this it can derive its authenticity: he proclaimed the truth of Christ’s love in society “.
“He was a true European. He knew how to listen patiently to the opinions of others. And he has taken into account the points of view aroused in his decisions. He was a man of dialogue. Rigid formalism was as far from him as petty self-denial. His dialogue with Jürgen Habermas addresses the fundamental issues of our worldview and our culture. He knew and understood well the problems and joys of our Hungarian people and accompanied the events of the International Eucharistic Congress in Budapest with love and interest”.
“Language that changes while preserving identity and continuity”
“Pope Francis’ words about him are still valid: ‘We all feel his spiritual presence, we know that he accompanies the whole Church with his prayer (…) his theological work continues to be fruitful and effective'”, he writes the primate of the Hungarian Church.
“His motto was: Cooperatores Veritatis – collaborators of the Truth. He did not conceive of theology or even the other sciences as a mere swirl of desires and opinions, but as a sincere, systematic and passionate search for truth. And he lived and presented the Catholic faith as a true doctrine, addressed to people who change over time with a changing language, but preserving his identity and continuity. The foundation and fullness of this truth is Christ himself, a true historical person whose teaching, life, death and resurrection we can know through historical sources and the tradition of the Church. This is why Pope Benedict wrote, as the culmination of his theological work, the books on Jesus of Nazareth, a wise message and confirmation for us”.
“In the homily of his first solemn papal mass he spoke of Jesus, who, like a good shepherd, searches for and loads the lost sheep on his shoulders. This lost sheep, he said, is humanity itself! Pope Benedict – concludes Cardinal Erdo – was a collaborator of Jesus, the good shepherd, in this great mission, and the whole Church must also participate in this mission. We trust that Pope Benedict will accompany the completion of this great work with his prayers from the house of the Heavenly Father”.