For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. Proverbs 2:18
"A German newspaper today has published excerpts of two private letters Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI wrote less than one year ago, that give insight into how he views his resignation, and his deep concern for the state of the Church following his departure from the papacy.
Bild newspaper has reported that the two letters bearing Benedict’s signature — and which
independent sources have authenticated — were written to a German cardinal in November 2017, in response to his charge that Benedict’s resignation was the catalyst for a major crisis in the Church.
The prelate also alleged that such an unprecedented act had seriously harmed the Church.
In the letter, Benedict further defends his decision by pointing to Pope Pius XII’s (1876-1958) contingency plan to resign from the papacy to avoid being “arrested by the Nazis.”
Observing the comparison, Bild asks, “Who did Benedict feel threatened by?”
Recalling Benedict XVI’s ominous words at his inaugural Mass: “Pray for me that I may not flee for fear of the wolves,” the German newspaper asks: “Who are the wolves?”
“By ‘the wolves,’ he probably meant the network of high-ranking Church dignitaries who have created a system of power, and abuse of power, in the Vatican, and whom he felt unable to cope with,” Vatican expert, Armin Schwibach, told Bild.
Bild reports that Benedict’s private secretary, Archbishop Bishop Georg Gänswein, did not wish to comment on the letters.
Ganswein recently compared the current crisis in the Church — brought on by sexual abuse scandals and systematic cover-up by the hierarchy — to the terror attacks on the World Trade Center in New York on September 11. The Church, he said, is currently experiencing “its own 9/11.”
Lifesite
"A German newspaper today has published excerpts of two private letters Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI wrote less than one year ago, that give insight into how he views his resignation, and his deep concern for the state of the Church following his departure from the papacy.
Bild newspaper has reported that the two letters bearing Benedict’s signature — and which
The prelate also alleged that such an unprecedented act had seriously harmed the Church.
In the letter, Benedict further defends his decision by pointing to Pope Pius XII’s (1876-1958) contingency plan to resign from the papacy to avoid being “arrested by the Nazis.”
Observing the comparison, Bild asks, “Who did Benedict feel threatened by?”
Recalling Benedict XVI’s ominous words at his inaugural Mass: “Pray for me that I may not flee for fear of the wolves,” the German newspaper asks: “Who are the wolves?”
“By ‘the wolves,’ he probably meant the network of high-ranking Church dignitaries who have created a system of power, and abuse of power, in the Vatican, and whom he felt unable to cope with,” Vatican expert, Armin Schwibach, told Bild.
Bild reports that Benedict’s private secretary, Archbishop Bishop Georg Gänswein, did not wish to comment on the letters.
Ganswein recently compared the current crisis in the Church — brought on by sexual abuse scandals and systematic cover-up by the hierarchy — to the terror attacks on the World Trade Center in New York on September 11. The Church, he said, is currently experiencing “its own 9/11.”
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