{"id":33852,"date":"2022-12-31T10:44:21","date_gmt":"2022-12-31T15:44:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/pope-benedict-xvi-shepherd-father-and-co-worker-of-the-truth-for-the-legionaries-of-christ-and-regnum-christi\/"},"modified":"2023-08-10T11:49:38","modified_gmt":"2023-08-10T15:49:38","slug":"pope-benedict-xvi-shepherd-father-and-co-worker-of-the-truth-for-the-legionaries-of-christ-and-regnum-christi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/pope-benedict-xvi-shepherd-father-and-co-worker-of-the-truth-for-the-legionaries-of-christ-and-regnum-christi\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope Benedict XVI: Shepherd, Father, and Co-Worker of the Truth for the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was over 17 years ago that white smoke billowed from the roof of the Sistine Chapel and bells rang out the announcement that a new pope had been chosen, after only four ballots and a relatively brief conclave. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger would succeed Pope John Paul II, taking the pontifical name of Benedict XVI.<\/p>\n

On his election to the papacy in 2005, Pope Benedict XVI took the motto of “Cooperatores Veritatis”<\/em>\u00a0 (Co-workers of the Truth).\u00a0 As we mourn his loss at the age of 95, we remember how he invited the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi to be co-workers of the truth with the Papacy and the Church.<\/p>\n

A Humble Teacher<\/strong><\/p>\n

The twenty-four-hour conclave that led to Pope Benedict\u2019s swift election to the papacy was one of the quickest in history, and the result came as little surprise to many Catholics around the world, who already knew Cardinal Ratzinger well as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.<\/p>\n

Many of the Legionary priests working and studying in Rome at the time were already quite familiar with the man who had become Pope Benedict, as a theologian, a cardinal, a prefect, and simply as a fellow priest. Father J\u00e9sus Villagrasa, LC, a General Counselor of the Congregation who has also served as a professor, director, and rector at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome shares a memory of a meeting with Cardinal Ratzinger at the formation center of the Legionaries of Christ in Rome in 1989: \u201cI had only been in college for a couple of years; I was taking the first cycle of philosophical studies. He told us about his own intellectual experience, and gave us advice for our academic life. With his proverbial humility, he came across as an older brother, and shared in the chores around the college.\u201d<\/p>\n

Father Donal Corry, LC, a member of the Legionary community in Rome, was an official in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican from 1998 to 2003 while Cardinal Ratzinger was prefect, and was immediately struck by the cardinal\u2019s piety and devotion. \u201cUsually, on arriving to his office, Cardinal Ratzinger would go to the chapel to pray his Breviary,\u201d recalls Father Donal. \u201cIt was noticeable how, in spite of the fact that he was alone, he would follow the series of positions common in the communitarian praying of the Breviary. This conveyed a certain fervor that was edifying.\u201d<\/p>\n

To Father Donal, under of the cardinal\u2019s guidance, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was well-organized, and the environment which prevailed among the officials and the other members of the staff was one of a keen sense of responsibility and mutual cooperation at the service of the Church. Cardinal Ratzinger guided the work of the Congregation with his immense theological and historical knowledge and his experience in ecclesial affairs gained from a life of dedication to the problems and reality of the Church \u2013 especially in Germany \u2013 and in the world, as seen from Rome. \u201cHis comments were full of good sense and Christian wisdom, and it was a joy and a formative experience for me as a relatively young priest to participate in the weekly formal discussions on the different cases sent to the Congregation, mainly by bishops worldwide,\u201d says Father Donal. \u201cI learned a lot from him during these meetings, which matured my sensus ecclesiae<\/em>. The cardinal guided the proceedings with the tact of a real gentleman. He asked questions when he needed clarification and thanked each person for his or her contribution. At the end of the dialogue, the many reflections were formulated in a precise conclusion or decree that indicated a path of response to the question that was taken into consideration.\u201d<\/p>\n

It also appeared to Father Donal that, from the beginning, Cardinal Ratzinger had a substantially positive view of the Legionaries of Christ. \u201cHe liked our community celebration of the liturgy, especially the community singing of the Gregorian chant. He appreciated our devotion to the See of Peter and faithful allegiance to the Church\u2019s Magisterial teaching. He appreciated the seriousness given to our formation, both ecclesiastical and human.\u201d<\/p>\n

Father Michael Ryan, LC, Director of the Fidelis Institute at the Athenaeum, recalls hearing a story about Pope Benedict that paints the picture of a man of simplicity and humility. \u201cCardinal Ratzinger walked across St. Peter\u2019s Square every day to go to his work at the Congregation for the Faith. One day, a family met him and asked him for a photograph, showing him the camera. The cardinal thought that the man wanted him to take a photo of the family for him, and held out his hand to take the camera in order to photograph the family, when what they were actually asking for was a photo of the cardinal! It is just one little instance in which we can see the simplicity and humility of the cardinal who was not put out by the fact that someone asked him to be their photographer.\u201d<\/p>\n

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