Remembering Benedict the theologian

By The Catholic Free Press  

Some will remember Pope Benedict XVI as a theologian, or as “God’s Rottweiler,” but others are also reflecting on the influence the man had on teaching about the dangers of relativism in a world conflicted by the most basic truths about life and love.
Allison LeDoux, director of the diocese’s Respect Life and Marriage and Family offices, has displayed in her office for years what she considers one of his most profound remarks: “Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed. Each of us is loved. Each of us is necessary.”
She praised his encyclical Deus Caritas Est (God is Love), as “a key indicator of his mission to bring his flock into closer relationship with our all-loving God, and a hallmark of his pontificate, bringing so much of his many years of spiritual, theological reflection together in a message that can readily be received by all.”
Moreover, he “taught us how to proclaim the truth to a world badly in need of hearing it,” she said. “His phrase “the dictatorship of relativism,” so aptly described the cause of the pain and distress that goes on around us.” 
She said, “This brilliant, humble, and holy man taught us the meaning of truth, love, and hope as an antidote to the culture of death.”
From a theological perspective, Christopher P. Klofft, associate professor of theology at Assumption University, noted, “I will especially remember Pope Benedict XVI as a theologian. Obviously, we expect the pope to be theologically competent, but Benedict set the bar high. His 1990 instruction on the role of the theologian in the Church was formative for me and became a text I regularly teach in class. The theologian’s role is to take the truth revealed by God and transmitted through his Church and make it clear and accessible for all God’s people.
“Benedict also defined the shape of the Catholic Church in relation to the modern secular world in the two positions he held for the last decades of his life. In his long tenure as prefect for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, he was able to fortify the moral vision of Pope St. John Paul II. Then, in his short time as pope, he brought his own distinctive voice. Benedict revealed why we are experiencing confusion in an unrooted plurality of cultures, especially in the West: we have failed to acknowledge the Christian roots of our shared culture. He also spoke at length on the ‘tyranny of relativism’ that makes meaningful moral conversation impossible.”
According to Mr. Klofft, Benedict was unquestionably one of the greatest theologians of the 20th century. And he will likely be remembered in history for his intellectual depth and the precision and clarity of his writing.
As chairman of the Theology Department at Assumption University, Marc Guerra, said, “Harmoniously combining the offices of theologian, priest, and pontiff, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was truly one of God’s great gifts to the modern Church. In a time of widespread moral, intellectual, and spiritual confusion, he joyfully provided fundamental clarity about who God is and the distinctive liberation that comes from living a graced life emboldened and elevated by faith, hope, and charity.
Also commenting on the death of the late pope, professor of religious studies at the College of the Holy Cross, Mathew Schmalz, took a more worldly view of the pope’s influence on the Church and beyond. 
Mr. Schmalz noted, “Benedict XVI leaves behind a complex legacy as a pope and theologian.”
Founder of the “Journal of Global Catholicism,” Mr. Schmalz wrote about Pope Benedict’s life and legacy. 
“To many observers, Benedict was known for criticizing what he saw as the modern world’s rejection of God and Christianity’s timeless truths,” Mr. Schmalz wrote. “But as a scholar of the diversity of global Catholicism, I think it’s best to avoid simple characterizations of Benedict’s theology, which I believe will influence the Catholic Church for generations.
“While the brilliance of this intellectual legacy will certainly endure, it will also have to contend with the shadows of the numerous controversies that marked Benedict’s time as pope and, later, as pope emeritus.” 
Mr. Schmalz wrote about the sexual abuse scandals, Pope Benedict’s comments about Islam that drew protests, and writings with his name on them that appeared to criticize reforms of Pope Francis.  
“As for his own personal legacy,” Mr. Schmalz wrote of the late pope, “that will likely be defined by the one issue that concerned Benedict the most: how the Catholic Church can still make a difference in the modern world.”
“His enemies were unrelenting in attacking him,” said Sister Katherine Maria Mueller, superior of the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of the St. Benedict Center in Still River. She noted however that “when they called him, ‘the German Shepherd or God’s Rottweiler,’ they unwittingly gave him a compliment because both breeds of dogs are highly intelligent and loyal and are known to be great guard dogs that protect their masters. So, it was with Pope Benedict.”
Sister Katherine Maria also had communal memories to share.
Students at Immaculate Heart of Mary School, where the Sisters serve, watched the election of the new pope, “pensively” waited for the white smoke, and cheered when Benedict was elected, she said. When he wrote the apostolic letter “Traditionis Custodes” (on the use of the Roman Liturgy prior to the reform of 1970) he was cheered again by the community. 
“The unforgettable memory of attending his Mass at Yankee Stadium is by far the fondest of the Sisters,” Sister Katherine Maria said.
Also commenting on the late pope’s oft-repeated moniker, Michael Hughes, a member of St. John, Guardian of Our Lady Parish in Clinton and a teacher at St. John’s High School in Shrewsbury, said that people who loved (or hated) Cardinal Ratzinger called him God’s Rottweiler “because he was the doctrinal watchdog” for Pope John Paul II as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.     
“Perhaps we and the world had come to think that the Church required no corrections,” Mr. Hughes said. “I prefer to think of Pope Benedict as ‘God’s German Shepherd,’ a role he played as theologian, defender of the faith, and learned and humble pope, who showed the world how to lead like Jesus by ‘emptying himself’ and yielding up the papacy. And while the shepherd dogs may be feared by the wolf who comes to steal the sheep, the German shepherd is truly, like Jesus himself, ‘man’s best friend.’ May the legacy and excellence of Pope Benedict’s reputation grow in time.”

– CFP Reporter Tanya Connor, Correspondent Maria LeDoux and Editor Margaret M. Russell contributed to this report.