Edit: the Pornokardinal is incensed that ++Gänswein outed him to the rest of the liberals by mentioning how he supported Benedict accepting his election as pontiff.
Viennese cardinal confirms information from Benedict XVI's private secretary: "Yes, that was so. So far, I have deliberately kept silent about it." Reprimand for publication: "Unseemly indiscretion."
Cardinal Christoph Schönborn was the person who, in the event of his election as Pope, encouraged Joseph Ratzinger to accept this decision of the conclave. This small "revelation" can be found in the book written by the long-time papal secretary Archbishop Georg Gänswein under the title "Nothing but the truth" ("Nient'altro che la verita"), which was published last week in Italian.
Cardinal Schönborn confirmed Gänswein's statements on Wednesday, according to which he, Schönborn, had written Cardinal Ratzinger "a letter just in case" before the conclave. "Yes, it was. So far, however, I have deliberately kept silent about it, although it happened within the framework of the Cardinal Assembly, and not at the conclave itself," said the Archbishop of Vienna.
At the same time, the cardinal distanced himself from Gänswein's book project, calling it an "unseemly indiscretion." Schönborn said: I don't think it's right that such confidential things are published, especially by the personal secretary."
Benedict's "Guillotine" speech
Specifically, the private secretary of Benedict XVI. refers in his book in the chapter on "Schönborn's letter" ("La lettera di Schönborn") to a speech by the newly elected Pope a few days earlier to a German group of pilgrims on April 25, 2005. At that time, Benedict XVI. spoke surprisingly openly about his emotional state at the conclave and said: "When slowly the course of the votes made me realize that the guillotine would fall on me, so to speak, I felt dizzy. (...) I said to the Lord with deep conviction: Do not do this to me! You have younger and better people who can approach this great task with a completely different vigour and strength. I was very touched by a small letter written to me by a confrere from the College of Cardinals."
The fact that Cardinal Schönborn was meant by the "confrere" mentioned by the Pope has only now been made public by Gänswein with his book.
And what was the content of the letter? Benedict XVI. also gave detailed information about this in his speech to his compatriots at that time: "He (Schönborn, note) reminded me that I had placed the sermon at the divine service for John Paul II from the Gospel under the word that the Lord said to Peter at the Sea of Galilee: Follow me! I had shown how Karol Wojtyla received this call from the Lord again and again and had to give up a lot again and again and simply say: Yes, I follow you, even if you lead me where I did not want to."
The confrere (Schönborn, note) wrote to me: If the Lord should now say to you, 'Follow me', then remember what you preached. Don't refuse! Be obedient, as you said of the great departed Pope. That fell into my heart. The ways of the Lord are not comfortable, but we are not made for convenience, but for the great, for the good."
With Benedict XVI. the Du form of informality
Gänswein also mentions in his book that Schönborn and Ratzinger were on a first-name basis. Apart from Benedict's childhood friends, Cardinal Schönborn, who belonged to the Ratzinger circle of students, was one of the few who addressed his former teacher as you, writes Gänswein.
The second episode described in Gänswein's book - a short but very personal conversation between the newly elected Pope Benedict XVI. and Cardinal Schönborn - had also happened in this way, confirmed the Archbishop of Vienna
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG
Getting tired of reading Benedict taking to the fainting couch when talking about his election as Pope. It wasn't like he didn't know what life in the Vatican was.
ReplyDeleteHe could have said no. There is precedent for turning down the Papacy.
No one, except for some Cardinal running his catty mouth, would have been the wiser.