(Ferrara) on the anniversary of his renunciation the newspaper La Voce di Romagna in Rimini announced on 10 February a visit to Benedict XVI. On 5 February "the great Ratzinger", as the newspaper said, received two long-time personal friends: the fighting Archbishop Monsignor Luigi Negri of Ferrara and Professor Marco Ferrini. Archbishop Negri is President and Professor Ferrini is Director General of the International John Paul II Foundation for the Social Doctrine of the Church .
"Benedict XVI. received us in the Vatican in the monastery Mater Ecclesia. We spent 40 minutes together. We found him very alert and present for his 87 years, " said Marco Ferrini.
About the interview, he said: "We told him that we have regained, thanks to the Magisterium of John Paul II and his continuity between faith and culture, with the social and political commitment, certainly with some concern because there is a return to some sort of dualism in a part Church, which wants to lead the Church into a position of self-exclusion. Benedict XVI. told us then: "All dualism in Christianity is negative." He spoke to us of the difficult conditions under which the Church is today and always, suffering more virulent attacks from the world. And he said that the Church has always fought and will always fight. The hostility of the world is one of its essential characteristics, such as the Lord had promised. ,Benedict XVI. said to us, 'If there is no struggle, there is no Christianity.' "
The newspaper said that Ferrini was as stirred as Archbishop Negri to be able to see Benedict XVI. again and how impressed they were "about his unbroken spiritual depth and his great gentleness."
Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: Papa Benedetto Blog
image: Papa Benedetto Blog
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMGD
