The Pontificate of Benedict XVI - As covered by Sandro Magister

Sandro Magister is a journalist and reporter for the weekly magazine “L’espresso,” for which he has written since 1974. He specializes in religious news, in particular on the Catholic Church and the Vatican.

2010

• 12-30-10: Transparency, honesty and responsibility" The "Motu proprio" by Benedict XVI for the prevention of and fight against illegal activities in the financial and monetary sector.
• 12-27-10: Benedict XVI: Man of the Year. For His Homilies They are the cornerstone of his ordinary magisterium. They narrate the adventure of God in the history of the world. They lift the veil on the "things that are above." A guide to reading the liturgical preaching of the current pope.
• 12-20-10: The Pope's Merry Christmas: "Only the Truth Saves" In his pre-Christmas address to the curia, Benedict XVI is actually speaking to the whole world. Sexual abuse by the clergy, he says, is the effect of the inability to distinguish between good and evil. And he recalls the lesson of Newman: conscience is made to obey the truth.
• 12-09-10: The New Polytheism and its Tempter Idols Benedict XVI sounds the alarm. Forgetfulness of the one God clears the way for a world dominated by a plurality of new gods with seductive faces. A voyage among the devotees of modern paganism.
• 11-22-10: The Pope on the Pope. A Preview The most piquant passages of the latest book-interview of Benedict XVI. On condoms, sexual abuse, female priesthood, Jews, the burqa... But above all on the future of Christianity, which he sees as being full of light.
• 11-20-10: Pedophilia. The Doubts of the Cardinals Over "Zero Tolerance" They discussed it with the pope on the eve of the consistory. For some, it is risky to centralize all of the cases in Rome. For others, it is a mistake to proceed by judicial order rather than with regular canonical trials. The pros and cons of an emergency system.
• 11-12-10: The Pope Rattles the Bishops: "Learn from Saint Francis" He really knew what true liturgical reform is, writes Benedict XVI in a message that is a severe rebuke to the Italian Catholic hierarchy. Where, in the liturgical field, Ratzinger's opponents continue to prevail.
• 11-08-10: From Santiago de Compostela and from Barcelona, Benedict XVI's appeal that the continent open itself to God and return to pronouncing his name not in vain, but in joy and holiness. With the cross as the "pole star".
• 11-05-10: First Mass in the Sagrada Família: The Pope Beatifies Gaudí Benedict XVI is going to Barcelona to consecrate the masterpiece basilica. And he is proposing it as a model for modern builders of churches. A visitor's guide to the astonishing edifice.
• 10-22-10: Twenty-four New Cardinals, Tailor Made for the Pope Koch, Ravasi, Burke, Amato, Ranjith... all very much in line with Benedict XVI. Who, for the honor of great sacred music, is also giving the purple to maestro Bartolucci. With a secret thought, perhaps, for his brother Georg.
• 10-11-10: "It is the faith of the simple that knocks down false gods" The complete transcription of the pope's unscripted homily at the first session of the special synod on the Middle East. Financial capitals, terrorism, drugs, dominant ideologies. The rise and fall of the powers of this world, interpreted in the light of Revelation.
• 09-27-10: The Other Curia of Benedict XVI. The Appointments, the Results Museums, library, culture, music, media. They are the most visible face of the Vatican. And also most exposed to the judgment of all. Here are the pros and cons, case by case, name by name.
• 09-19-10: The Pope's Last Wishes in the United Kingdom He has gathered from his journey "how deep a thirst there is among the British people for the Good News of Jesus Christ." And therefore he has urged the bishops to preach the Gospel in its entirety: "including those elements which call into question the widespread assumptions of today’s culture".
• 09-18-2010: Newman spoke this evening in Hyde Park The teaching of the great convert, in the pope's meditation on the eve of his beatification. "Passion for the truth is costly: it often involves being dismissed out of hand, ridiculed or parodied."
• 09-18-10: In the Crucifix of Westminster, the Pope Sees the Suffering of Those Children The complete text of the homily at the cathedral of London, with a touching tribute to the victims of sexual abuse. "In the life of the Church, in her trials and tribulations, Christ continues to be in agony until the end of the world".
• "Unam Sanctam." The Church of Peter in London Benedict XVI invites young people to become saints. He calls for unity among Christians and religious men. And to politicians and men of culture, he proposes reciprocal "purification" between reason and faith.
• 09-16-10: Mission Britannia. The Sun Shines in Glasgow The journey of Benedict XVI begins in Scotland. The meeting with the queen. The Mass with the people. A celebration of faith in the kingdom of the incredulous. With a prologue on the scandal of pedophilia.
• 09-06-10: The Confessions of the Young Ratzinger The three autobiographical passages included by Benedict XVI in the message for the next World Youth Day.
• 09-03-10: "Why They Are Attacking Me." Autobiography of a Pontificate Ever since he was elected, Joseph Ratzinger has been the target of a crescendo of assaults, from inside and outside of the Church. Is an "invisible hand" moving them? Here's how the pope sees and explains it.
• 08-10-10: The Encyclical on Faith Has Already Been Painted, by Raphael nstead of a new encyclical, Benedict XVI is writing the third volume of his trilogy on Jesus. With the Transfiguration on Tabor as its focal point. A liturgist and a theologian explain why
• 07-30-10: Goodbye, Old Legion. All the Powers of the New General As the pope's delegate, Archbishop De Paolis has full authority over everything and everyone. For Corcuera, Garza, and the other heads of the congregation founded by Marcial Maciel, the end is in sight. But they're still resisting.
• 07-12-10: They are pleading with the pope to condemn "ex cathedra" the errors of Vatican Council II. A new book by Romano Amerio is giving new force to their request. But Benedict XVI doesn't agree.
• 07-08-10: For Pope Benedict, the Horrible 2010 Is a Year of Grace Penance, forgiveness, and new evangelization. Like in the Jubilee of 2000, and more so. A surprising comparison. With an interview with Cardinal Ruini.
• 07-01-10: While Rome Is Under Siege, the Cardinals Quarrel Schönborn against Sodano, Sepe against Bertone. The serious case of the archbishop of Vienna. Benedict XVI chastises, makes peace, and takes the long view. Including with three appointments to three key posts in the curia.
• 06-28-10: Ukraine plays referee between the Pope and the Patriarch of Moscow. Over there Russian Orthodoxy has its cornerstone. And over there, there is the most numerous Eastern Catholic population. With John Paul II the two Churches were at loggerheads. With Benedict XVI the turning point. But peace is still far away.
  
• 06-24-10: The First "Court" of Believers and Atheists Will Open in Paris. It was called for by pope Ratzinger, by the name of "court of the gentiles." It will be inaugurated by his minister for culture, Archbishop Ravasi. It will be a place for dialogue with those far from God, the first act of a wider project of new evangelization.
  
• 06-15-10: The Pope "Rethinks" Clerical Celibacy. In Order to Reinforce It. It is the sign, he says, that God exists and that one allows himself to be seized by passion for him. This makes it a great scandal, and the desire is to eliminate it. The complete transcript of Benedict XVI's latest statement on this issue. And of a surprising preview of it, from 2006.
  
• 06-11-10: Year for Priests. "It was to be expected that the 'enemy' wouldn't like it". A tally of twelve months under constant fire. What the pope wanted, and what happened instead, with the explosion of the scandal of pedophilia. In the concluding homily, Joseph Ratzinger teaches Catholic priests how to walk towards the light in the "dark valley".
  
• 06-09-10: In a Church of Martyrs, the Patience of Benedict. In Cyprus, the pope saw up close the drama of the Christians of the East. Ecumenism is flourishing, but where Islam reigns there is no freedom of conscience or religion. The latest victim is Bishop Luigi Padovese, decapitated like Saint John.
  
• 06-05-10: In Cyprus Too, the Pope Bears His Cross. With Joy. We all deserve it because of our sins, he explains. But thanks to Jesus, the innocent lamb, it has become the hope of the world, the definitive victory over all evil. The homily of the evening of Saturday, June 5, in Nicosia.
  
• 06-02-10: With the Lefebvrists, Ecumenism Doesnt Come Cheap. Those who dialogue with them risk the accusation of betraying Vatican Council II. The pope tries, and is criticized by a German theologian. But in the meantime, many traditionalist groups have already made their peace with Rome.
  
• 05-28-10: Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven. The Argument over Celibacy. Cardinal Schönborn proposes "rethinking" this obligation for the Catholic clergy. And so do other bishops. Benedict XVI, however, wants to strengthen it. In support he has the whole history of the Church, since the time of the apostles.
  
• 05-20-10: The Pope, the Cardinals, the Jesuits. Three Responses to the Scandal. The royal road sketched out by Benedict XVI. Schönborn and O'Malley's shots at Sodano. The roles of Bertone and Fr. Lombardi. The battle of "La Civiltà Cattolica" against the "culture of pedophilia".
  
• 05-14-10: A Church Persecuted? Yes, by the Sins of Her Children. This is the "terrifying" relevance of the message of Fatima, according to Benedict XVI. But the last word in the story is the goodness of God. To be welcomed with penance and a spirit of conversion.
  
• 05-06-10: Holy, Yet Mingled with Sinners: The Church of the Pope Theologian. The dispute over the sins of the Church rages on. Here's how Ratzinger, as a young professor, explained why "the divine so often presents itself in such unworthy hands." Page written more than forty years ago, but highly relevant.
  
• 04-19-10: Benedict XVI in Malta. The Shore That Saves from Shipwreck. The pope's weeping with victims of sexual abuse. "God rejects no one. And the Church rejects no one. Yet in his great love, God challenges all of us to change and to become more perfect".
  
• 04-17-10: For This Pope, All Is Grace, Even "The World's Attacks on Our Sins". Resisting the "dictatorship of conformism." But also "doing penance, recognizing our wrongs, opening ourselves to forgiveness, allowing ourselves to be transformed." Joseph Ratzinger's message to the Church, in an unexpected and unscheduled homily.
  
• 04-07-10: The Passion of Pope Benedict. Six Accusations, One Question. Pedophilia is only the latest weapon aimed against Joseph Ratzinger. And each time, he is attacked where he most exercises his leadership role. One by one, the critical points of this pontificate.
  
• 04-04-10: "Indeed, the cure for death does exist". And it is baptism, the pope explains in the homily for the Easter Vigil. Medical science promises interminable old age, but the medicine of true immortality is the one that makes man new again.
  
• 04-02-10: Water, Bread, Wine, Oil. The Four Elements of the New World. The pope explains Christian cosmology using the symbols of the sacraments. The oil of peace, but also of combat. Against the old and new empires that lift up injustice as law.
  
• 03-25-10: Genesis of a Crime. The Revolution of the 1960's The scandal of pedophilia has always been there, but it was magnified by the cultural revolution of half a century ago. Benedict XVI makes the claim in his letter to the Catholics of Ireland. Two cardinals and a sociologist comment.
  
• 03-20-10: "You must answer for it before God" "... and before properly constituted tribunals." The pope's letter to the Catholics of Ireland, on the scandal of sexual abuse against minors on the part of priests.
  
• 03-18-10: How to Pilot the Church in the Storm. A Lesson Benedict XVI has taught it to the faithful in a general audience, against those who call for a new beginning for Christianity, without hierarchy or dogmas. The secret of good governance, he said, is "above all to think and to pray".
  
• 02-17-10: Lent 2010. Pope Benedict's Ash Wednesday His torment is the disappearance of faith. His program is to lead men to God. His preferred instrument is teaching. But the Vatican curia doesn't help him much. And sometimes it harms him.
  
• 01-25-10: "The Pope Is the First Among the Patriarchs." Just How Remains to Be Seen. With Benedict XVI, for the first time in history, the Orthodox have agreed to discuss the primacy of the bishop of Rome, according to the model of the first millennium, when the Church was undivided. Never before seen: the outline of the dialogue.
  
• 01-17-10: In the Synagogue of Rome, the Pope Rereads the "Ten Words"
  He again proposed the decalogue of Moses as the "ole star" for Israel, Christians, and all of humanity. But Benedict XVI's words to the Jews fall on very rough terrain. Anna Foa and Mordechay Lewy: Judaism must also engage in self-criticism.
  
• 01-11-10: Benedict XVI to the Diplomats: Three Levers for Lifting Up the World. Ecology of nature but above all of man, positive secularity, freedom of religion. The salient points of the pope's annual speech to representatives of states.
  

2009

• 12-25-09: "God's sign is that he makes himself small, he becomes a child" "No longer is he the distant God who can in some way be perceived from afar, in creation and in our own consciousness." From Bethlehem erupts the news that changes everything, even the "hearts of stone." The pope's homily for Christmas Eve
  
• 12-23-09: Christmas in Rome. The Pope's Tale of the Crèche The origins and meaning of the holiday. St. Francis' stroke of genius. This is how Joseph Ratzinger explained Christmas to the pilgrims who had come from all over the world, just before Christmas Eve
  
• 12-21-09: "I think that the Church should also open today a court of the gentiles" It was the court for non-Jews in the temple of Jerusalem. Benedict XVI has used it as a symbol of the dialogue with those alienated from religion, to keep the search for God alive in them. The key passages from his Christmas speech to the Roman curia
  
• 12-17-09: "Cultivate Creation": Benedict's Green Revolution The ecology of man comes before the ecology of nature, says the pope. Vatican experts pan the Copenhagen conference on the climate. It is a "false departure." Worse, it denies the value of human life
  
• 12-11-09: For Rome and Moscow, It's Spring Again For the first time, the Russian Orthodox Church publishes a book with texts by a pope. The author is Benedict XVI. The topic is Europe. The objective is a holy alliance in defense of the Christian tradition
  
• 11-27-09: The Homilies of Benedict XVI: A Model for a Confused Church It's in bookstores, in a volume with the preaching of pope Ratzinger in the last liturgical year. He is dedicating himself to it with increasing intensity. As if he wanted to offer a paradigm to bishops and priests
  
• 11-21-09: "Dear Artists, You Are the Custodians of Beauty" The complete text of the pope's speech given on November 21, 2009, in the Sistine Chapel, to representatives of all the arts: painters, sculptors, architects, novelists, poets, musicians, singers, men of the cinema, theater, dance, photography
  
• 11-20-09: Ahead of Meeting with Artists, Pope Benedict Acts as Docent He has dedicated a general audience to illustrating the Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals of the Middle Ages. In order to explain that "beauty is the most fascinating way to draw near to the mystery of God"
  
• 11-05-09: "Most Holy Father, in This Era of Irrational Barbarism..." An appeal to Benedict XVI "for the return to an authentically Catholic sacred art." The main signatory is the great German writer Martin Mosebach. And in the meantime, the meeting between the pope and artists in the Sistine Chapel is drawing near
  
• 11-02-09: The Theology That Suits the Pope Theologian It is that of the monasteries and cathedrals of the medieval golden age. Benedict XVI has unveiled its marvels to the pilgrims who flock to the general audience. But he also means to give a lesson to the theologians of today
  
• 10-26-09: Synod for Africa, Penultimate Act. The Final Propositions Benedict XVI will use them as an outline for writing the conclusive document. Among the critical points: inter-ethnic hatred, the challenge of Islam and of the traditional religions, the promotion of abortion, the oppression of women, concubinage among the clergy
  
• 10-20-09: Knock, and It Shall Be Opened to You. As Long As It's According to Tradition The entry of anti-modernist Anglican dioceses and parishes into the Catholic Church has been announced. The ecumenism of Pope Ratzinger appears increasingly influenced by fidelity to tradition. That's the way it is with the Lefebvrists. And even more so with the Eastern Orthodox Churches
  
• 09-27-09: In De-Christianized Europe, Ratzinger Focuses on the "Creative Minorities" The complete transcript of the interview with Benedict XVI during the flight from Rome to Prague, the morning of September 26. Freedom, truth, dialogue. And a look ahead at the second volume of "Jesus of Nazareth"
  
• 09-25-09: The Pope and His Jewish Friends. So Near, and Yet So Far Benedict XVI will visit the synagogue of Rome soon. But the more progress is made in dialogue, the more the two faiths see how far apart they are. One proof: Kippur. For the Jews, it is the most important feast of the year; for Christians, it is identified with Jesus. Two contrary analyses back to back: one by a rabbi, one by a Catholic theologian
  
• 09-18-09: A Newly Published Work by Ratzinger the Theologian. From 54 Years Ago, But Always Relevant It is his doctoral thesis on Saint Bonaventure and the theology of history. With the backdrop of the Joachim of Fiore''s vision of a new and completely "spiritual" Church. The complete text of the preface written recently by the pope
  
• 07-21-09: The Pope Translated into Chinese. With Too Many Errors The letter Benedict XVI wrote in 2007 to the Catholics of China has been gravely misunderstood, says Cardinal Zen. All to the advantage of the communist authorities, and their plan to subjugate the Church. To correct the problem, a new guide document has come from Rome
  
• 07-07-09: "Caritas in Veritate." Selected Pages Anthology of the third encyclical of this pontificate, signed on June 29, 2009, and made public on July 7, "on integral human development in charity and truth"
  
• 06-10-09: A Special Year to Get Priests Back in Shape Benedict XVI has proclaimed it in order to strengthen the spiritual identity of the clergy, and to purify it from "filth." The Legionaries of Christ in the eye of the hurricane. On the seminaries, the unstinting diagnosis of the secretary of the congregation for Catholic education
  
• 06-05-09: Eve of an Encyclical. And from Germany, Marx Reappears A few weeks before the publication of "Caritas in Veritate," the German Catholic jurist Ernst-Wolfgang Böckenförde, highly esteemed by the pope, calls for the Church to write the definitive "manifesto" against capitalism. Which must be overturned at its foundations, because it is inhuman
  
• 06-03-09: Professor Ratzinger Goes Back to School. With the Children Question-and-answer session between Benedict XVI and an audience of tiny listeners. It was the second time in four years, and it worked again. As a window onto the pope's personality and his surprising capacity for communication.
  
• 05-15-09: A Week in the Holy Land. Diary of a German Pilgrim Planting an olive tree with the president of Israel, the Holocaust memorial, the wall of separation, the Holy Sepulcher... The essential images of the voyage of Joseph Ratzinger. Recounted and interpreted by the pope himself.
  
• 05-14-09: In Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Where the Foundations of the Faith Can Be "Touched" Benedict XVI urges Christians not to leave the holy land. "There's room for everyone there," he says. For two peoples, and for two states in peace with one another. And for the three religions of Abraham, united in service of the human family.
  
• 05-12-09: The Pope in Israel. Day One, Two Surprises The world was ready to pounce on him, over the most explosive questions: anti-Semitism, the war. But Benedict XVI did it his own way. He took two words from the Bible. With the first, he explained the conditions for peace. With the second, he illuminated the mystery of the Holocaust.
  
• 05-06-09: The Pope's Toughest Job in the Holy Land: Winning over the Christians The Israelis invited him, the Muslims are in favor of his visit. But not his own faithful in the area: most of the opposition to his trip has come from them. The reasons for the rejection. And the unknowns.
  
• 04-17-09: The Event of Easter on which the Church Stands or Falls It is the resurrection of Jesus. "We will hear you on this matter some other time," the intellectuals of Athens said to Paul, leaving him by himself. But Benedict XVI is determined, and is reissuing the proclamation "urbi et orbi." He has done so twice in four days. And he has explained why.
  
• 04-14-09: Pope Ratzinger's manifesto: "In this way the transformation of the world can begin to take place" The Christian revolution is born in the liturgy, Benedict XVI says. And its "canon," its fundamental rule, is the great Eucharistic prayer. He explained this in his homily for Holy Thursday.
  
• 04-09-09: A Handbook for Holy Week An introduction to each moment of the sacred Triduum, given personally by Joseph Ratzinger, pope and theologian. The catechesis he addressed to the faithful at the general audience on Wednesday, April 8, 2009.
  
• 03-27-09: The Secret of Benedict XVI's Popularity. In Spite of Everything Despite being rocked by criticism, this pope continues to enjoy the trust of the masses. His trip to Africa and a survey in Italy prove this. The reason is that he speaks of God to a humanity in search of direction.
  
• 03-16-09: The Pope Speaks His Mind. A Cardinal Explains Him In the letter in which he defended lifting the excommunication from the Lefebvrists, Benedict XVI has confirmed the indispensable aims of his pontificate. Cardinal Ruini has analyzed these one by one.
  
• 03-12-09: "If you bite and devour one another, take heed that you are not consumed by one another" The complete text of the letter written by pope Joseph Ratzinger to the Catholic bishops, in reply to the "avalanche of protests" against his decision to lift the excommunication from the Lefebvrists.
  
• 02-04-09: Double Disaster at the Vatican: Of Governance, and of Communication This is the upshot of the lifting of the excommunication for four Lefebvrist bishops. The isolation of Pope Benedict, the ineptitude of the curia, and the misfires of the secretariat of state.
  
• 01-28-09: No More Excommunication for the Lefebvrists. But Peace Is Still Far Off The causes of conflict are even increasing, including with the children of Israel. Benedict XVI is multiplying his gestures of openness, but is receiving nothing in exchange.
  
• 01-26-09: The Pope on YouTube. The Latest News from the Digital Galaxy The Vatican has launched its own official channel on the largest internet video community in the world.
  
• 01-16-09: Jews and the Catholic Church. The Rabbis of Italy Don't Like This Pope They don't appreciate the new prayer for Good Friday, or the path of dialogue opened by Benedict XVI in the book "Jesus of Nazareth." And they are distancing themselves from the day for Judaism announced by the bishops. But not all of them think that way.
  
• 01-04-09: Faith By Numbers. When Ratzinger Puts on Galileo's Robes From the star of the Magi to the "intelligent structure" that governs the universe: the pope's reply to the scientists who reject God.

2008

• 12-24-08: "Veni Creator Spiritus." For an Ecology of Man And of man created male and female. In his pre-Christmas address to the Roman curia, Benedict XVI contests the ideology of "gender." And he strikes a blow in defense of the most contested of the encyclicals, "Humanae Vitae".
  
• 12-11-08: And It Was Night. The Real Story of Original Sin It is one of the most overlooked and rejected dogmas. But for Benedict XVI, it is "overwhelmingly obvious." He has talked about it three times in eight days. Without it, he says, Christian redemption "would lose its foundation".
  
• 11-05-08: Homilies. The Liturgical Year Narrated by Joseph Ratzinger, Pope This is the title of a book that, for the first time ever, collects Benedict XVI''s preaching at Masses and vespers, over the course of the year. It's required reading for understanding this pontificate. Here's the preface.
  
• 10-29-08: In the "Opera Omnia" of Ratzinger the Theologian, the Overture Is All about the Liturgy And Benedict XVI explains why, in the preface to the volume that he wanted to have published first. He recalls that this is how Vatican Council II began, too. By giving God first place.
  
• 10-19-08: "Interpretations are proposed that deny the real presence of God in history" The complete transcript of the popes address to the synod of bishops on "The Word of God in the life and mission of the Church," on the morning of Tuesday, October 14, 2008.
  
• 10-17-08: The Synod Wants Better Homilies. With the Pope as the Model The synod fathers are proposing a "manual" to elevate the quality of preaching. But the living example is Benedict XVI. Here is the unscripted meditation with which he opened the working sessions.
  
• 10-01-08: Benedict XVI Has a Father, Romano Guardini He was the guide of the young Ratzinger, who has not ceased to draw inspiration from his thought. Forty years after the death of the great Italian-German intellectual, an analysis of his influence on the current pope.
  
• 09-19-08: The Surprising Geopolitics of Joseph Ratzinger, Pope After three years in the pontificate, and defying the expectations of most, the refined theologian has left his mark on international politics as well. In the West, with Islam, with China. The journal of the Aspen Institute in Italy explains how, and why.
  
• 09-16-08: From Paris and Lourdes, the Lesson of the "Liturgist" Pope On his trip to France, Benedict XVI did not only defend the ancient rite of the Mass. He also explained and demonstrated repeatedly what he believes to be the authentic meaning of the Catholic liturgy of today and always.
  
• 09-12-08: > "To seek God and to let oneself be found by Him" Exactly two years after Regensburg, another grand discourse from Pope Joseph Ratzinger to the intellectual world. In Paris, at the Collège des Bernardins, September 12, 2008.
  
• 09-03-08: Ratzinger the Professor, as Recounted by His Former Students A book has been released on Benedict XVI's years in the university. At the very same time when he was holding a seminar at Castel Gandolfo with his former theology students, to better prepare for the second and concluding volume of his "Jesus of Nazareth".
  
• 08-11-08: The Pope Theologian Says: The Proof of God Is Beauty The beauty of art and of music. The wonders of sanctity. The splendor of creation. This is how Benedict XVI defends the truth of Christianity, in a question-and-answer session with the priests of Brixen.
  
• 07-22-08: From the "New World" Symphony of Benedict XVI. An Anthology In Sydney, at World Youth Day, Joseph Ratzinger preaches a "new age" of the Spirit to renew the face of the earth. Three years ago, to the young people gathered in Germany, he had proposed a "revolution." The historic hope of the pope theologian.
  
• 07-02-08: Pauline Year: The Ecumenical Dream of Pope Benedict Together with the patriarch of Constantinople, the successor of Peter has proclaimed a special jubilee year dedicated to another great apostle, Paul. The stated objective: "to create the unity of the 'catholica', of the Church formed from Jews and pagans, of the Church of all peoples".
  
• 06-28-08: "The Pope Does Not Put On Prada, But Christ" So writes "L'Osservatore Romano," and explains why. Papal master of ceremonies Guido Marini replies to the objections against the latest decisions by Benedict XVI in liturgical matters, from the motu proprio to the placement of the cross at the center of the altar.
  
• 04-21-08: The Pope's Sixth Day in the U.S. – The Prayer at Ground Zero, and the Last Homily "in this land of freedom" Benedict XVI prays for the conversion of the terrorists. And to American Catholics, he explains that true freedom is founded upon Christ, who is "the way, the truth, and the life." For the pope theologian, a success beyond expectations.
  
• 04-20-08: The Pope's Fifth Day in the U.S. – The Homily in the Heart of Manhattan, and the Meeting with Young People A "new Pentecost of the Church in America": this is the dream of Benedict XVI. To explain it, he takes his inspiration from the "pure Gothic style" of the church in which he is saying Mass. And he gives an assignment to young people: to follow the example of the saints.
  
• 04-20-08: The Pope's Fourth Day in the U.S. – Benedict XVI Explains Why Christians Are So Divided Because they conform themselves to the world. And instead of teaching the objective truth of the faith, they urge everyone to choose the community that best meets his tastes. The Pope's shocking discourse to representatives of ecumenism.
  
• 04-19-08: The Pope's Fourth Day in the U.S. – Benedict XVI Explains Why Christians Are So Divided Because they conform themselves to the world. And instead of teaching the objective truth of the faith, they urge everyone to choose the community that best meets his tastes. The Pope's shocking discourse to representatives of ecumenism
  
• 04-18-08: The Pope to U.N.: "The human person is the high-point of God's creative design for the world and for history" Address to the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization, New York, April 18, 2008.
  
• 04-18-08: The Pope's Third Day in the U.S. – With Catholic Educators, Other Religions, Jews In regard to interreligious dialogue, Benedict XVI says that the main objective is not peace, but "to discover the truth." Which is Jesus, who said that "salvation is from the Jews." In an unannounced addition to the itinerary, a meeting with some of the victims of sexual abuse.
  
• 04-17-08: The The Pope's Second Day in the U.S. – Benedict XVI Lays Down the Guidelines for the Bishops The complete text of his address to the bishops of the United States, and through them, to those of the whole world. With the transcription of the ensuing question-and-answer.
  
• 04-16-08: The Pope's First Day in the U.S. – Against Sexual Abuse, and for America as a "Model of Positive Secularism" Benedict XVI explains what should be done so that the "scandal" does not happen again. And he praises the relationship between religion and politics in the United States, as a lesson for Europe.
  
• 04-08-08: Between the Church and Jews, an Intermittent Dialogue Benedict XVI will receive a friendly welcome at the Park East synagogue of New York. But in Rome, the head rabbi has decided on "a pause for reflection" on relations with Catholic authorities. In an interview, he explains why.
  
• 04-04-08: The America of Benedict XVI, a Model for Catholic Europe The agenda of the papal voyage to the United States. And a major study by the Pew Forum. On the nation in which the religions are the most changeable in the world, losing or gaining faithful each day.
  
• 03-25-08: Holy Week: The Hidden Homilies of Pope Benedict Hidden, except for those who were able to listen to them in person: a few thousand out of 1.2 billion Catholics in the world. Here are the complete texts. Required reading for understanding this pontificate.
  
• 03-11-08: Exclusive: The Words that Benedict XVI Adds Spontaneously, When He Preaches to the Faithful Textual analyses of five of his most recent Wednesday catechesis, on Saint Augustine. The words that the pope added spontaneously, beyond the written text, are underlined. They're on the themes closest to his heart.
  
• 03-07-08: A Bishop and a Rabbi Defend the Prayer for the Salvation of the Jews The bishop is Gianfranco Ravasi. The rabbi is Jacob Neusner. The prayer is the one for Good Friday in the ancient rite. This is why Benedict XVI wanted to change the text.
  
• 02-23-08: Religious Superiors Report to the Pope. Between Decline and Rebirth Benedict XVI wants a life of greater austerity and fidelity to the Gospel from them. In particular, he wants more obedience from the Jesuits. The surprising blossoming of a new community: the Institute of the Incarnate Word.
  
• 02-11-08: Benedict XVI Invokes the Judgment of God on this World. For Love of Justice In a question and answer session with the priests of Rome, the pope revives one of the main themes of his encyclical on hope. In direct opposition to the modern utopias. And he brings back into question the Masses celebrated with large crowds.
  
• 01-28-08: The Roman Curia Wakes Up and Strikes Three Blows Thanks to a few carefully chosen changes in the Vatican offices, Benedict XVI is getting what he wants. The proof is in three recent decisions by officials for the clergy, the causes of saints, and the liturgy.
  
• 01-17-08: The University of Rome Closes its Doors to the Pope. Here's the Lesson They Didn't Want to Hear A group of teachers and students forced Benedict XVI to cancel his visit to "La Sapienza." But the professor pope did not give up: he made public, a day early, the address that he had written for the occasion. It is the follow-up to the formidable lecture in Regensburg, on the ultimate questions of faith and reason.
  
• 01-08-08: The Church's Diplomacy Has a Fixed Star: That of the Magi In the new year address to the diplomatic corps, Benedict XVI took stock of the Vatican's politics in the world. But to the faithful, at the Mass of the Epiphany, he said much more. He preached his theology of history.
  
• 01-02-08: The Cardinal Writes, the Prince Responds. The Factors that Divide the Pope from the Muslims The contrast is not only one of faith. It also concerns the achievements of the Enlightenment: from religious freedom to equality between men and women. The Catholic Church has made these its own, but Islam has not. Will they be able to discuss this, when Benedict XVI and the Muslims of the letter of the 138 meet together?

2007

• 12-25-07: Holy Midnight in Roma: "Heaven and Earth meet. The humility of God is Heaven..." The homily of the pope in the midnight Mass of the solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, Vatican Basilica, December 25, 2007.
  
• 12-24-07: Surprise: The Pope Takes the Curia to Brazil In his pre-Christmas address to the Roman curia, Benedict XVI reiterated the purposes of his trip to the largest country in Latin America: to bring the Church back to a stance of mission and to proclaim Jesus to all the peoples of the earth. Including the Muslims.
  
• 12-14-07: "Jesus of Nazareth" Gets a Special Reviewer: The Vicar of the Man Who Wrote It Here is how cardinal Camillo Ruini explained to the priests of Rome the book by Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI. Including its political applications, which are never sacred and definitive, but always must be "re-elaborated, reformulated, and corrected".
  
• 12-11-07: Confirmed: The Council Was an "Historic Transition." The School of Bologna Annexes the Pope In a daring move, the promoters of the "discontinuity" of Vatican II with respect to the Church of the past claim that Benedict XVI is on their side. Ruggieri, Komonchak, and others explain this in their magazine. But is this truly the case?
  
• 11-30-07: "In hope we were saved", Pope Benedict's Second Encyclical Science, reason, and progress fulfill many expectations, but they do not give "eternal life." Pope Joseph Ratzinger brings Christians and the world back before the judgment of God. And he proposes as examples two of the most humble and unknown saints.
  
• 11-26-07: Why Benedict XVI Is So Cautious with the Letter of the 138 Muslims Because the kind of dialogue he wants is completely different. The pope is asking Islam to make the same journey that the Catholic Church made under pressure from the Enlightenment. Love of God and neighbor must be realized in the full acceptance of religious freedom.
  
• 10-18-07: A New Musical Season Opens at the Vatican – And Here's the Program Pope Ratzinger seems to be stepping up the tempo. The curia will have a new office with authority in the field of sacred music. And the choir of the Sistine Chapel is getting a new director.
  
• 10-12-07: One Year after Regensburg, 138 Muslims Write a New Letter to the Pope They are proposing as common ground between Muslims and Christians the two "greatest commandments" of love for God and neighbor. These are in both the Qur'an and the Gospels. How will the Church of Rome react?
  
• 10-08-07: The Secret Angelus Messages of Pope Benedict They're secret in the sense that the media ignore them for what they mainly are: the explanation of the Gospel of that day's Mass. Apart from those present, almost no one knows this. Here is a sample of them: the last seven "little homilies" from the pope on Sundays at noon.
  
• 8-07-07: Conclave: Tradition Makes a Comeback Benedict XVI has restored the ancient rule of the two-thirds majority vote, which John Paul II had breached for the first time in centuries. The progressives are applauding. And a great canonist, Ladislas Örsy, explains why.
  
• 7-27-07: All Against All: The Postconciliar Period Recounted by Ratzinger, Theologian and Pope The period following Vatican II reminds Benedict XVI of the "total chaos" after the Council of Nicaea, the first in history. But from that stormy Council emerged the "Credo." And today? Here is the pope's response to the priests of Belluno, Feltre, and Treviso.
  
• 7-16-07: Liturgy and Ecumenism: How to Apply Vatican Council II For Benedict XVI, there must not be rupture between the Church's past and present, but rather continuity. He has given proof of this with his latest decisions - receiving less criticism than foreseen, and much more agreement.
  
• 7-07-07: Benedict XVI Liberalizes the Ancient Rite of the Mass - And Explains Why This is how the Mass was celebrated before, during, and after Vatican Council II, until 1970. If the passage to the new rite has created divisions and ruptures among the faithful, the fault is partly that of the Church: a fault which the pope now means to remedy.
  
• 7-03-07: Franz Michel Willam, the Theologian the Pope Has Rescued from Oblivion Author in 1932 of a famous life of Christ, he had been forgotten by everyone. Benedict XVI cites him in "Jesus of Nazareth," and an Austrian scholar explains why.
  
• 6-28-07: Roman Curia: The Reform That Isn't There Appointments made at a snail's pace. Documents that are useless or continually delayed. Offices drifting aimlessly. Why the renewal of the Vatican bureaucracy is not a priority for Benedict XVI.
  
• 6-20-07: Why Saint Francis "Is a True Master" for Today's Christians And why Saint Augustine is, too. From Assisi and from Pavia, the destinations of his two latest trips within Italy, Benedict XVI proposes the two great converts as models. And he criticizes their modern "mutilations".
  
• 6-11-07: A Rabbi Debates with the Pope. And What Divides Them Is Still Jesus The rabbi is Jacob Neusner, to whom Benedict XVI dedicates many pages of his latest book. In the judgment of both, the disputes between Judaism and Christianity should not conceal, but rather bring to light their respective claims to truth
  
• 5-15-07: From Brazil Resounds a Word Sharper than a Sword A word that is a person: Jesus. The same person to whom Benedict XVI has dedicated the book of a lifetime. For the pope, the future of the Church in Latin American and in the world is bound up with obedience to Him. And he felt the need to remind the bishops.
  
• 5-04-07: The Fathers of the Church in Installments, Every Wednesday from the Vatican It is the new series of weekly catecheses from Benedict XVI, dedicated to the great personalities of the ancient Church.
  
• 4-26-07: Benedict XVI's First Visit to Latin America Many are waiting for the pope finally to speak to the five hundred million Catholics on the continent, who until now have felt that he has ignored them. In Aparecida, the possible beginning of the pontificate's second phase.
  
• 4-16-07: And He Appeared in Their Midst: “Jesus of Nazareth” at the Bookstore The book most beloved of its author has been released in various languages. Joseph Ratzinger has worked on it for many years, and he's now preparing its sequel. It's also a fundamental text for understanding this pontificate.
  
• 4-11-07: Easter in Rome: The Secret Homilies of the Successor of Peter They're secret, except for those who were able to listen to them in person, while Benedict XVI was pronouncing them. In the "urbi et orbi" message, too, the pope presented much more than a list of countries at war.
  
• 3-28-07: An “Apostate” from Itself: The Lost Europe of Pope Benedict Even before its separation from God, Joseph Ratzinger sees the old continent withdrawing from itself, from “its very identity.” Fifty years after the Treaty of Rome, the most critical assessment is that of the pope.
  
• 3-14-07: “Sacramentum Caritatis”: Everyone to Mass on Sunday A Christian cannot live without the Eucharist, Benedict XVI writes.
  
• 2-20-07: Lent 2007: The Love Letter Written by Pope Benedict Why is he so strenuous in his defense of the family as founded upon marriage between a man and a woman? He explains why in his message in preparation for Easter.
  
• 1-15-07: The Next Battle For and Against Jesus Will Be Fought by the Book And the new book announced and released by Joseph Ratzinger will be the best-seller of the year. Here is the complete preface, in five languages.
  
• 1-11-07: The Wielgus Case: The Reasons for His Resignation He was the new archbishop of Warsaw, and Benedict XVI had supported him almost until the last moment. But then he ordered him to resign. There are many who have disappointed the pope - and some even in the Vatican.
  
• 1-05-07: Exercises in Disinformation: The Pope According to the Leading Newspapers Here is how the major international media have deformed Benedict XVI’s position on the entry of Turkey into the European Union.

2006

• 12-12-06: “Habemus Papam.” Twenty Months Later, a Portrait Benedict XVI doesn’t seek applause, he doesn’t harangue the crowds, but he’s still extremely popular. He himself has explained his secret: it is “obedience to the truth, not to the dictatorship of popular opinion”.
  
• 12-06-06: After the Visit to Turkey, the Travel Diary of His Holiness Here is how Benedict XVI recounted to the faithful his four days in Ankara, Ephesus, and Istanbul.
  
• 12-01-06: Peter Visits Andrew – And Prays at the Blue Mosque For Benedict XVI, reconciliation between the Church of Rome and the Eastern Churches is part and parcel of the Church’s proclamation to non-Christians. The symbol of the Hagia Sophia.
  
• 11-28-06: In Turkey, Benedict XVI Becomes a Defender of Freedom And he appeals that “the religions utterly refuse to sanction recourse to violence.” As an example of the “particular charity” between Muslims and Christians, he cites an Arab prince of the eleventh century, one esteemed by Pope Gregory VII.
  
• 11-26-06: This Is the Vatican. Communications Have Been Interrupted Benedict XVI speaks to the world. But his words reach the general public with great difficulty – and sometimes not at all. Here’s what isn’t working in the communication system that should assist the pope .
  
• 11-16-06: Either Peace or Life – Benedict XVI Debunks a False Dilemma Speaking to the Swiss bishops, the pope replies to the main objection directed against the Church’s hierarchy by the progressive Catholics.
  
• 11-13-06: The Mass of Saint Pius V: The French Bishops Raise a Shout with the Pope They want to maintain the right of veto against the use of the Tridentine missal. But Benedict XVI is set to liberalize it. Arinze’s harangue against the postconciliar liturgical abuses.
  
• 10-26-06: After Verona: How to “Restore Full Citizenship to the Christian Faith” Pope Ratzinger and his vicar, Ruini, see in Italy “a rather favorable terrain” for the public rebirth of Christianity in Europe and the world, too. But many do not accept their view. And the archbishop of Milan, Tettamanzi, has placed himself at the head of the opposition.
  
• 10-11-06: “A brusqueness that we find unacceptable...” All the modifications introduced by Benedict XVI into the definitive version of his September 12, 2006 lecture at the University of Regensburg.
  
• 9-22-06: Why Benedict XVI Did not Want to Fall Silent or Backpedal If in Regensburg the pope cited the dialogue between the emperor of Byzantium and his Muslim adversary, he did so with deliberation. His thesis is that – then as now – religion must wed itself, not with violence, but with reason. An analysis by Pietro De Marco and a commentary by Lucetta Scaraffia.
  
• 9-18-06: Islam’s Unreasonable War Against Benedict XVI In Regensburg, the pope offered as terrain for dialogue between Christians and Muslims 
“acting according to reason.” But the Islamic world has attacked him, distorting his thought, confirming by this that the rejection of reason brings intolerance and violence along with it. The uncertainties about the trip to Turkey.
  
• 9-14-06: Munich, Altötting, Regensburg: Diary of a Pilgrimage of Faith An anthology of the homilies and speeches delivered by Benedict XVI during his trip to Bavaria.
  
• 9-11-06: Benedict XVI Has Become a Franciscan A true Franciscan. Against all the environmentalist, pacifist, and syncretistic distortions. Rebuilding the Church was the task Jesus assigned to the saint of Assisi. The pope has made him his own, and is re-proposing him as a model for today.
  
• 9-05-06: The Pope Rewrites the Handbook of the Good Pastor A spontaneous question-and-answer session with Benedict XVI and the priests of the diocese of Albano. On how to celebrate Mass well, and many other matters. “People know whether we’re putting on a show or are in conversation with God”.
  
• 8-02-06: Professor Ratzinger Goes back to School. After Islam Last Year, Darwin Topic This Year Evolution will be the focus of the upcoming seminar between the pope and his former students in Castel Gandolfo. Meanwhile, Jesuit scholar Christian W. Troll has updated his analysis of progressive Muslim thinkers.
  
• 7-26-06: At the Summit on the Middle East, Benedict XVI Preaches the Cross of Jesus Less politics – as little as possible – and more Christian faith: this is the new approach the pope wants for the Church.
  
• 7-14-06: Ratzinger’s New Team Trains in the Holy Office Dias, Bertone, Lajolo, Lombardi... Appointment by appointment, Benedict XVI is changing the face of the Church’s central governance. At the center is the pope himself, and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
  
• 7-03-06: Synod on the Eucharist: The Pope Has the Last Word Benedict XVI is writing the concluding document, which will be published this summer. Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith gives this preview: “A correction is necessary. The liturgy must be won back, in the spirit of the Council”.
  
• 6-16-06: Orthodoxy and Islam: Benedict XVI Prepares for His Trip to Turkey He has dedicated an entire catechesis to Saint Andrew, the apostle of Rome’s “sister” Church of Constantinople, and has expressed his hope for the teaching of the Islamic religion in European schools, under precise conditions. From Muslim thinker Khaled Fouad Allam comes a proposal in agreement with the pope.
  
• 6-07-06: Lajolo and Kasper, Two New Additions to Team Ratzinger They occupy key positions in the curia, having been appointed by John Paul II. But they fully support the new course charted by pope Ratzinger. Here is what has changed with them in the areas of ecumenism and relations with Islam.
  
• 5-29-06: The Pope at Auschwitz: “They wanted to kill God” “By destroying Israel, they ultimately wanted to tear up the taproot of the Christian faith.” A startling interpretation of the Holocaust in the words of the German pope.
  
• 5-08-06: The Pope Is Asking China for Freedom, Not Forgiveness The Chinese authorities have begin ordaining illegitimate bishops again. But this time the Vatican is responding firmly. It is the new course inaugurated by Benedict XVI.
  
• 5-04-06: When Civilizations Meet: How Joseph Ratzinger Sees Islam The author of this essay, Samir Khalil Samir, is an Egyptian Jesuit who is very familiar with both the pope and the Muslim religion. It was written for and published by “Asia News.” Here it is in its entirety.
  
• 4-18-06: Benedict XVI, One Year Later: What’s New One of the innovations introduced by pope Joseph Ratzinger is special: listening to questions in public and replying to all of them, off the cuff. He has done this with young people, priests, children.
  
• 3-16-06: “Credo Apostolicam Ecclesiam”: Wednesdays in Saint Peter’s Square Benedict XVI has inaugurated a new cycle of catechesis. He has chosen as the theme the “unbreakable” bond between Christ and the Church. And in his first lesson, he made an appeal for the conversion of the Jews.
  
• 3-07-06: Benedict XVI, Live. Fifteen Questions, and As Many Responses A spontaneous dialogue between the pope and the priests of his diocese of Rome. On the Bible and the Qur’an, on Pius XII, on women in the Church, on Africa, on ecumenism, on the interpretation of the Council.
  
• 2-23-06: What Does the Pope-Theologian Teach? First of All, the Truth The first ten months of Benedict XVI, a “doctor of the Church.” The naming of new cardinals. The inefficiency of the curia. Large crowds and audiences, but few collaborators .
  
• 1-26-06: Castel Gandolfo Revisited: The Jesuits Come to the Pope’s Defense Fr. Fessio agrees with his fellow Jesuits Troll and Samir. And he testifies together with them that, for Benedict XVI, Islam is capable of reform and can be harmonized with modernity. But at a steep price.
  
• 1-25-06: “Deus Caritas Est”: The Encyclical As Explained by its Author The preface for the first encyclical of Benedict XVI’s pontificate. “Today the word ‘love’ is so tarnished, so spoiled and so abused. We must take it up again, purify it and give back to it its original splendor...”
  
• 1-19-06: Vatican Storylines: Those Who Are Resisting Benedict XVI The disobedience of the Neocatechumenals. The black legends of the conclave. The translation boycott. Three different ways of opposing the new pope.
  
• 1-13-06: Iran and China Also Fall under the Pope’s Judgment Benedict XVI did not cite them by name in his address to the diplomatic corps. But he clearly stated how he judges them: by the yardstick of truth and freedom. An interview with the bishop of Hong Kong.
  
• 1-10-06: Finally, the Truth. What the Pope Said to the Diplomatic Corps In his first address to the ambassadors to the Holy See, Benedict XVI recalled where true peace comes from: “To all those responsible of Nations I wish to state: if you do not fear truth, you need not fear freedom!”.

2005

• 12-27-05: Liturgy: Benedict XVI Brings the Neocatechumenals Back to the Right Way The confidential document in which the pope cracks down on abuses in how the Neocatechumenal Way celebrates the Mass.
  
• 12-23-05: Pope Ratzinger Certifies the Council – The Real One In his pre-Christmas address to the Roman curia, Benedict XVI demolishes the myth of Vatican II as a rupture and new beginning. He gives another name “reform,” to the proper interpretation of the Council. And he explains why.
  
• 12-14-05: “In Truth, Peace” – The First Lesson of Benedict XVI on Peace, War, and Terrorism The complete text of pope Joseph Ratzinger’s message for the 2006 World Day of Peace, to be celebrated January 1.
  
• 12-05-05: Benedict XVI Is to Reinterpret the Second Vatican Council. This Is the Preface Forty years after the event, the president of the Pontifical Committee for Historic Sciences, Walter Brandmüller, clears up some historical issues. On December 8th, the Pope will give his assessment.
  
• 10-25-05: The Synod on the Eucharist, Penultimate Act: The Final Propositions Benedict XVI will decide on the basis of these proposals. But he has already shown the world the main outlines of his approach – and the model is the Masses he has celebrated.
  
• 10-20-05: Ratzinger’s Revolution Passes with Flying Colors Six months after his election as pope, the first popular survey reveals that Benedict XVI is both pleasing and convincing the people. He has doubled the numbers of those attending his audiences. One image of him is striking: that of the silent devotee before the Eucharist.
  
• 10-07-05: The Vatican Codes: This Is How I Rewrite My Conclave New “revelations” on the conclave that elected Benedict XVI. All aimed against him. The strange legends built upon cardinals Martini and Bergoglio
  
• 10-03-05: The First Synod after the Conclave Gets Underway. The Pope Is Being Tested The élite of the Catholic hierarchy worldwide are meeting again in Rome, half a year after the election of Benedict XVI. And they’re evaluating his first steps, beginning with his cleaning house within the Church.
  
• 9-01-05: Benedict XVI, Recorded Live: His Ecumenism? It’s Right Here The complete transcript of pope Joseph Ratzinger’s address to non-Catholic Christians, delivered in Luther’s homeland. With the addition of all of his off-the-cuff remarks.
  
• 8-26-05: Felix Colonia: More on the Epiphany of the Catechist Pope "Beneath the sign of the Magi and the star, Benedict XVI offered to the crowds the nucleus of the faith: the icon with the Mother and Child, the cross, the Eucharistic bread…"
  
• 8-25-05: After Cologne: The Remarkable Lesson of Professor Ratzinger For Catholics, Christians, Jews, Muslims. A survey of the first trip outside of Italy for the new pope – who, the more demanding he is, conquers minds and hearts all the more.
  
• 7-29-05: The Pope Opens Up to the Priests of a Small Mountain Diocese Benedict XVI's surprising question and answer session with the priests of Aosta. On the West‘s weariness of God, Christianity in Africa, parishes without priests, communion for divorced and remarried persons.
  
• 7-15-05: The First Three Months of Benedict XVI: New Pope, New Style The intelligentsia have turned their backs on him, but the common faithful haven't – they have a greater appreciation for him than was foreseen. Initial signs of a different pontificate.
  
• 6-10-05: Papal Masses on TV: Benedict XVI Wants a New Director Joseph Ratzinger has always had serious reservations about Piero Marini, choreographer of John Paul II's masses. “La Civiltà Cattolica” explains how to coordinate the pontifical liturgies with the medium of television.
  
• 5-30-05: Minority Church, Church of the Masses: The Two Strategies of R. & R., Inc. How Ratzinger and Ruini agree and disagree on the future of the Church. A creative minority, or a civil religion? An analysis by Silvio Ferrari.
  
• 5-13-05: Benedict XVI Assumes Office, and Immediately Preaches in Defense of Life During his first homily in the cathedral of Rome, Ratzinger reemphasizes "the inviolability of human life from the time of conception." A prophetic text by Romano Guardini, the present pope's teacher of theology and philosophy.
  
• 5-02-05: What Really Happened at the Conclave Benedict XVI's account: the guillotine, the dizziness… The microculture typical of the conclave. How the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel affected the cardinals. The sign of Jonah.
  
• 4-28-05: The "Reform of the Reform" Has Already Begun His first act was the inauguration mass of his pontificate. Benedict XVI is a pope of the great tradition of the liturgy, with the eucharist at the center. It is a tradition of liturgical texts, rituals, and music – and symbolic places.
  
• 4-20-05: Benedict XVI: The Pope and His Agenda Joseph Ratzinger reproposed it in his last homily before the conclave: “being adults in the faith,” and not “children in a state of guardianship, tossed about by the waves and carried here and there by every wind of doctrine.” Entry by entry, the open questions of his pontificate.