His convinced ”yes” to God

On February 27, the even of the last day of the pontificate of Benedict XVI, Monsignor Robert Zollitsch, president of the German Bishops’ Conference, celebrated in Rome in the Church of Saint Mary in the Traspontine a thanksgiving Mass in celebration of eight years of pontificate of Pope Ratzinger. Follows the final part of the homily delivered by bishop Zollitsch. The Pope is the symbol of communion and instrument of unity. He is the guarantor of a large, universal and multifaceted Church. This mandate extends beyond the Catholic Church to include the dialogue with Christians of other confessions. In his pontificate, Pope Benedict XVI suggested that the nonnegotiable commitments of his pontificate include laying the ecumenical grounds to receive the gift of communion among Christians, and relentlessly be committed to the pursuit of the great objective of Christian unity. The quest of "communio" among us Christians, and of communion among mankind, is a founding approach that expands in concentric circles within the Catholic Church; within Christianity, in interreligious dialogue, in political debate, and in the defense of the human person, for the benefit of human dignity. "Communio" can be born and develop in those very realms of encounter marked by equal footing and mutual esteem. Its meaning for the faithful lies in the words spoken by Pope Benedict XVI on the occasion of the consecration of the "Sagrada Familia" in Barcelona. He said: "Let us strive together to show the world the face of God who is love and the only one who can respond to our yearning for fulfillment. This is the great task before us: to show everyone that God is a God of peace not of violence, of freedom not of coercion, of harmony not of discord". To show this to all men and women: to show that God is a God of peace and of harmony. Pope Benedict repeatedly highlighted the Christian roots of Europe to bring new strength to the establishment of a sensible framework, which pertains to the deep bond between human intellect and religion in Europe. It pertains to the proneness to conciliation and to the love for our neighbors. Our Holy Father was committed to the care for the human person, God’s creature, whose dignity naturally curbs unilateral and rational purposive approaches. Pope Benedict XVI exhorts us to confide that Jesus Christ, God of peace, walks with us. We transmit His peace provided that we don’t seek to mutually oppress and dominate one another, that we remain at the service of others. This was and remains the position of Benedict XVI in our contemporary society, in which the media formulated and published news reports on an event prior to its occurrence. He defends the value of what has been bestowed and entrusted to us: the value of tradition. Far from doing so with a nostalgic glance to the past, he realistically discerns the founding pillars of our life and of coexistence. Our Holy Father relentlessly underlined the beauty of faith as the remedy against the diktat of egoistic, manipulative self-accomplishment that devalues our fellow men and women, faith as the remedy against the illusion of having to do everything on our own. His convinced "yes" to God, to a life with God confiding in his love, provides the much-needed guidance, especially when mankind is in dire need of such guidance. This is probably the most fascinating aspect of Pope Benedict XVI: his term of reference is clear, he remained faithful to himself as a man rarely does, simply because he remained faithful to Christ and to His Gospel. That’s why he could speak with impressive sincerity of the decline in his forces, preventing him from fully performing his Petrine ministry, and leading him to resign. His witness was received with emotion and respect by millions of people worldwide. Our Holy Father could take this decision because he is a person devoted to prayer, a man with a deep spiritual sensitivity, capable of self-renouncement, in full acceptance of God’s call, guided by His Spirit. Entrusting himself to God’s guidance, he can even leave his office and his service. (*) president of the German Bishops’ Conference