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Benedict XVI has been Pope for just over a month. And there is growing liking for him, as observed by the world media. He is a Pope who has conquered people’s hearts ever since his first moment on the central loggia of the balcony of St. Peter’s. It is not only those who are closest to him but the whole world that is impressed: as when he apologized for arriving 15 minutes late for the Angelus, or when he exhorted with vehement words that the memory of the tragedy of the Second World War be never forgotten. He is due to make his first apostolic journey in Italy on Sunday 29 May, when he will preside over the eucharistic celebration to close the 24th National Eucharistic Congress. Later in the summer he is awaited in Cologne for the 20th Word Youth Day. For the Church as a whole, the election of this Pope is a blessing. Once again a European has the great opportunity and the demanding task of linking the Europe of the Church to the world. No one could do so better than this Pope, who boasts of an excellent knowledge of all the continents of the world and personally knows the problems that Europe has to tackle. More than many other theologians, Joseph Ratzinger has emphasized the Christian spirit of the European continent, the roots of Europe in the Christian West, and also the union of Europe. Joseph Ratzinger is a European endowed with farsightedness for the universal Church. The new Pope will continue to use, and even to accentuate, his capacity for integration that he has given proof of for decades. Benedict XVI is devoid of any eurocentric perspective and in spite of that he will commit himself to further promoting European thought. The new Pope will never tire of appealing for the necessary presence of God in European political thought, of involving him in a new evangelization and in the processes of reconciliation. The appeal of Christianity is for him the soundest method to unite Europe with the world. And precisely because he knows the concerns and the needs, the challenges and the tasks, of the other continents, he will not focus his attention exclusively on Europe, but will define his pontificate as a universal Catholic mission. The fact that in doing this, Benedict aims at continuity with his predecessor, John Paul II, is demonstrated by his first interventions and by his first personal decisions. The nomination of Archbishop Levada as his successor as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is an example of how Benedict’s gaze extends far beyond the frontiers of Europe. The European Benedict XVI as pastor of the universal Church will still hold out surprises to many other people and will be a blessing for Europe and the world! The young have already grasped this; they are increasingly on the same wavelength as he and can’t wait to meet him in Cologne for the 20th World Youth Day.
