The Vatican has rejected claims that Pope Benedict XVI said the Third Secret of Fatima was not released in its entirety in 2000. Such claims, expressed in recent articles, were described by the Vatican as “pure inventions” and “absolutely untrue”. The claims relate to when the Pope emeritus was prefect of the Congregation for the Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Joseph Ratzinger’
Joseph Ratzinger and communion for remarried divorcees
Tuesday, November 25th, 2014
In 1972, less than five years before his nomination as bishop and cardinal, when he was still a member of the international theological commission set up by Paul VI, Joseph Ratzinger expressed himself in favour of admitting remarried divorcees to the sacrament of the Eucharist. This was on the condition that a couple’s second union Read more
Ten books that changed my world
Tuesday, November 11th, 2014
This is my long delayed contribution to an occasional series in which MercatorNet contributors discuss some of the books which have changed the way they see the world. It is a mixed and somewhat arbitrary selection of reading that has formed my ideas about life and literature. Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien. I Read more
Benedict XVI and the end of the ‘virtual Council’
Friday, April 26th, 2013
In one of the last acts of his pontificate, Benedict XVI gave an address to the clergy of the Diocese of Rome on the Second Vatican Council. In the address he drew a distinction between what he termed the Virtual Council, or Council of the Media, and the Real Council or Council of those who actually produced Read more
Can the Church be saved?
Friday, September 21st, 2012
In a recent book of the same title, Can the Church Be Saved? (2012), this question was posed by Swiss-German Hans Küng, one of the best known and prolific theologians in the Catholic fold. Along with his colleague from the University of Tübingen, Joseph Ratzinger, he enthusiastically advocated for a renewal of the Church. Küng Read more