Salt of the Earth

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Insights into the new pope's directions - Rated
For those who want a keen insight into the life and formation of the new pope, Benedict XVI, most recently known as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, this book is a must read. Most of the text is done as an interview with Peter Seewald, a German journalist, who does a question-and-answer format, but not in a choppy form. The answers are extended reflections, giving ample space to discussion of real, substantive issues of the church and the world.

The first section of the book concentrates on Ratzinger himself; the interview is nearly ten years old now, but the insights are still apropos to the man who is now the pope. Ratzinger did not look at the questions beforehand, and his responses, while not quite off-the-cuff, still have a spontaneity to them that is perhaps at odds with the more conservative image Ratzinger has come to bear. He is a conservative, to be sure, but in these pages along with other books, one may find a bit more compassion and humour than one might expect.

Ratzinger reflects upon his strict upbringing as a child, his time as a child of a 'simple commissioner', and his growth in a devout Catholic family who tended to go to Mass twice on Sundays.

Ratzinger became a theology professor, teaching at the universities at Tubingen and Regensburg. Heidegger is a big influence on Ratzinger's philosophical development, as are notions of Personalism (a philosophy of profound influence on Martin Luther King Jr. among others). Like his predecessor, Ratzinger has a great interest in Phenomenology and other modern philosophical schools. This led him to be a theological advisor to the Second Vatican Council, at which time Ratzinger was classified as a progressive, perhaps even a liberal.

Ratzinger discusses the role of his office, the Sacred Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith (once called The Inquisition), in the development of the 800+ page catechism for the Catholic church. This is a pope who knows the catechism backwards and forwards, for he has been part of the development at every stage.

Most intriguing are his ideas for the future of the church and the state of the world. He doesn't expect some sort of dramatic resurgence of the church, but does see a role and relevance for the church in the world. Perhaps this comes from the power of the church to provoke and be a prophetic witness. Given that his chosen name as pope is Benedict, his comparison in this text with St. Benedict (of monastic fame) is very intriguing. He likens the current and future situation to that of late antiquity, a time in which the majority of the non-ecclesial society wasn't really taking note of what the church was doing - Benedict was a bit of a dropout, who created 'an ark in which the West survived', largely going unnoticed.

For those who see Ratzinger as a knee-jerk traditionalist, perhaps no other statement is more enigmatic than his comment, "Perhaps the time has come to say farewell to the idea of traditionally Catholic cultures."

An intriguing and fascinating read.

Wisdom and wonderful insight! - Rated
I am in the midst of reading Cardinal Ratzinger's book and just love it. It is stated by the author that the Cardinal did not wish his words to be rehearsed and so he answers everything freely and apparently on immediate thought. If this is true, it is truly wonderous to hear this religious Cardinal speak. He is profound in his wisdom and absolutely brillant. It would be an honor to meet Cardinal Ratzinger someday. The book is helping me to understand many things and to help me gain strength and hope for my own faith which lacks greatly. Thank you

Riveting. Well written. Partly biographical. - Rated
I couldn't put this one down. Ratzinger is one of the foremost intellectuals in the Church today, and this book lets us see both the man as well as his theology. It's well written and intellectually stimulating. I had to resist the temptation to underline many of his statements; so many had the ring of significant truth. Anyone who ever questioned Ratzinger's sincerity or ever thought him a "fascist" or "panzerkardinal" should read this book and see just what a complex individual he is. I always liked him before I read this book; now I see him as one of the most pivotal figures in the Church today. Buy this - get another copy for your skeptical friends!

Accessible, fresh, very hopeful - Rated
I found Ratzinger's book refreshing and I think most Catholics will find it so. I have now given four copies of it away including one to our parish priest and another to someone who has been on the edge considering converting. If you are a Catholic it is certainly worth reading. If you adore the things of Christ my guess is that this book, in its reverence, will help to quiet the soul by saturating it in hope.

An insightful view of the Church - Rated
A very readable, interresting book! Cardinal Ratzinger gives his views on a wide range of topics in the course of an extended interview with Peter Seewald, including his life and the state of the *world-wide* Church. This book offers valuable insights from a man who is uniquely positioned to "see" the workings of the Church as a whole.

In the more "liberal" circles, there's apparently a tendency to villify Cardinal Ratzinger as some kind of "right-wing", closed-minded fringe type. Having read this book, I find that claim hard to believe: whether one agrees with his views or not, it is hard to see the Cardinal as anything other than a thoughtful, intellegent and learned man.