'Time to retire'
Sept 18, 2007
Cardinal Szoka celebrates his 80th and with no official position in the Vatican plans to spend more time in Detroit.
(The Michigan Catholic, September 14, 2007) Cardinal Edmund C. Szoka stands in front of Sacred Heart Major Seminary. Because he revamped the seminary program and launched the remodeling of its building during his time as archbishop of Detroit, he is widely considered Sacred Heart's "second founder."
Cardinal Edmund C. Szoka, former archbishop of Detroit, is retiring Sept. 14 from his remaining Vatican responsibilities as he turns 80 years old. He retired one year ago from his positions as president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and of the Governorate of Vatican City State, but has continued to serve as a member of five Vatican congregations. He spoke with Michigan Catholic reporter Robert Delaney during his current visit to Detroit.
How to you plan to celebrate your 80th birthday?
Well, I’m going to be here in Detroit, and one of the pastors is giving a little party for me -- or maybe a big party, I don’t know.
And you will then be free of all official duties?
When you reach your 80th birthday you no longer have any official position in the Holy See, in the Vatican.
I retired as president of the Government of Vatican City State last Sept. 15 because I was 79 on the 14th. We’re supposed to retire at 75, and we have to send a letter to the pope with our resignation, which I did, but that was still Pope John Paul II, and he just wrote back and said, “Well, keep working for now.” So, I kept working. I worked under the new pope for almost a year and a half, and then it was time to retire. The pope decides that.
Even though I retired from being president of Vatican City, I was still serving on five different Vatican congregations, and that meant five meetings a month. But when you reach your 80th birthday, you’re off of those.
Which congregations were you on?
I was on the Congregation for Bishops, which met twice a month. That has to do with the naming of bishops in the settled countries, and then I was on the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, which chooses bishops for mission countries. Now, I say chooses, but what we do is discuss the candidates and vote on them, and then the prefect of the congregation takes the results to the pope, and he makes the final decision.
On every bishop appointed in the world, he makes the final decision. So, the prefect of the Congregation of Bishops sees him every week and the prefect for the Evangelization of Peoples sees him every other week, and they present the candidates and the results of our investigation and the results of our vote, and then he decides. He can’t do all that work himself, so he has to depend to some extent on our decision; but he’s not bound to accept it, and there are times when he doesn’t, because he thinks there may still be something unanswered.
I was also on the Congregation for Saints, which meets once a month, and on the Congregation for Clergy and the Congregation for Religious, but they don’t meet regularly, just from time to time.
Even though you’re off of everything now, are there other things retired cardinals are more or less expected to do in service to the Church?
They don’t have any specific obligations. The cardinals are the primary consultors to the pope, so, he can use us for consultation or whatever he wishes. Also, although I will no longer be a member of the Congregation for Bishops, if there is a diocese open in an English speaking country, and they want someone who reads English well to read all the documentation and make a presentation, they could ask me to do that. And occasionally I get invitations from a parish in Rome to preside at some celebration, or in other parts of Italy for a special celebration. Since I’ve retired I think I’ve had about five of those invitations.
Last year, as you looked ahead to retirement, you said you might spend about half the year in Rome and half the year in the Detroit area. How are those plans coming?
Well, they’re coming along. I’ve been looking for a house and I’ve found one I believe I may take, but all the legal work is not done yet. I’m going back to Rome on the 17th, because even if I did settle on it before then, the house wouldn’t be ready. There are still a few things I have to do, and then I have to furnish it.
Are you thinking of summers in Detroit, or winters in Detroit?
Well, summers. The winters are much better in Rome.
You’ve said you are looking forward to helping out at parishes on weekends during your retirement?
While I’m here in Detroit, yes. In Rome it’s not quite the same, because there are a lot of priests in Rome so they have plenty of help for the weekends, but here they need help. So, it’s a little different.
Are there any other plans you could share with us or any projects you want to undertake?
When I have the opportunity, I would like to do some traveling. I’ve been in many parts of the world, but not all of them. I don’t enjoy the traveling part so much, but I enjoy visiting. For example, I’ve never been to Australia and next year the World Youth Day will be in Australia, so I may try to go for that.
Is there anything that Pope Benedict has done since becoming pope that surprised or impressed you, and if so, why?
I wouldn’t say surprised. I think his first encyclical, "Deus Caritas Est" ("God is Love"), is the foundation of his pontificate. In it, he’s saying we will never solve the world’s problems without love, that love is at the heart of everything, and if we can love God and love each other we can solve our problems.
That encyclical is very important and it sort of lays out his plans for his pontificate, but you also have to remember that he is a scholar and was a teacher for many years and a professor, and he is still a professor and a teacher. The talks he has given in various places are excellent. They’re theological talks, and I think they will make a great impression on theology in the Catholic Church throughout the world, and also on others who are not Catholic.
You’re known as a very prayerful man. Who are some of the authors who have had a major impact on your faith, ones you would recommend to people seeking a deeper spirituality?
Well, I’ve been a priest 53 years and I’ve read all sorts of books and I don’t remember all of them now, but there are some basic ones I think are very important. “The Imitation of Christ” by Thomas à Kempis, St. Theresa of Avila’s autobiography and some of her writings, and St. John of the Cross.
And then there’s a small book called “The Cloud of Unknowing,” which has been a very important book in my life. It was written by a 14th-century English contemplative -- they don’t know who he was exactly, but they know he was a monk. It’s not a very big book, but I found it a very pivotal book for me, and have reread it three or four times.
'Time to retire'