Simple, Humble, Tranquil
Jul 15, 2005
«The first work of Ratzinger’s that I read was Introduction to Christianity. It impressed me for its clarity and its way of dealing, beginning from faith, with the problems of the contemporary world.» By Cardinal Alfonso López Trujillo, President of the Pontifical Council for the Family
(30Days, May 2005) «Then his ecclesiological work Word in the Church gave me material for reflection. It was like throwing open the windows and breathing the good oxygen of faith. Its criteria are the right ones. I used to give that book as an ordination present to my priests in Medellín; it is one of those that should be in the library of every priest. I think I have read everything published by Cardinal Ratzinger in Spanish, and also in Italian and French». These words written for my book Testimonianze, which came out in far-off 1997, retain all their value.
May I now also add that my acquaintance with the then Professor Ratzinger goes back to 1971. I had just recently become a bishop and we organized a month of refresher courses in theology for the bishops of the country in the Columbian Episcopal Conference center. And among the conference presenters was the current Pope Benedict XVI. I remember as if it were today that the young Professor Ratzinger sometimes “disappeared” from circulation and retired to a corner to recite his breviary or to prepare for the following lecture. I can testify to how fast he was in speed-writing in preparing his lectures.
Afterwards, in 1988, when I was president of the Columbian Episcopal Conference, I organized a week of meetings between the bishops and Ratzinger by himself, who had in the meantime become a cardinal and Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.As a member then of the aforesaid Congregation, I had the opportunity of appreciating over these past twenty years the great human and spiritual qualities of the current Pontiff. His simple, humble, tranquil attitude. His capacity to listen and synthesize. His patient openness to dialogue. Without ever forgetting however the obligation to remember all that the Lord requires of His Church. I also wrote in my book of 1997:«Frankly, in those of us who know him closely, it provokes mirth to see him unjustly qualified as the “grand inquisitor”.
First of all, I believe that it was his exemplary obedience alone to bring him such a difficult responsibility, exercised with authority toughened in serene truth, but steadfastly served […]. A little known feature, perhaps, is that of his patience, to which those who have had to do with him in the fulfillment of the duties entrusted to him by the Church could testify, including the liberation theologians». These also are words that eight years later have not lost their validity… On the contrary.I wish to conclude my brief contribution by saying that I feel greatly honored by the fact that I was among the first to be received in private audience by the Pope. On that occasion I had the opportunity of bringing him up to date on the preparations for the world meeting of Families with the Pope planned for the first week of July 2006 in Valencia in Spain.
Simple, Humble, Tranquil