Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI turns 95 today and receives congratulations from all over the world at the Mater Ecclesiae monastery where he left after his resignation in February 2013, physically weak but always lucidrecently assured his personal secretary, Georg Ganswein.
A few days ago, Gänswein, who was his historic secretary and continues to be today and takes care of all his efforts, gave an interview to the Italian magazine oggi in which he explained that the German pope is “Physically weak, but his head always works very well for him”.
And what helps you to be “methodical” in his day to dayconcelebrating mass at 7:30 and then listening to music on his sofa and even “He has resumed his usual walk through the Vatican Gardens”assured.
A few weeks ago, a magazine published some photos of Joseph Ratzinger in a wheelchair strolling through the Vatican gardens, always dressed in white and wearing a cap to protect himself from the sun.
The last photo we have of the pope emeritus is a little over a month old when on March 7 volume VIII/1 of his Opera omnia was delivered to him at his residence, The Church, a sign among peoplesedited by Editorial Vaticana and appeared seated in an armchair surrounded by his guests.
On April 13, Pope Francis visited his predecessor, Benedict XVI to greet him on his 95th birthday and had a “short and affectionate” conversation and prayed together.The Holy See reported then in a statement.
The health of Benedict XVI will not allow for big celebrations like in the past, when his brother, Georg, who passed away in July 2020, was going to visit him and musicians and beer from his native Bavaria were also sent.
The last few months have not been easy for Benedict XVI, so much so that his secretary assured Oggi in an interview that he is convinced that there is “a diabolical plan” to undermine the credibility of the pope emeritus.
For Gänswein, in the German-speaking world there is a tendency that tries to attack the pontificate and the theological work of Ratzinger and also harm the person.
While regarding the accusations that anti-Francis positions arise from the Mater Ecclesiae, the German archbishop considered it “offensive and ridiculous.”
At the beginning of February, Benedict XVI had to meet the accusations of how he had handled some cases of priests accused of child abuse when he was Archbishop of Munich and that had emerged in the report written by the German Church on pederasty.
In a historic public statement, Benedict XVI stated: “I have had a great responsibility in the Catholic Church. All the greater is my pain for the abuses and errors that have occurred during the time of my mandate in the respective places “.
Although to this statement, a report from his collaborators and lawyers was alleged in which any accusation of negligence or cover-up was denied.
Benedict XVI, the first pope to resign from the pontificate since the time of Gregory XII, at the beginning of the 15th century, has rarely left the leonine walls, once to visit his brother in the hospital and in June 2020 when he traveled to Regensburg to visit his seriously ill inseparable brother.
(With information from EFE)
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Source-www.infobae.com