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Catholic Free Press
As we wait for the election of a new pope we will hear from people on the ground in Rome and here at home to give us a sense of the anticipation. Today, Donato Infante III, a diocesan seminarian in Rome, explores the legacy of the various popes. The conclave to elect a new pope begins Tuesday.
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The Legacy of Pope Benedict, Part I
Monday, March 11
By Donato Infante
There are certain events, moments, or decisions that go down in history as defining a pontificate. For example, when people think of Pope Leo XIII, what comes to mind is the publication of Rerum Novarum, an encyclical that established Catholic social doctrine as a branch of theology in many ways moved the papacy away from the old model that had existed during the time of the Papal States to what we are familiar with now, the papacy as the world’s conscience. He is also known for inaugurating the great renaissance in the philosophy and theology of Saint Thomas Aquinas. Blessed John XXIII is remembered for having called the Second Vatican Council. Venerable Pope Paul VI is known for the publication of the controversial encyclical Humanae Vitae, upholding the Church’st2,000-year-old teaching on the sinfulness of using artificial contraception and the immortality of abortion.
A picture of the late pope Blessed John Paul II is seen on a rosary case at a souvenir stall near St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican March 10. A group of 115 cardinals is expected to enter the Sistine Chapel March 12 for the conclave to elect the next pope. (CNS photo/Eric Gaillard, Reuters)
The pontificate of Blessed John Paul II is still very close in memory, and so many such happenings come to mind. As time goes on, some of these will probably seem less significant than others, but now, eight years after his death, people associate with him the fall of communism, the reform of seminary life with the publication of Pastores Dabo Vobis, many world travels, the creation of World Youth Day, and his final witness that life, even amidst great suffering, is worth living.
What will the legacy of Pope Benedict XVI be? Over the next few days, while we wait for the start of the conclave and the election of the new pope, I will be writing about the four things that come to mind which seem to me the main contributions that Pope Benedict made during his pontificate and for which he will be remembered in history. The first of these is that Pope Benedict became a leader in handling the sexual abuse crisis. The leader of the Catholic Church acknowledge the horrendous acts that had been committed by priests and personally met with victims on his international trips in the United States, Malta, Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
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