UNITED KINGDOM
The Tablet Catholic Weekly
September 20, 2018
By Christopher Lamb
Benedict XVI has reprimanded a German cardinal for criticising his decision to step down, arguing that “anger” about his resignation has devalued his papacy, and is being “melted into the sorrow” about the Church’s problems.
The Pope Emeritus made the remarks in recent letters to Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, one of the “dubia” cardinals who has publicly challenged Pope Francis over his family life teaching.
At one level, the letters can be read as a rebuke to Pope Francis’ critics, many of whom felt betrayed and angered by Benedict XVI’s decision to resign and have seen the Pope Emeritus as a rallying point for Francis resistance.
On the other hand, critics of this Pope are likely to seize on Benedict XVI’s use of the word “sorrow” about the Church’s situation as a sign that Francis’ pontificate is going in the wrong direction.
The overriding concern from Benedict appears to be that his papacy is being devalued by those using it as a political weapon to undermine Francis.
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