Pope Benedict XVI’s walk down memory lane, recalling his participation in the Second Vatican Council, was an inspiration, reviving renewed zeal for evangelisation in this Year of Faith, a number of priests said.
About 3,500 priests in the Vatican’s Paul VI hall listened to the Pope’s recollections and interpretation of what the council fathers intended 50 years ago.
Father Ben Jerson Canete of the Philippine island of Mindanao, who is studying biblical theology at Rome’s Pontifical Urbanian University, said his familiarity with the themes discussed at the Second Vatican Council came from his university studies.
But “this was the first time for me to hear it from an expert who was there and who is a pope,” he said.
“His giving the proper interpretation (of Vatican II) is excellent for me,” he said, and it’s clear “we have to re-educate the people, go back to basics”.
Clergy need to help lay Catholics see “the beauty and richness of the faith” and underline how there is “one revelation in the world” in sacred Scripture, said Fr Canete. Proper interpretation of the past in light of revelation and then “education is everything”, he said.
Fr Canete said Pope Benedict has left a positive message, which the priest summarised as, “The Church is not crumbling, we just need to begin anew”.
By emphasising in his talk that all Christians together make up the living body of the Church, the Pope is reminding priests how much support is out there, the priest said.
“The whole Church is with us priests, so we can’t be pessimistic. We need to move on and do something, and it starts with us.”
Monsignor Marco Ceccarelli, chaplain at a Rome University, told CNS that the Pope leaves behind “a great heritage as a scholar and witness of that season (of Vatican II) that still has to develop and mature.”
Fr Albert Hemrom of the Diocese of Dibrugarh in Assam, India, said he was impressed with the amount of detail the Pope remembered.
“It shows his mental powers are still strong,” said the priest, who is working on a doctorate in canon law at Rome’s Pontifical Lateran University. He said the Pope showed him how important it is to have a determined mind.
“He shows that whatever situation you’re in, you have to face it and to do that you need to have a tough mind,” he said.
However, the Pope balanced that mental toughness with gentle humility, “combining both halves”, he said.
Fr Lucas Ongesa Manwa of Kenya’s Kisii Diocese said he was very excited to hear the Pope’s words of encouragement.His message was about renewal, starting with oneself, said the priest, who is studying dogmatic theology in Rome.
“We need to be transformed internally, to change our attitude, our thinking, change our approach,” he said.
Part of that new approach has to be Church authority and the priestly ministry seeing themselves as servants, he said, adding, “We need to come to the people” and serve them. - CNS