Transcript

Ave Maria, grata pleni...

It is 5 o'clock in the afternoon on February 28th, 2013.

An Italian army helicopter is moving the first pope to resign from his position in more than 700 years out of the Vatican.

The bells of the churches in Rome are resounding.

It is an extraordinary event in the Catholic Church, which is even more surprising because of who the pontiff is, a theologian dedicated to maintaining the tradition of an institution with more than 20 centuries of history.

Benedict XVI is 85 years old.

In recent months, he had to deal with his butler stealing his documents, as well as the crisis of abuse of minors by priests in several countries.

Are these the reasons for his resignation?

What prompts Joseph Ratzinger to make the most transcendent decision of his life?

Had he already achieved the objectives of his pontificate?

His brother Georg, his spokesperson, Father Lombardi, one of his private secretaries, and key people within the Vatican help us unravel the truth.

Benedict XVI, In Honor of the Truth.

Ad conditionem certam perveni, viris mius in gravesciente etate non iam aptas esset munus petorinum eque administrandum.

On February 11th, 2013, these words calmly spoken by Benedict XVI shake the foundations of the Catholic Church.

The resignation of a pope when no other pope has resigned for 600 years is, in terms of the theology of the church, a revolution.

After his public announcement, he silently leaves the meeting with the cardinals as if nothing has happened.

Two days later, he confirms his resignation once again in public during a weekly general audience.

Dear brothers and sisters, as you know, I have decided...

Thank you for your sympathy.

I have decided to renounce the ministry which the Lord entrusted to me on April 19, 2005.

I did this in full freedom for the good of the Church, after having prayed longingly and having examined my conscience before God, well aware of the gravity of such an act.

With these words, he ends a story that had begun eight years earlier in the Sistine Chapel.

It is here Joseph Ratzinger enters one day as a cardinal and leaves as Pope Benedict XVI.

After the great Pope John Paul II, the Lord's cardinals have elected me, a simple and humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord.

A pope's first decision is to choose his new name, which usually indicates the style of the pontificate.

Ratzinger chooses Benedict, recalling the name of the saint from the sixth century who guarded and transmitted classical culture with his monasteries.

It also is a special tribute to the pope who had ruled the Catholic Church 90 years earlier, Benedict XV.

I remember Pope Benedict XV, that courageous prophet of peace who guided the church through turbulent, turbulent times of war.

In his footsteps, I place my ministry in the service of reconciliation and harmony between peoples.

Benedict XV describes the war as a useless slaughter that originated in Europe and spread beyond its borders.

When it finally ended, he recommends the victors not humiliate the vanquished.

They did not listen to him, and thus 20 years later, World War II is unleashed.

In September 1939, Hitler invades Poland.

Joseph Ratzinger is only 12 years old, but due to his parents' sufferings, he knows the difficult times are just beginning.

At this point, Hitler has already silenced almost all freedom of expression in Germany.

Those who did not agree with the regime simply disappeared from the map.

In 1943, the Nazi regime forcibly enlists the youth in anti-aircraft defenses.Joseph Ratzinger, at 16 years old, has to be an assistant helper in an anti-aircraft battery near Munich.

The environment in the barracks where he lives is not the most ideal for sharing his call to a priestly vocation.

They tried to lead them to enroll in the SS, and he said he did not want to, but wanted to be a Catholic priest.

There were some others from the seminary who said the same, so they covered them with insults and beat them.

Let's just say it was not well seen at all.

Toward the end of the war, Joseph is aware that the Nazi regime is collapsing, and he makes a decision that could have cost him his life.

It is time to go home.

One soldier who escaped was immediately shot.

That was the order the military authorities had given the soldiers.

Young Ratzinger had a small wound in his hand.

His arm was bandaged and supported by his neck, but he decided it was time to leave.

He took a risk.

A few months later, the allied soldiers arrest him at his home, and he is interned in a prisoner of war camp with other soldiers.

The country's destruction during the war affects the seminary in his city, but it is from these ruins that an opportunity also arises.

Every soldier who came back from the front line had to prove he had a job, that he was helping rebuild a shattered country.

The rector of the seminary told us, "To avoid going to other faraway places where you could encounter difficulties, why don't you stay and help rebuild the seminary?

We have a lot of work here for you." So, my brother and I helped remove debris and rebuild it.

Those years of intense formation culminate in what he describes as the most important day of his life.

It is June 29, 1951, the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul.

It is Cardinal Faulhaber who had impressed him so much with his solemn manner and strong opposition to Nazism who lays his hands on him and ordains him a priest.

Joseph stands out immediately with his gift for teaching, and his bishop asks him to dedicate himself to teaching future priests.

Meanwhile, he begins to prepare for the licensing exam to teach at the university.

Thus begins the stage of his life that he remembers most fondly, his years of being a university professor.

In 1959, he held the Chair of Theology at the University of Bonn.

The young professor's prestige reaches the ears of the Cardinal of Cologne, Josef Frings, who calls on Ratzinger as a theological advisor during the Second Vatican Council.

The council is convened by Pope John XXIII with the desire to open the way to fresh ideas in the Church.

The council decides to appoint a young theologian as expert.

As a result, Joseph's work on one of the great documents, the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, makes him a star in the theological realm.

His footprints on that document are visible and admirable, and his love for that document.

Um, and it's my own favorite document of the council.

I think it's an incredibly fine synthesis, uh, born of a lot of dialogue with also Protestant theologians and work in the background.

After the council, he spent a few years at the University of Tübingen invited by Hans Küng, another great theologian at the time.

The student protests in 1968 and his disagreements with Küng, with whom he had distanced himself, lead him to make a change.

He decides to move to the University of Regensburg in Bavaria where his brother Georg runs the famous youth choir in the cathedral.

In that environment, he meets then-student Stefan Horn, who will be his personal assistant for five years.

There is one thing that Horn cannot forget about his teacher.

Simplicity, that of a Christian man.

He was a person you could always trust, without the feeling that he was superior.

He always gave us a great freedom.

Having reached full intellectual maturity, he focuses his time at the university.

It is then that Paul VI asks a great sacrifice of him, to renounce his academic career to become Archbishop of Munich.

It is a difficult request because he is convinced that he is more talented as a teacher than as a bishop, but he accepts.

At the beginning, we felt a logical sadness.

It was not something where you would leap for joy, but the opposite.

We also knew that our life as brothers would never be the same since there would be a separation.

In those years, philosopher Josef Pieper advises him to write to a young Polish bishop who is a hero of the peaceful resistance to Nazism and communism.

This bishop is a certain Karol Wojtyla.

Ratzinger sends his book, Introduction to Christianity, to Kraków.

He completed it during his time in Tübingen.

Karol Wojtyla then quotes him during the spiritual exercises he delivered to Paul VI and the Roman Curia during Lent of '76.

The two continue to exchange books as they assume greater responsibilities such as cardinals in Munich and Kraków.

However, the first time they meet does not come about until the conclave following the death of Paul VI in August of 1978.

The impression the Polish cardinal leaves on Ratzinger is immediate.

De Rotula Munda Ed.

The result of that conclave where Wojtyla and Ratzinger meet for the first time is the election of the Patriarch of Venice, Albino Luciani or Pope John Paul I.

His sudden death 33 days after being elected shocks not only the world, but also the cardinals who return to the Sistine Chapel to choose a new successor of Peter.

This time it took eight votes.

Abremos papam.

Dominum carorum sancte romane eclessiee cardinalis Wojtyla.

John Paul II came from Poland.

He was 58 years old, a philosopher and an athlete.

He was the ideal pope to undertake New Evangelization on a global scale through his continuous trips.

The new pope called the Archbishop of Munich to ask Joseph to be by his side as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Ratzinger only asked him one thing, to allow him to continue publishing books.

John Paul II not only agreed but also encouraged him to continue his personal theological research.

Thus, from John Paul II and Ratzinger's collaboration arose encyclicals such as the Veritatis Splendor on morality and the Fides et Ratio on the complementarity between faith and reason.

The Polish pontiff appreciates Ratzinger's ability to confront with determination theological dissent.

He does so in particular with a document that recovers the acceptable points of a trend of thought in liberation theology while clearly opposing a Marxist conception at its basis.

In spite of efforts to mediate matters, he has difficulty shaking off the qualification critics gave him as a panzer cardinal or as one who is too rigid.

He held the role of prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which society considers to be the custodian of orthodoxy.

Therefore, it's a task that has always been seen as a job of censorship, a task of disciplinary control, rather than one of freedom of thought.

In those years, he also takes on a great mission for the future, the update of the catechism of the Catholic Church.

It is an essential document which explains the never-changing church doctrine in a modern way for the unity of the church.

It is a huge undertaking, but one the prefect assumes with tenacity and energy.

John Paul II and Joseph Ratzinger devote themselves to the so-called Purification of Memory.

Essentially, they ask for forgiveness for the past mistakes made by members of the Catholic Church.

In 1984, they reversed the opposition to Galileo Galilei, 340 years after an erroneous conviction.

In Lent 2000, the historic request for forgiveness for past mistakes takes place, presided over by John Paul II.

Cardinal Ratzinger is at his side.

Anche uomini di Chiesa, in nome della fede e della morale, hanno talora fatto ricorso a metodi non evangelici nel pur doveroso impegno di difesa della verità.

John Paul II asks him to address the allegations of sexual abuse by priests in the United States.

From Rome, Ratzinger supervises the canonical processes that expel those guilty of the crimes from the priesthood.

The cardinal dreams of devoting his last years to the study of codices in the Vatican Library and publishing his book on Jesus of Nazareth.

He presents his resignation three times to John Paul II, but the pope rejects it.

Cardinal Schönborn, a disciple and good friend of Ratzinger, witnesses one of these resignations when the then-prefect for the Doctrine of the Faith is recovering from a stroke which he suffers in 1991.

Immediately afterward, I saw him in Rome.

He was at home and he said, "Now the pope has to let me go because I'm sick and I cannot continue." I said to him, "Your Eminence, we pray that the pope, St. John Paul II, won't let you go."

Ratzinger's sister Maria, with whom he was very close, died a month later, also due to a stroke which was fatal in her case.

Cardinal Schönborn reminded Ratzinger of this coincidence after his being elected pope.

The day after the conclave, when he entered Santa Marta for breakfast dressed in white, our dear professor, our friend in white, he greeted us one by one.

And I said, "Holy Father, yesterday during your election, I thought about your Sister Mary a great deal.

And I asked myself if she had told the Lord, 'Take my life and leave my brother'."

...

who is the Pope of the College of Cardinals, John Paul II?

He answered me saying, "I think so."

As the dean of the College of Cardinals, he assumes more and more responsibility in the final months and days of John Paul II's life.

One of those crucial moments comes in March 2005, when Joseph Ratzinger prepares the meditations for The Way of The Cross at the Colosseum in Rome.

The Pope joined in from his chapel in the Vatican while hugging a cross.

In one of the mediations, Ratzinger apologizes for the sins Catholic priests have committed.

How much filth there is in the Church, and among those who, with their priesthood, should be completely devoted to Him.

How much pride.

How much self-sufficiency.

John Paul II exhausted, greets pilgrims from his window three days before dying.

It's the last time the world has the opportunity to see him alive.

Popei!

The news of the Pope's serious health situation runs rampant.

His spokesperson is unable to control his sadness.

The Pope is conscious, extraordinarily calm and has some difficulty in breathing.

It's a new sight for me.

Thousands of people flocked to St. Peter's Square to be physically close to the Pope.

On Saturday, April 2nd, during a group recitation of the rosary in St. Peter's Square, the world receives the news of the death of John Paul II.

As Dean of the College of Cardinals, Joseph Ratzinger presides over the intense ceremonies during those days, including the funeral attended by global leaders who all set aside their differences to honor John Paul II.

Amidst the events, a strong wind blows in St. Peter's Square, as if nature also wanted to say goodbye to the Pope.

We can be sure that our beloved Pope is now at the window of the Father's house, he sees us, and he blesses us.

Yes.

He sees us and he blesses us.

Santo Ioannes Thomas.

A few days later, 115 cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel to elect the next pope.

Ratzinger considers himself too old and too weak to be a pope at 78.

After five scrutinies and two episodes of black smoke, the Sistine Chapel's chimney emits a perplexing gray smoke, which little by little becomes white.

It's a huge moment for a family that had just expected a simple life.

I stopped answering the phone because it rang and rang, and there were always journalists asking the same question a thousand times.

But Mrs. Heidel answered, and suddenly realized that on the other side of the line was the Holy Father.

When I spoke with him, I saw that there was no difference.

Our fraternal relationship had not changed.

He was simply my brother, and we continued talking as we always had.

The first visit he makes as Pope is not to the pontifical apartment, but to see his collaborators at the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, where he had worked for 23 years.

They welcome him with a roaring applause and surprise him with a cake.

I still can't believe I am now in another place, and have stood up when the Lord said to Peter, "In later times, you have led me where you did not want me to go."

That same day, he goes to his old house to prepare with his books and the initial speeches.

Benedictus!

Benedictus!

There, he says goodbye to his neighbors who are almost all cardinals, and then goes to greet hundreds of Romans who are waiting to see him up close.

A few days later, various heads of state and leaders from around the world attended the mass to mark the beginning of his pastoral ministry.

It is an exciting event that begins a few feet away from the tomb of St. Peter, of whom Benedict is successor number 264.

My true program of government is not to do my will, not to pursue my ideas, but rather to listen with the whole Church to the Word and Will of the Lord.

A day in the life of a pope is intense.

Benedict XVI begins each morning celebrating mass in the same chapel as his predecessors.

There, before beginning his work, he entrusts to God humanity's problems and each of his priorities.

Few people have had the opportunity to receive direct information like he had.

Every day, he met with heads of state, bishops and other visitors from all over who shared information about important world issues and those that are lesser known.

They were memorable moments and visits that highlight humanity.

You've come just in from

...

very successful, I hear.

Yes.

But this is a long night.

Very long night.

To become pope at 78 years old and being forced to succeed a pope with the great charisma of John Paul II is not an easy task.

At the August 2005 World Youth Day in Cologne, Benedict XVI faces this great trial by fire when seeing the million young people on the banks of the Rhine River to receive him, all doubts people had were eliminated.

Additionally, Benedict XVI desires to add another element to the traditional outdoor prayer vigil that evening accompanied by music, that of Eucharistic adoration.

He himself recognized that as a young man, he did not understand Eucharistic adoration since he thought that in the first thousand years, this form of spirituality did not exist.

But much later, he gained the understanding that holy communion must be adoration.

If there is no adoration, there is no authentic communion.

Years later at World Youth Day in Madrid, 2011, an extraordinary event takes place.

It is August and the heat is unbearable for those attending the vigil.

Within minutes, the sky is covered with black clouds.

A strong wind begins to blow, threatening to knock down the stage and platform.

Then torrential rain pours on the area.

Under these circumstances, with the increasing risk that the illuminated towers could be demolished, Benedict XVI emphasizes what is most important.

He cuts his speech short, but he does not quit worshiping.

With the impressive monstrance from the Cathedral of Toledo in view, he got on his knees to pray.

More than a million young people imitate him in a magical moment of silence and meditation as the storm subsides.

They are wet to the bone, stained with mud, but full of joy and inner peace.

Thank you for this joy and resistance.

This strength...

This strength is greater than the rain.

Thank you.

The Lord...

The Lord with the rain sends us many blessings.

You are also an example through this.

Thank you.

In May 2006, the first German pope after Nazism remembers the shocking Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Poland and all victims of the Holocaust.

Benedict XVI walks through the gates alone.

Over his head is the monstrous lie posted by the Nazis for those who arrived as prisoners to this place of death: Work makes you free.

It is also the antithesis of a phrase from the gospel: The truth will set you free.

Soon after, in the immense Birkenau extermination camp, he prays for all the victims of the Holocaust.

Yes, behind these tombs the destinies of countless human beings are hidden.

They shake our memory, they shake our hearts.

...

Și nu vor să provocă în noi odiu.

Ci dimostrăm, ți, câtă fie teribilă opera de odio.

As he approaches the final tombstone, a rainbow was drawn over the site of the biggest mass murder in history.

Some of Pope Francis' most innovative proposals are already being anticipated by Benedict XVI.

The encyclical Caritas in veritate concerns respecting the most disadvantaged and the need for special attention to the environment.

One can certainly remember his address to the Bundestag in Germany when he addressed both houses of parliament, and he appealed to Germany's history, uh, Green Party, and green activity.

And he said, "You have an ecology of the Earth, an ecology that respects the natural growth and progress of everything that is created." And he suggested also that there should be an ecology of the human, which is completely, which fits with that.

One of Pope Benedict's great challenges is to reconquer religion's place in the public square.

I cannot but voice my concern at the increasing marginalization of religion, particularly of Christianity, that is taking place in some quarters, even in nations which place a great emphasis on tolerance.

Pope Benedict XVI's message is compelling.

It is to simply reject those attempts to marginalize believers and to expel them from public life.

At a meeting in Paris with various personalities from the world of culture, he recalls the enormous influence of monasteries for social progress.

Defending the great contribution of Christianity to society is one of his most important efforts.

In fact, he encourages a dialogue between Christianity and reason.

Another key aspect of Ratzinger's pontificate is his goal for Christian unity, which he demonstrates with concrete facts.

He went to Erfurt in 2011, went to the Augustinian convent where Luther had lived, and where the Reformation began really.

And he spoke warmly about Luther, because Ratzinger always liked Luther.

He didn't agree with everything that Luther said.

In this effort to achieve unity, Benedict XVI continues John Paul II's invitation to study how to exercise the pope's authority in ways that are acceptable to other Christians.

So little by little, people start to open up.

Orthodox Church leaders make historical gestures and visit Rome.

It is the first time for the Orthodox archbishop from Athens, the archbishop of Cyprus also visits, and the number two of the Russian Orthodox Church, which is the largest, but also the most hesitant to initiate dialogue with Rome.

Benedict believes dialogue based on truth will also help resolve the plight of the more than 15 million Chinese Catholics.

In China, the government's uneasy relationship with the Catholic religion has led to a division.

Catholics that are loyal to Rome and others that are patriotic and accepted by the government.

In June 2007, the pope sends a letter to all Chinese Catholics asking them to try to reconstruct unity amongst themselves.

The effects open an interesting door in the Asian world, while the Vatican's relations with the Islamic world suffered a severe setback.

During a magisterial lesson at the University of Regensburg, Benedict XVI quotes a Byzantine emperor who is critical of the behavior of Muslim believers.

Despite Benedict saying the quote does not reflect his beliefs, protests begin in Muslim cities and Catholic symbols are burned.

With such a reaction, the Vatican must decide if his trip to Istanbul should be canceled.

However, as the riots calm down, he is able to make his first trip to a majority Muslim country.

Noi știm che l’obiectivul acestor călătorii este dialogul, fraternitatea, un angajament pentru comprezența între culturi și unirea prin cultură și religie.

To prove his openness and good intentions, the pope visits the majestic Blue Mosque.

He entered barefoot and prayed to the merciful God, looking toward Mecca, next to the Grand Mufti.

This gesture achieves what his speeches could not; he restores peace with Muslim believers.

Soon after, he receives King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, the custodian of the two holy mosques of Mecca and Medina, who is one of the leading authorities in the Muslim world.

It is the first time that a Saudi king has come to visit a pope, a promising sign for the future.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The pope's concern for the Middle East is evident in the convocation of a special assembly of the Synod of Bishops to address the problem.

It also regards finding new ways to improve development and evangelization in Africa.

It is here that his visits to Angola, Cameroon, and Benin are organized, where he insists on the need to have dialogue with everyone.

Like all intellectuals, he likes to refer back to the basics.

He spent his summer vacation in Northern Italy to write his first encyclical.

He entitled it God is Love.

It is a guide to understand this essential characteristic of God, and an invitation to help others through love's other name, charity.In his second encyclical, Saved in Hope, Benedict XVI warns that a world without God is a world without hope.

He asserts that only by looking to God can we make sense out of life's difficulties.

In his opinion, many of the Catholic Church's problems are due to the fact that not much is said about God or joy.

That is why he wants to remind the world that Christianity is, above all, a source of positivity, and those who best explain the faith are those who live it.

This is the message in his first book as Pope, Jesus of Nazareth.

It is the fruit of his studies and personal meditations, and is meant to remind the world of the essential element in the Gospels: Jesus Christ is God.

It is symbolic that he completes the last book in the Jesus of Nazareth trilogy a few months before his resignation.

It is a project that he intended to leave for future generations.

Pope Benedict has always insisted that we should remember God, not as any god, but as God who was revealed in Jesus Christ.

In fact, his book on Jesus of Nazareth, in my opinion, is an essential inheritance of his pontificate.

The pope theologian is also connected on a human level.

He is defined as a unique pope, but certainly not distant.

He lets those suffering know he is with them, above all when visiting the sick.

The pope is also close to children.

The patients at Bambino Gesù Hospital in Rome witness his affection when he enters the rooms, greets them, receives their gifts, and consoles the parents of the sick.

He also goes to a soup kitchen at a church in Rome, where he is given a card to return whatever he wants.

Additionally, he also visits the house where Mother Teresa's sisters care for the poor near the Vatican.

On an emotional trip to the United States, he prays in New York with families of the victims of the September 11 attacks and calls for the conversion of terrorists.

In one of the most powerful cities in the world, he also wants to have a special encounter with the sick.

The decisions made during the Second Vatican Council left wounds in the Church.

Among them is the separation of a traditionalist group led by Bishop Lefebvre.

Benedict XVI tries to invite them back into communion with the Church by unnulling their excommunication, but shortly before, one of the schismatic bishops denied the Holocaust.

It was a difficult time for the pope, but not the worst that he faces as St. Peter's successor.

The child abuse scandal shakes the Church.

To discover that some people took advantage of their religious authority to abuse the vulnerable is utterly disgusting.

During a trip to Malta in April 2010, he wants to hug, and as he even said himself, cry with a group of abuse victims.

It is a gesture he discreetly repeats on each trip.

Even in the midst of this painful situation, Benedict XVI launches a call to discover the truth.

He wants to do so without judging wrongs or pointing fingers at outside enemies.

The biggest persecution of the Church does not come from external enemies, but it originates from sin within the Church.

And so, the Church deeply needs to relearn penitence, to accept purification.

I am convinced he leaves a legacy of having faced the sexual abuse problem with sincerity, humility, fullness, and seriousness.

It was one of the most intense moments of crisis he experienced during his pontificate.

These are moments of tribulation for the Pope.

He reflects on them from his room window in a moving speech commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council.

Dear brothers and sisters...

After a torch lit procession during the year of faith, Benedict XVI reveals worrying thoughts.

We have seen that in Peter's net there are also evil fish.

We have seen that human frailty is also present in the Church, that the ship of the Church is navigating even with contrary wind, with storms that threaten the ship.

And sometimes we thought the Lord is sleeping, and has forgotten us.

It is October 11, 2012, a few months before his resignation.

The power of evil challenging the Church's presence, but there is always room for hope.

Even today, in his own humble way, the Lord is present and warms the hearts of the people, shows life, creates charisms of goodness and charity that illuminate the world and are a guarantee of God's goodness for us.

Yet, in addition to the suffering he personally experiences by the abuse scandal, other problems begin to arise.

First, stolen papers from his desk are published, which brings to light documents containing sensitive internal issues and economic data.

Over and above the damage the church faced, Benedict experienced a personal disappointment when he discovers his own butler is collecting and releasing the reserved documents....

80 years old.

It's a very difficult blow to the heart of a person over 80 years old, who could not even trust his closest collaborators.

Some thought this was the final straw that broke his patience.

However, through at all was this man, who accompanied him in his hardest moments, Georg Ganswein.

Benedicto

...

Benedict did not resign because of the poor, ill-advised butler, nor did he resign for the gossip about his apartment and the battle leaks case circulating in Rome as a counterfeit currency that was being traded in the rest of the world as gold bullion.

No traitor, black crow or journalist could have pushed him to make that decision.

It was too small a scandal for something so profound.

Benedict's spokesperson in the Holy Sea provides an important key to understand why a pope should resign, especially since it was the first time in 700 years.

The pace of events, including the need to intervene urgently and decisively, to the number of problems and issues that come to the pope's table in a globalized world like ours, also with the rhythm of present and increasingly urgent events which are told through this form of communication that has become normal in our society and is very dynamic and demanding.

The world of communication has transformed the rhythm and way of managing institutions in the 21st century.

Therefore, Lombardi wonders how Benedict would have governed the last few years had he not resigned when he did.

He could not do almost anything expected of a pope.

He could not travel, could not preside over public celebrations, hold long meetings or make complex decisions.

It is evident that he has done well.

He has done the most reasonable thing before God and before men.

They are physical limits, which one of his personal assistants for years confirms.

The doctor told him that he could not travel to Brazil, where he was expected for World Youth Day.

Benedict realized the doctor was serious and he couldn't participate, so he decided to resign beforehand.

After this decision, many wondered how the Pope Emeritus' life has been, and what is life like after being a pontiff?

He prays and prepares for death, as he has said several times.

He lives in peace with himself, and above all, with the Lord.

He is calm and has not lost his sense of humor, but sees every day as a gift.

He reads, studies and walks to the lord's grotto in the Vatican Gardens at 7:00 in the afternoon.

He eats at 7:30 PM, watches the news on TV, and thus ends his quiet day.

He has lived in full serenity in recent years at this residence inside the Vatican.

It is a lesson and witness for the Catholic faithful to see a man of faith of Ratzinger's caliber, who retired with full intellectual abilities, remain silent after his resignation.

It is his silence that conveys a very clear message; humility, respect and loyalty to the Pope and to the church.

Benedict XVI, in honor of the truth.