Most people who resented Benedict XVI did not know him, those who appreciated him did

Twilight of a Pontificate: 

An Eyewitness Report

by Rev. Dr. Athanasius McVay

Amiddle-aged Italian woman exclaimed “he is my favorite pope!” as she stood next to me in Piazza San Pietro, at the conclusion of Pope Benedict’s final public audience. After an initial surprise, I started thinking about why her reaction was different from that of the average person in the street. My main conclusion was that most people who resented Benedict XVI did not know him, those who appreciated him did.

For more than eight years I have been puzzled by polarized reactions to Joseph Ratzinger, who assume the name of Benedict XVI upon his election to the papacy. From some I was used to hearing things like: “He’s too conservative; he’s a cold German; He’s not warm like the other Pope; he’s into ancient dress.” From others the reactions were the polar opposite: “The best theologian; very warm and personable; he’s fixing things; he deeply understands symbolism and liturgy.”

Evaluations speak as much about the person evaluating as they do of person being judged. Judgments from ignorance say nothing at all about the judged person and everything about the critic. More often than not, those who judged Benedict negatively had never met him, had never read him, and had formed their opinions of him from accounts about him in the press.

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