Ratzinger Report: An Exclusive Interview on the State of the Church

Rating:
Summary: Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger: A Man of the Church
Review: Here is a charming book containing the insights of one of the greatest theologians of the age, an architect of the Second Vatican Council and friend to the current pontiff. Cardinal Ratzinger does not like much of the mischief that has been perpretated since the Council in the name of aggiornamento (I think that means "trendiness" in Italian), and makes it clear that the Council was not a license to go on making frivolous tinkerings with the sacred liturgy, ad nauseam, ad infinitum.

Many Church "progressives" (persons who believe that the editors of Commonweal Magazine have the charism of ex cathedra infallibility) enjoy depicting Cardinal Ratzinger as a fiend from the depths of hell. Don't believe this hyperventilating hype; in the name of "collegiality" and "liberty" and "fraternal collaboration," the leftist jacobins have almost succeeded in destroying the reputation of a fine man and a first-rate thinker.

Ratzinger demonstrates how the current breed of liturgists -- like Ezra Pound, pathologically intent on "making it new" -- often claim to represent the interests of the poor and the unlettered, all the while running roughshod over their wishes. The poor and unlettered are derided by the innovators for their naivete, their unsophistication, and their old-fashioned devotional practices. In fact, Ratzinger cites an instance where the poor parishioners of an Episcopalian church in New York City were instrumental in stopping the drastic "renovation" of a church they loved just the way it was.

"Mark my word," Thomas Merton once wrote to a friend, "there is no uglier species on the face of the earth than progressed Catholics, mean, frivol, ungainly, inarticulate, venomous, and bursting at the seams with progress into the secular cities and the Teilhardian subways." And Thomas Merton was not to be confused with Cardinal Ratzinger, who has been called every name in the book by those who pride themselves on their tolerance. Read the Ratzinger Report and don't believe the hype.

Rating:
Summary: probably not for "beginners" but still excellent
Review: I came to this book--or, rather, interview--as a person feeling the pull to Catholicism. This was probably not the best book to read this early in the journey to Rome, since it presumes something of a knowledge of the Church and its "crisis" in modern times, particularly after Vatican II--unlike, say, an introduction to Catholic theology or liturgy. In that respect, then, not being a Catholic, I was probably limited in what I could take from the book.

Nevertheless, I found it extremely fascinating and worthwhile. For starters, Ratzinger's understanding of the Church speaks directly to why I was drawn to it in the first place. He conveys a sense of the Church's community of believers, the communion of saints, emphasizing the very important communal aspects of the Catholic faith and suggesting that theology is not just a matter for individuals and academicians and "theologians"--it is pursued as a community. He describes this community, this unity quite wonderfully, I think: "harmonic wholeness."

His description as the Church going up against the powerful cultural forces of our time was also quite convincing and appealing. Indeed, the Church stands virtually alone against the tide of permissivity. Ratzinger discusses the difficulties the Church was facing in the mid-1980s, from feminism and liberation theology to the dangers of extreme individualism. His proposed solutions are probably not surprising to those familiar--among others: not an abandonment of Vatican II but a discovery of its true spirit; a re-affirmation of traditional doctrines (such as the Virgin Mary); a recognition that the Church is not democratic but sacramental and hierarchical instead; and a restoration of the virtues of motherhood and virginity.

All in all, a great survey of the Catholic Church's position in the modern world, which deals with problems as well as possible answers. Moreover, Ratzinger speaks, either directly or indirectly, to the problems facing the world in general, and his solutions could just as easily be applied in that broader context. This book, then, in many ways, transcends its intended Catholic audience--a true achievement.

Rating:
Summary: Extremely Valuable for any Concerned Catholic
Review: In this interview, Cardinal Ratzinger, perhaps the second most influential person in the Catholic church, shows everyone to be wrong about him. He is less conservative than the conservatives think and progressives fear. Ratzinger is an example of how the Catholic church is something entirely different, such that you cannot fit it's mission into a 'progressive' or 'conservative' form. Rather, there is simply Catholicism. Ratzinger's main goal is to make us, progressives and conservatives, understand that Vatican II cannot be ignored, but must exert its full affect upon the Church.