The man in white, a little bent, but upright and peaceful in the extraordinary and sudden storm during World Youth Day in Madrid in July 2011, moved all those who saw him. He smiled under the umbrellas, which did not protect him at all from the torrential rain falling on the esplanade, which lived up to its name on that night: “The Four Winds.” As his soft, snowy hair was swept by gusts of wind, he cried out: “Dear young people, Christ alone can respond to your aspirations. Let yourselves be seized by God, so that your presence in the Church will give her new life!”77 And then he kneeled and, in silence, led the immense crowd in adoration. On October 11, 2012, the pope opened the Year of Faith and convoked a synod for the New Evangelization. He spoke of the “weariness” of the faith in Europe, and he asked the Holy Spirit to give the Church a new and “ joyful passion for the faith.”78 A few months later, confidential documents were repeatedly stolen from his desk and published in the media; it was the FOR LOVE OF CHRIST, FOR LOVE OF THE CHURCH: RESIGNATION famous “Vatileaks” scandal. The stolen papers primarily concerned the work of the Secretary of State and his financial management of the Vatican. The pope was profoundly hurt. After a difficult voyage to Cuba, in March 2012, he had come to the end of his strength. Already, in 2010, he had mentioned the possibility of resigning from the papacy: “If a pope clearly realizes that he is no longer physically, psychologically and spiritually capable of handling the duties of his office,” he confided to Peter Seewald, “then he has a right, and under some circumstances, also an obligation to resign.”79 World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro was coming in the summer of 2013, and Benedict XVI no longer felt capable of making such a trip. In September 2012, he finished the great project so close to his heart: Jesus of Nazareth. This book summarizes the intention of his whole life, which was to inspire a tender and strong love for Jesus. His last papal journey was to Lebanon, as the war in Syria broke out. Despite his extreme exhaustion, he wanted to express the closeness of Christ and the particular solicitude of the Church for the suffering and persecuted Middle East. Upon his return, he told his secretary: “I have reflected, I have prayed, I must resign from the papacy for the love of Jesus, for the love of the Church.”80 77 Benedict XVI, Prayer Vigil with Young People, Cuatro Vientos Air Base, Madrid, August 20, 2011. 78 Benedict XVI: His Life and Thought, p. 616. 79 Light of the World, p. 30. 80 Benedict XVI: His Life and Thought, p. 640. “Do not be afraid of being Catholics,” begins the pope during WYD in Madrid. 1.5 million young people attend the closing Mass on August 21, 2011. Benedict XVI, like his predecessor, visits the Synagogue of Rome in January 2010. Here, with the chief rabbi. In spite of the burden, the pope continues to work. On March 10, 2011, he publishes the second work of his trilogy, Jesus of Nazareth. Sistine Chapel, January 8, 2012. Sixteen babies are baptized. After the ceremony, Benedict XVI spends time with the guests. © Akg © KNA © Leemage © Leemage B E N E D I C T X V I the man 62 • BENEDICT XVI BENEDICT XVI • 63
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