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April 20, 2005
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After Ratzinger was elected, Mahony said the new pope was asked what name he had chosen.
"He said, 'I'm going to take Benedict XVI,' but then went on to explain why, which is very interesting," Mahony said.
His first reason was that his namesake, Pope Benedict XV, reigned from 1914 to 1922 during World War I. "It was the worst scourge of war ever known on the face of the earth" at the time, Mahony said.
"So he said we still need to be working at peacemaking, reconciliation and harmony around the world," Mahony said.
The second reason offered by Ratzinger was that St. Benedict, who founded the Benedictine Order, said that "Jesus Christ is first and foremost. Everything else is secondary. [Ratzinger] said those are the reasons [he] chose the name."
At breakfast Tuesday, Mahony said Ratzinger inquired about the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, as well as those of the other prelates present.
"He's someone that you could walk into a Starbucks [with] and sit down and have a coffee with and be totally at ease," Mahony said. "He's just delightful."
Posted by Amy Welborn | Permalink
Comments
Wow, FP at Amy Welborne's site. I encountered you by googling "Ratzinger site:andrewsullivan.com". Sorry, but I think tha guy's on point. Hope to get to know you better in the coming weeks.
Posted by: Matthew Crouch at Apr 20, 2005 1:20:18 AM
oh boy, I think this one will generate at least 1 thousand comments...
Posted by: Dave B at Apr 20, 2005 1:23:47 AM
Check out my theories at CatholicLand.blogspot.com
Thank you Amy for the satisfying conclusion of an all-consuming query; I can actually get some sleep (now that it's 2:30 in the morning!)
Posted by: SWP at Apr 20, 2005 1:31:38 AM
From "Southern Appeal"
Andrew Sullivan's Creed of "ME"
I believe in myself.
I believe that whatever I wish to do is good, pure, and beyond question.
I believe there are no absolutes in life, and no objective truths.
I believe a person's chief aim in life should be sexual gratification in whatever form one chooses.
I believe in the beauty of self-centeredness.
I believe nothing is more important than me and my perceived happiness.
I believe that anyone who questions the morality of my actions is an unenlightened bigot.
I believe that promiscuity should be celebrated.
I believe that one's sexuality should pervade every aspect of one's being.
I believe in using my membership in the Roman Catholic Church as a pretense for criticizing and undermining the Church's fundamental teachings.
I believe that everything should be tolerated, except for religious orthodoxy.
I believe I am the center of the universe, and that a 2,000 year old institution should change its fundamental teaching on homosexuality so I can feel better about myself and less guilty about my destructive lifestyle choice.
Posted by: singaporesling at Apr 20, 2005 1:43:16 AM
Furthermore, I am sick to death of people like Sullivan the Apostate blaming the Church for the AIDS crisis.
The Church does not go around infecting people with AIDS, something that Sullivan himself can't claim.
He is clearly projecting, he is an emotional, bitchy gay man who is dying of a disease that he contracted while engaging in promiscous sex.
Yeah, Sullivan, condoms sure worked for you!
Perhaps had you followed Church teachings, you wouldn't be dying.
This is harsh, but it is the truth-- and the charity without truth is nothing.
Posted by: singaporesling at Apr 20, 2005 1:45:05 AM
What in Heaven's name is Cardinal Mahony doing talking about what when on in the Conclave?! Maybe we've finally got him on an excommunicatable offense.
Posted by: David Kubiak at Apr 20, 2005 1:57:48 AM
I think the actual vote tallies are the only absolutely secret thing in the conclave.
And that's a recent rule. We have the entire vote tallies of all 14 ballots in the 1922 conclave from Cardinal La Fontaine's diary. It shows some strategic shifts and other voters who simply voted for the same guy for the entire time.
Posted by: Lawrence King at Apr 20, 2005 3:10:22 AM
They are all talking.
Some cardinals get chatty after conclave
DANIELA PETROFF
Associated Press
VATICAN CITY - Whatever happened to the sacred oath of secrecy?
Cardinals were sworn to silence about everything that happened during deliberations in the Sistine Chapel to choose a new pope. But within hours of the conclave, some German cardinals - delighted about the choice of their countryman, Joseph Ratzinger - spilled some of the secrets.
Cardinal Joachim Meisner told reporters Tuesday night that the new Pope Benedict XVI was elected on the fourth ballot - the first of the afternoon session. He added that Ratzinger got more than the required two-thirds support.
"It was done without an electoral battle, and without propaganda," the archbishop of Cologne told reporters at a residence for German priests in Vatican City. "For me it was a miracle."
http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/11435670.htm
Posted by: Greg at Apr 20, 2005 3:45:13 AM
From the oath the Cardinals took:
In a particular way, we promise and swear to observe with the greatest fidelity and with all persons, clerical or lay, secrecy regarding everything that in any way relates to the election of the Roman Pontiff and regarding what occurs in the place of the election, directly or indirectly related to the results of the voting; we promise and swear not to break this secret in any way, either during or after the election of the new Pontiff, unless explicit authorization is granted by the same Pontiff.
From the document Universi Dominici Gregis:
In particular, the Cardinal electors are forbidden to reveal to any other person, directly or indirectly, information about the voting and about matters discussed or decided concerning the election of the Pope in the meetings of Cardinals, both before and during the time of the election. This obligation of secrecy also applies to the Cardinals who are not electors but who take part in the General Congregations in accordance with No. 7 of the present Constitution.
I further order the Cardinal electors, graviter onerata ipsorum conscientia, to maintain secrecy concerning these matters also after the election of the new Pope has taken place, and I remind them that it is not licit to break the secret in any way unless a special and explicit permission has been granted by the Pope himself.
That doesn't sound to me like only the actual vote tallies are to be kept secret. Not at all. But maybe I'm missing something.
Posted by: Lori at Apr 20, 2005 4:32:45 AM
WOW! God bless Cardinal Mahoney. Cardinal Hollywood just moved up to the my list a few places (he is still near the bottom). Always give people a chance to redeem themselves.
Posted by: Father Ethan at Apr 20, 2005 4:38:08 AM
Well, I guess I was wrong about the name Benedict or at least that it is a both/and situation.
Posted by: Cheeky Lawyer at Apr 20, 2005 6:42:46 AM
+J.M.J+
Y'know, I was wondering whether the choice of Benedict had anything to do with war:
Pope St. Pius X died at the beginning of WWI, and Benedict XV served during that war. Pope John Paul the Great saw the beginning of the War on Terror (which some say is WWIII or WWIV), now Benedict XVI is a wartime pope.
It's not a perfect parallel, but pretty close.
There may well be other reasons for that choice, some perhaps intended by the Holy Spirit more than by the Holy Father himself.
One thing that's unlikely is what the news media (or at least FoxNews) was saying yesterday; that this may signal that the new Pontiff wants to be moderate, because Benedict XV was supposedly "moderate" compared to his predecessor. I don't know how accurate an assessment of Benedict XV that is, but since His Holiness did not mention that yesterday (according to Mahoney) I guess the media is wrong.
In Jesu et Maria,
Posted by: Rosemarie at Apr 20, 2005 7:05:33 AM
Cardinal Mahony is the master of spin. His Archdiocese is a doctrinal, moral and liturgical wreck. There are no two men further apart in the Church than the new Pope Benedict and Hollywood's Cardinal.
Posted by: Peter Quintero at Apr 20, 2005 7:12:23 AM
Benedict the XV was "moderate" in that he pulled away from the more vehement "anti-modernist" actions of his predecessors. He did not rescind any of the excommunications or anything, but he seems to have toned down the actions of the Church against the modernists.
I wouldnt say that the "media is wrong" (though they often are) just because His Holiness didn't specifically mention Benedict's noted "moderation."
Viva il papa!
Posted by: Stephen at Apr 20, 2005 7:30:07 AM
Mahoney has to make nice - he's probably afraid for his job now!
Posted by: hieronymus at Apr 20, 2005 8:30:57 AM
"Always give people a chance to redeem themselves."
A good motto. It works for God; why not for more Catholics?
Gratitude is a good virtue, too. It's good to have a window on the thoughtful selection of a name and apparently friendly papal interest in particular dioceses. Not every chat has to be about doctrine, morality, and liturgy ... though it guarantees 100-plus posts if it is.
Posted by: Todd at Apr 20, 2005 8:31:21 AM
Cardinal Mahoney seems to have spilled the beans as to the reason that Cardinal Ratzinger chose the name "Benedict" for his name as Supreme Pontiff.
That may be correctd. But I think there is another reason that will become more clear as time goes on.
The European Union, the United States of Europe, if you will, is on the threshold of becoming a totally secular nation. St Benedict of Nursia, the founder of Western Monasticism, is the Patron Saint of Europe.
We are about to watch (and participate with) Pope Benedict XVI, aided by St. Benedict, the Patron Saint of Europe, stem the tide of modernism, relativism and secularism in the European Community. I am hopeful that he will do the same in the United States.
The French are voting next month. Wait and see.
Your prayers in this regard are urgently needed.
Posted by: Ray in MN at Apr 20, 2005 8:43:29 AM
Ever the politician, notice Mahoney managed to say something nice while saying nothing of substance.
Cardinal Ratzinger also has cool hair for a man his age. Which is also of no importance.
Posted by: Fr. Matthew K at Apr 20, 2005 8:55:45 AM
The name Benedict hasn't been very popular in the United States since, oh, about 1780. Maybe the trend will now be reversed, and we can expect to start seeing a lot of Catholic babies named Benedict in this country.
Posted by: Seamus at Apr 20, 2005 8:57:47 AM
Cardinal Mahony may be a master of liberal spin, but why is it so impossible to believe that he would actualy like Pope Benedict as a person? Especially since what he says is consistent of what other say about him? But because I suppose Mahony is a liberal, he by definition must hate everyone that is "traditional" or "conservative."
Posted by: Patrick Rothwell at Apr 20, 2005 9:14:39 AM
Come on, people! This is the same guy who claimed to be at the Pope's side when he died! This guy is afraid of what the future holds. Let the sucking up begin!
Posted by: midwestmom at Apr 20, 2005 9:50:28 AM
I just figure Cardinal Mahony is a consumate chameleon. He knows he can't do what he does in LA in Rome, so he goes with the flow while over there.
And Cardinal Mahony would need a telescope to see Cardinal Danneels, that one's so liberal.
Posted by: Tom at Apr 20, 2005 9:53:32 AM
Just give the guy the benefit of the doubt and put the ugly bile back in its jar. Amy didn't post this story to initiate a free-for-all on Mahony. It was to give some insight into the name Ratzinger chose. I'm glad she did.
Posted by: Grant Gallicho at Apr 20, 2005 9:54:09 AM
For those who want to excommunicate Cardinal Mahoney for breaking the vow ...
the directives call for secrecy "both before and during the time of the election"
And the cardinal is clearly sharing things that happened "After Ratzinger was elected".
Not that I'm in the habit of coming to his defense, particulary for his handling of the abuse crisis in LA, but the calls for his excommunication are over the top.
Posted by: Paul Pfaffenberger at Apr 20, 2005 10:23:01 AM
What will happen to Mahoney is not for us to speculate.. God will see fit that his church will be freed from the bondage of heresy in LA-and everywhere else there are serious problems.
Pope Benedict will not single out any specific Cardinal or Bishop.. what he will do is make it universal and he will do it with much courage and perhaps even lead us to a smaller but entirely faithfull Church
Posted by: Yvonne at Apr 20, 2005 10:34:43 AM
