“I would say that the Spirit does not exactly take control of the affair, but rather like a good educator…leaves us much space, much freedom, without entirely abandoning us…. Probably the only assurance he offers is that the thing cannot be totally ruined. There are too many contrary instances of popes the Holy Spirit would obviously not have picked.”
Cardinal Ratzinger, 1997
Happy birthday, but can’t really say I miss him. One advantage Francis has is that he has brought the cancer into view. Benedict seemed to reduce the symptoms enough that it was hard to recognize the extent of the damage.
Happy Birthday indeed.
In 1969 Fr. Ratzinger wrote a book Faith and the Future, and his vision of the Church in 2000 A.D. is..well.. uncanny;
https://www.romancatholicman.com/father-joseph-ratzingers-1969-prediction-church-will-look-like-2000/
Do I miss him?
Yes.
He couldn’t fend off the mob that seeks to rip apart Holy Church, so he bailed out. Lightning strikes and here we are. Pope Francis.
Yes I miss him. It was a lot easier to be a catechist under him ≥≤