The legacy of a pope

Between February 11, when he announced his resignation, and Thursday, when it became effective, Benedict XVI made a number of decisions that are laden with importance. Some concern Church financing; others, child-abuse scandals. This week, Joseph Ratzinger warned that prayer does not mean isolating yourself from the world. In just 17 days, as if playing in overtime, he has shown his determination to clearly set out the path for his successor, in the face of the problems that have done most to erode the credibility of the institution.

In these two-and-a-half weeks, the pope has expelled two close collaborators of the powerful secretary of state, Tarcisio Bertone, from the Vatican, and has filled the post, vacant for almost two years, of the presidency of the Institute for Works of Religion, commonly known as the Vatican bank. During this time, as well as warning against corruption, he has forced the resignation of one of the elector cardinals, the Scot Keith O’Brien (accused of inappropriate behavior), and decided to keep a report prepared by three cardinals on the huge leak of papal documents secret, turning it over only to his successor.

The resignation of the pope, an event that has not been seen in the last 500 years, may be interpreted as a way of humanizing the pontificate, and these last steps of his mandate may also be considered as a reaffirmation that there is no longer any place for concealment and taboo within the Catholic hierarchy. Benedict XVI was the first to publicly admit the existence of sexual abuse within the Church, and to begin a still-timid investigation into the issue. He has also been the pontiff who attempted to adapt the Vatican bank to international laws against money laundering.

But his legacy also includes clear instances of powerlessness in the face of a curia determined to resist even the smallest changes. On several occasions Benedict XVI has termed these moments of transition “grave.” Since April of last year, the writers of the “Vatileaks” report have been describing to him their discoveries, which he has guarded jealously. In the conclave that will elect his successor, other cardinals under the shadow of sexual scandals will participate. Thus it cannot be ruled out that his most recent remarks may be messages to his successor on the arduous task that awaits him should he attempt to continue the work that internal intrigues and his advanced age have prevented Ratzinger from completing. On Thursday, in his last general audience, he was optimistic, in spite of all that he has learned about the human condition: “The Church is not our ship, but that of the Lord, and He will never let it sink.”