Abstract
The book consists of a series of transcripts of conversations between Benedict XVI, now pope emeritus, and the German journalist Peter Seewald. They were recorded as raw material for a planned biography of the pope who surprised the church by retiring from office. A short introduction sets the scene, but there is little attempt at analysis. The book records a series of conversations during which Benedict was prompted to reminisce, recall and reflect on his life.
Seewald is a surprising choice of ‘confessor’ for a pope. He is a former Marxist student rebel who returned to the Catholicism of his roots late in adult life, but the two men appear to have developed a respectful rapport and there are some indications of friendship. Perhaps because Seewald is not a church insider he was able to ask some very direct questions. The disappointment of the book is that Benedict, politely and without seeming to do so, declined to provide anything more than superficial answers. There is very little soul-searching.
The book is an autobiography of a kind with Pope Benedict reflecting on his childhood as Joseph Ratzinger in Nazi Germany as well as his time as pontiff and the series of difficult issues and awkward situations he had to deal with in an era when the Church itself was faced with fundamental challenges.
He comes across as a quiet, retiring man who is most at ease in his own company ‘living inwardly’ (p. 240) – in stark contrast to his gregarious successor. In the book, the scholarly and reflective Benedict comes to the fore, as does his sense of inner certainty. Nevertheless, there is an unworldliness and naivety exposed in his make-up. He admitted to Seewald that his knowledge of human nature was not his strong point. He found it hard to understand how betrayal, corruption and abuse could exist within the Church, yet knew it was his duty as a priest to respond pastorally. He personally forgave his former, and once trusted, butler who stole and leaked confidential papers from the papal apartment.
In his answers to questions Benedict often seemed to distance himself intellectually from difficult and challenging personal feelings. He described the sequence of events he experienced during the war, but factually and not emotionally. How did he feel about having to wear a military uniform in Nazi Germany? What did he feel when the full horrors of the concentration camps became known? The reader does not find out.
For all the appearance of candour, Benedict’s answers to Seewald’s questions conceal more than they reveal. He is guarded and cautious in his replies throughout. He is always in control of the conversation. While Vatican insiders might read significance into nuance, to most of the faithful reading the transcripts, the pope emeritus will remain distant and inscrutable. The real man is of course known to God and in one rare, revealing reply when Benedict is asked what he will say to God when he stands before him, he says, ‘I will plead with him to show leniency towards my wretchedness’ (p. 11).