(27/4/16) “The love of God is the keyword of Benedict’s theological thoughts and Petrine ministry”. It is the most important part of the speech cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, gave yesterday afternoon in the hall of the Teutonic Cemetery named after Benedict XVI, in the Vatican City, during the presentation of the book Deus caritas est. Porta di misericordia (LEV 2016, edited by Markus Graulich and Ralph Weimann). The book collects the Proceedings of the International Symposium dedicated to the first encyclical of Benedict XVI. The Symposium was held in Rome on 19th- 20th November 2015.
According to cardinal Koch, Ratzinger “conceived his pontificate as an unavoidable expression of his human nature and a fundamental element of his mission. He concluded that ‘love for widows and orphans, prisoners, and the sick and needy of every kind’ is as essential to the Church as the ministry of the Sacraments and preaching of the Gospel: ‘The Church cannot neglect the service of charity any more than she can neglect the Sacraments and the Word’ ”. (Deus caritas est, 22).
At the end of his speech cardinal Koch, member of the Scientific Committee of the Joseph Ratzinger – Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation, underlined “the essential continuity between Benedict XVI and Pope Francis in their teachings” and “the ecumenical interest” of the Deus caritas est.
The next meeting will be held on 24th May at 6.15 p.m., with the presentation of Professor Lorenzo Ornaghi, already rector of the University of Milan Sacro Cuore on the following topic "Università senza umanistica? Gli impulsi di Joseph Ratzinger/Benedetto XV".
