Ex-pope says rivals trying to ‘silence’ him
VATICAN CITY: Traditionalist former Pope Benedict XVI has accused opponents of wanting to “silence” him while attacking gay marriage in vehement terms in a new authorised biography published yesterday in Germany.
The 93-year-old, whose original name is Joseph Ratzinger, claims in Benedict XVI — A Life that he has fallen victim to a “malignant distortion of reality” in reactions to his interventions in theological debates, according to passages published by German media and news agency DPA.
“The spectacle of reactions coming from German theology is so misguided and ill-willed that I would prefer not to speak of it,” he said.
“I would rather not analyse the actual reasons why people want to silence my voice,” Benedict added.
The German branch of the Catholic Church has for years been led by clergy more disposed to reform than the stringent traditionalism associated with Ratzinger.
In office from 2005-13, he has been criticised for his attitudes to Islam or to social questions and is accused of attempting to undermine his successor, Pope Francis.
Ratzinger attempts to counter such claims in the biography, saying his “personal friendship with Pope Francis has not only endured, but grown”.
In February, Benedict XVI was drawn into the limelight and Vatican intrigue when his secretary was removed from
Pope Francis’ entourage.
Some observers had accused the former pope of back-seat driving when a book defending the hot topic of priestly celibacy appeared, bearing his name alongside that of arch-conservative Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah.
After 48 hours of controversy, Benedict XVI asked that his name be removed from the book’s cover, introduction and jointly signed conclusion.
But he has not given up intervening in debates, offering a fresh blast against gay marriage in the biography.
“A century ago, anyone would have thought it absurd to talk about homosexual marriage. Today, those who oppose it are excommunicated from society,” Benedict XVI says.