Commissions
Profile: Cardinal Ratzinger
BBC
By Hywel Williams
To some, the Church's intellectual salvation at a time of confusion and compromise; to others, an intimidating “Enforcer”, punishing liberal thinkers. The Pope’s prefect of doctrine, Joseph Ratzinger, certainly cannot be ignored.
Against dissent Many theologians strive for a Catholic Church that is more open and in touch with the world. Ratzinger's mission is to stamp out dissent, to curb the “wild excesses” of this more tolerant era. He wields the tools of office with steely efficiency.
He has never been contrite about excluding liberation theologians, more progressive priests or those in favour of the ordination of women.
Charming Personally charming, quick-witted, fluent in four languages, Ratzinger supported reform at the Second Vatican Council. But his own background sheds light on his need for a Church that stands firm against the currents of change and political shifts.
He was schooled in the Nazis’ power of rhetoric during his childhood in Bavaria. Later, as an eminent theologian lecturing in Germany in the late 1960s, he was horrified by the Marxist ideologies that punctuated campus small talk.
“Papal fundamentalism” Since then, Ratzinger has pursued doctrine that can endure, independent of cultural or social trends. He argues that only with a completely separate values system can the Church offer individual freedom. His critics call this “papal fundamentalism”. But Ratzinger remains unflappable: “everything falls apart without truth”.
Produced and Directed by Phil George A Green Bay production for BBC.
