{"id":1547,"date":"2007-07-06T20:28:00","date_gmt":"2007-07-06T20:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/deaconsbench\/2007\/07\/the-ratzinger-effect.html"},"modified":"2007-07-06T20:28:00","modified_gmt":"2007-07-06T20:28:00","slug":"the-ratzinger-effect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2007\/07\/the-ratzinger-effect.html","title":{"rendered":"“The Ratzinger Effect”"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>Pope John Paul was a phenomenon — charismatic, bold, tireless, beloved. Not for nothing have people around the world begun to refer to him as “The Great.” <\/p>\n

But is history repeating itself with Benedict? <\/p>\n

Some are beginning to suggest as much<\/a>: <\/p>\n

With donations to the Church from around the world almost doubling and pilgrims pouring into Rome in ever-greater numbers, Vatican watchers are beginning to reassess the two-year-old pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI and noting a positive \u201cRatzinger effect\u201d. [snip]<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a Pope who \u2014 contrary to conventional wisdom \u2014 is in tune with the faithful,\u201d one Vatican source said.<\/p>\n

Andrea Tornielli, the biographer of several popes including Benedict, said that when crowds packed into St Peter\u2019s Square to hear Benedict in the early days of his pontificate, \u201cmany people attributed this to the John Paul effect\u201d, or the global media coverage of the late Pope\u2019s courage in the face of illness and death.<\/p>\n

It was increasingly clear that although Benedict \u2014 formerly Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, John Paul\u2019s long-serving doctrinal adviser \u2014 lacked the showmanship and charisma of his predecessor, his \u201csimple and direct\u201d assertion of values struck a chord with believers, Mr Tornielli said.<\/p>\n

The distinction between \u201cthe good and progressive John Paul and the bad conservative Benedict\u201d was a false one, Mr Tornielli told The Times. \u201cRatzinger was John Paul\u2019s closest adviser for over two decades, and many of his initiatives as Pope \u2014 including the Tridentine Mass \u2014 are developments of John Paul\u2019s own ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n

While less theatrical than his predecessor, Benedict makes no secret of enjoying the \u201cdressing up\u201d side of the job, reviving ermine-trimmed robes, elaborate headgear and dainty satin shoes. He has grown more adept and relaxed at greeting people.<\/p>\n

Cardinal Sergio Sebastiani, head of economic affairs at the Holy See, said that the \u201cremarkable increase\u201d in both donations and numbers of pilgrims showed that there was \u201ca symbiosis, a mutual sympathy between this Pope and Christian people everywhere\u201d.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/i> As appealing as John Paul was, Benedict is somehow more accessible to people. John Paul was a mighty Wurlitzer of a pontiff. Benedict is more of a baby grand. <\/p>\n

But clearly, he knows how to make music that people love to hear.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pope John Paul was a phenomenon — charismatic, bold, tireless, beloved. Not for nothing have people around the world begun to refer to him as “The Great.” But is history repeating itself with Benedict? Some are beginning to suggest as much: With donations to the Church from around the world almost doubling and pilgrims pouring…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":365,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n"The Ratzinger Effect" - The Deacon's Bench<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2007\/07\/the-ratzinger-effect.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\""The Ratzinger Effect" - The Deacon's Bench\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Pope John Paul was a phenomenon — charismatic, bold, tireless, beloved. 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