When then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger met the press in 2000 for the formal release of the so-called Third Secret of Fatima, he said he knew many people would be disappointed. Almost 16 years later, at the beginning of a yearlong preparation for the 100th anniversary of the apparition of our Lady of Fatima in 2017, now-retired Pope Benedict XVI is still dealing with people not convinced the secret is really out.
Sixteen years after the Vatican released the text of the so-called Third Secret of Fatima, rumors cyclically arise claiming that the Vatican still is keeping part of Mary’s message to three children in Fatima, Portugal, secret.
Responses to “The Legacy of Benedict.”
Three years ago, on Feb. 28, Pope Benedict XVI left via helicopter from the Vatican to go to Castel Gandolfo. He has announced his resignation from the papacy a few weeks earlier. By the time he would return back to the Vatican, a new pope, Pope Francis, would have been elected and the world had a seismic shift. What can we consider the legacy of the eight-year pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI? It is far, far too early to tell, but perhaps we can give just three speculations:
The first pope in modern history to do an interview with a reporter was Pope Leo XIII in 1892.
Pope Francis’ three predecessors who spoke to the General Assembly – Blessed Paul VI, St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI – addressed issues reflecting the great social and political challenges of their era.
Italian-American Father Nicholas Colalella, 24, who began discerning his priestly call in high school, is ready to cast his life for God.
By Rhina Guidos (Fourth in a Series) EL COBRE, Cuba (CNS) – On an island with few treasures, the biggest one Omar Ramirez possesses hangs on a wall. It’s a photo of Ramirez and his wife privately meeting Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to El Cobre. When he visited the nearby Shrine of Our […]
Last week, we celebrated two years in the Petrine office for Pope Francis and as is his way, he gave an interview to a television network, Televisa. In the course of the interview, the Holy Father stated: “I have the feeling that my pontificate will be brief… four or five years. I don’t know, even […]
VATICAN CITY – With the creation of the 20 new cardinals, the College of Cardinals expanded to 227 members, 125 of whom are under the age of 80 and therefore eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. After the new cardinals professed their faith by reciting the Creed and formally swore […]
