Memories about the Pope emeritus of the Archbishop of Mumbai, whom Benedict XVI created a cardinal. Indian Archbishop Félix Machado, who worked for 15 years at the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue in the Vatican, recalls the delicate days of the Regensburg speech: “He did not blame any religion. I intervened to clarify the meaning of his words and he He thanked me. He has always shown the path of authentic dialogue”.
Mumbai () – “The death of Benedict XVI is a great loss for the universal Church, but also a specific loss for the Churches of Asia”. From Mumbai Card. Owslad Gracias, archbishop of the Indian metropolis and representative of the continent in the Council of Cardinals – spoke to about the death of the pope emeritus at the age of 95. “Benedict XVI has been a great support for the Church in Asia and for the Indian Church in particular – continues Card. Thank you-. He paid special attention to India and was always very close to me. It was he who made me archbishop and cardinal. He was a personal friend; When I was not in good health, he constantly kept in touch with me and sent me text messages to tell me that he was praying for me.”
“Like Paul VI, Benedict XVI carried out the Second Vatican Council – added the Archbishop of Mumbai -. As cardinal and later as pontiff he completed what Pope John Paul II had sown and thought about the Church, about dedication, about evangelization and about ecumenism. History will judge very favorably his contribution to the progress of theology. His books on the life of Christ are very enlightening. I am always amazed at the variety of topics he covered and the depth of his understanding of the Scriptures. His books on liturgy are also very valuable”. and told me that he would send me his books. He was a very kind person.”
From India, Archbishop Felix Machado, secretary of the Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) and former undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, also shares his memory of Benedict XVI with . “When I was called to Rome I was not very enthusiastic and I accepted out of obedience – recalls Bishop Machado -. But I discovered that within the Roman Curia there were also holy pastors, like the one then. Cardinal Ratzinger. I often passed him in St. Peter’s Square on the way to my office and he started asking for information about me. Subsequently, my responsibility led me to closer contact with the then prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith”.
“I had heard about him from Card. Yves Marie Congar, who was my professor in Paris, and Raimon Panikkar, who was my PhD moderator. When I started reading his books I fell in love with his theology. The media presented him as a ‘watchdog’ of orthodoxy, as if he controlled the thinking of theologians around the world. I myself began to believe it, until I met him personally.”
Monsignor Machado has a personal memory of the pontificate of Pope Benedict about the very delicate moment that followed the Regensburg speech, with the controversy over the quote about the relationship between religion and violence that provoked an angry reaction in a part of the Islamic world. “His message from him had nothing to do with blaming any religion,” recalls Bishop Machado. All religions have been guilty, at one time or another, of succumbing to violence and in the name of God as well. In those tense days, the Indian prelate was the one who appeared on television to clarify the meaning of the Pope’s words. “Upon his return from Germany -he says- he thanked me for having clarified the matter. My message was simple: Pope Benedict XVI has never been against dialogue with other religions. As a theologian he delved into the nuances and taught to engage in authentic dialogue, as the Church teaches, especially at the Second Vatican Council. He only corrected what he considered an abuse of dialogue.”
“I was with him for the last time before the pandemic, in the monastery where he lived – concludes Monsignor. Machado -. He was fragile. We walked together through the garden in front of the monastery. He asked me about my ministry and if I continued to promote dialogue with other religions I have always felt humble before a man with such a deep love for God, with such a keen intelligence and such a humble and simple life”.
