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Archbishop Tlhagale: Pope's messages to Africa pulled no punches
(Vatican Radio) As the Pontificate of Benedict XVIth draws to a close, Church leaders and Vatican observers across the globe have reacted to his unprecedented resignation, looked back on the legacy he leaves, and sent messages for a peaceful retirement.
Archbishop Buti Tlhagale of Johannesburg, South Africa – and until February President of the Southern African Catholic Bishops‘ Conference tells Vatican Radio’s Linda Bordoni that Pope Benedict’s messages to both country leaders and Church leaders in Africa pulled no punches and was exactly what they need for guidance…
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When asked to express his reaction to the news of Pope Benedict’s resignation, Archbishop Buti says “I thought it was a sensible thing to do. I’m not sure why people were so surprised. When Pope John Paul II was so ill towards the end of his life, I felt the public glare to which he was exposed was rather unfortunate. I said to myself if my father at that age and in ill health had been so exposed to the public, I would not have allowed it. So in – he says - a way he was relieved when Pope Benedict announced his retirement because just as in any other walk of life “people retire when age no longer allows them to be as effective as they would like to be, or especially, when sickness takes over, it only makes sense to retire. So it makes sense for a Pope to retire and allow somebody else to take on the leadership of the church. I think people will come to accept that”.
Regarding some opinions that see this move as a step towards modernizing the Papacy in a changing world, Archbishop Buti says he does not think so. He reiterates that he is of the opinion that Pope Benedict is only doing what common sense would normally dictate.
Thinking back to highlights of this papacy, Archbishop Buti says Benedict’s legacy is in a number of things. “When he was in Benin to deliver the Post Synodal Exhortation Africae Munus – and then in Angola to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Church in that country – in both occasions Pope Benedict spoke strongly on issues of poverty, on issues of corruption, on issues of integrity and honesty of leadership. He spoke about wars in Africa, about the greed that fuels the wars in Africa”. As far as Africa is concerned – Archbishop Buti says - it is that kind of leadership, that kind of bold statement that is needed– statements made in the presence of African leaders of the two countries and of visiting leaders – and I think that is a great legacy that he leaves behind”.
His encyclical letter on God is Love has also had an impact. It has been widely discussed in a number of public fora.
Archbishop Buti continues: “Even though this may be controversial: some people have seen him as a traditionalist or someone on the conservative side of things – if you think about the re-introduction of the Latin language for example. I say controversial because whilst he has also focussed quite a bit on diversity of cultures and enculturation, etc. there is a tension between adhering to tradition and at the same time giving room to diversity and difference. But – he says - Pope Benedict has tried to make sure “the Church remains faithful to tradition otherwise you have too many people – independent thinkers – who think that the Church can be changed overnight. And that doesn’t make sense because we would begin to lose the Catholic Church. We would begin to have a Church which has no centre and has no influence or control over its members across the world. Whereas the Pope has continued its tradition very strongly”. It may appear to be centralist position, says Archbishop Buti, “but the worth of that is that it keeps the Catholic Church together” as opposed to what you can see happening in some other Churches.
And Archbishop Buti observes that being Benedict a “very clear thinker and a very tough theologian, he has advocated the purity of Faith” protecting it when it has been attacked by other elements. “So he has been a pillar of strength for the Catholic Church and so the Church is indebted towards him for what he has done during his Office.
As regards the African perspective, Archbishop Buti says Benedict has only been Pope for eight years so he has had limited occasions to reach the hearts and minds of the African people. But he says he has “seen how the crowds have warmed towards him, in his own personal, reserved style. And to his very strong presence. “He has been able to influence and reach out to the African bishops and certainly bowled them over. In many ways he has had an impact on the leadership of the Church in Africa”.
As regards an issue upon which Buti himself has often focussed, he says that Benedict has been very strong in urging the bishops on the ground “to be courageous, to speak out in terms of the ills in society and encourage the lay leadership to adhere to some moral norms, to a lifestyle that is consistent to the Gospel values”.
“When one reads Africae Munus, he pulls no punches in terms of saying: there is so much richness in Africa, so much wealth in Africa, but greed has taken over the leadership of Africa and ordinary Africans are suffering. I think he couldn’t have been more forceful and more forthright on moral issues the way he has been”.
long live the Holy Father