Church in the World

Pope breaks new ground in TV interview

In a dramatic departure from the practice of his predecessor John Paul II, Benedict XVI has given an extended interview to German television and radio. The interview was recorded at Castel Gandolfo on 5 August  and broadcast last Sunday in Germany and Austria, in the run-up to the Pope's forthcoming visit to Bavaria beginning on 9 September.

Seated on a gilded chair before his four interviewers, and speaking quickly in his native Bavarian, Pope Benedict insisted repeatedly that the Church's overall mission must be presented in a positive light. "Catholicism is not a collection of prohibitions but a positive option. This is most important as this positive aspect seems almost completely to have disappeared." The basic theme of his message on his forthcoming trip to Bavaria, he said, would be that we had to rediscover God. "Not just any God, but the God that has a human face. When we see Jesus Christ, we see God." 

People in the West lived in a world which they themselves had constructed and in which God no longer had a place. But the West was now encountering other cultures where the religious element was still very powerful, and the quest "for something bigger" was once again making itself felt, especially among young people.

As well as encouraging young people to do volunteer work to help the needy, he encouraged them to do "something that they were usually reluctant to do nowadays", namely not to shrink from making binding commitments. "Young people are very generous and altruistic but they shrink from the risk of binding themselves for life, be it in marriage or in the priesthood," he said. He reassured them that such binding commitments would not rob them of their freedom, but help them to grow. "I'd like to encourage the young to take this leap," the Pope said.

Fr von Gemmingen, the head of the German section of Vatican Radio, who knows the Pope well and was the most relaxed of his interviewers, asked the Pope why he had not mentioned homosexual marriages or abortion on his recent visit to Spain. The Pope smiled broadly and said that, as he had not been given long to answer questions, he had thought it important to stress the positive aspects of family life first. Asked about the criticism the Church has faced over its teaching on Aids prevention, the Pope said the basic question on Aids was education. Teaching people how to use technical devices was not enough. They had to be educated and their consciences formed so as to be able to respect one another.

On the role of women in the Church, he said that the priesthood and participation in legal decision-making were confined to men, but he  was convinced that women, "with their superiority", would find their place in the Church.

Asked if he enjoyed being Pope, he smiled and said, "That would be exaggerating, as it is strenuous - but I do try to find joy in my office."

Six million Germans, of a population of 80 million, and 350,000 Austrians (population six million) watched the TV interview.