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…
Listen
to the interview...
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”.