Cardinal Bertone discusses Pope’s “profound” reflection on Christ

Vatican City, Apr 16, 2007 / 06:46 am

The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, said that in his new book “Jesus of Nazareth,” Pope Benedict XVI offers a profound look at Christ’s friendship with a suffering humanity in search of the eternal.

In statements to Vatican Radio, the Cardinal said, “Without a doubt, the figure of Christ, the revelation of Christ is the foundation of our faith - as another author has said - and He is the foundation of history.”

In response to the modern-day debate about the person of Christ, “a debate often misguided by the ignorance of so many people who ascribe to themselves the right, the competence to speak too broadly on an issue about which they know nothing, the Pope gives his vision of Christ,” Cardinal Bertone stated.

“The Pope is passionate about Christ; he has profound knowledge of Jesus Christ and of Christianity.  We see that in his first book [written as Joseph Ratzinger], ‘An Introduction to Christianity,’ which could be read today with much benefit.  And today he offers us this panorama, this deepening on the person of Christ.  Christ as the way of interpreting life, the destiny of all human persons and of all of humanity.  And therefore, Christ also as friend of this humanity on a journey, of this tormented humanity that is also fixed on the eternal and on things that give meaning to life.”

Additionally, Cardinal Bertone also spoke about the first two years of Benedict XVI’s Pontificate, emphasizing a series of important milestones such as his meeting with young people in Rome and his trip to Turkey.