Berlin, Germany, Apr 19, 2006 / 22:00 pm
As the Church celebrated the first anniversary of Benedict XVI’s election to the papacy Wednesday, Cardinal Georg Sterzinsky of Berlin opined that the Holy Father has already contributed to the rehabilitation of Germany in the world.
During a radio interview, Cardinal Sterzinsky recalled that a year ago many said they preferred “to have nothing to do with a German in the Vatican.”
“So much horror came out of Germany during the last century that it is good that now, in this process of separation from the past, someone has come along who was born and raised in Germany and is giving blessings to the whole world,” he said.
The cardinal also mentioned that “in the gaze and in the eyes of Benedict XVI one can see he has greatly adapted to his new role, and he seems to be happy with it.” He said his impression was that most of the faithful are satisfied with Benedict’s pontificate.