Photo/Illutration The body of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI lying in state inside St. Peter’s Basilica at The Vatican on Jan. 4 (AP Photo)

I was in Vatican City 18 years ago to cover the 2005 papal conclave that was convened upon the death of Pope John Paul II.

Before balloting, I asked several eligible members of the College of Cardinals if they had any particular candidate preferences.

To my surprise, everyone gave me the same answer: “I’d like someone old for the next pontiff.”

The Vatican at the time was saddled with all sorts of problems that had gone unaddressed during the charismatic John Paul II’s long reign. To prevent a recurrence, the princes of the Church strongly desired an early change of leadership under the new pope, and choosing an elderly candidate who won’t be around for too long was an obvious solution.

Benedict XVI, who was thus elected the supreme pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church in 2005, died on Dec. 31, 2022. He was 95.

A staunch conservative who condemned same-sex marriage, abortion and marriage for the clergy, Benedict led the Church amid a slew of crises that ranged from rampant pedophilia among the clergy to money scandals.

Shortly after he became pope, I visited his native village in southern Germany to find out how the locals saw him.

They were proud of him, but one villager noted, “He’s been living in Vatican City for so long, Italy has become his home.”

And in Italy, Benedict was frequently called a “conservative German.”

I sensed the loneliness that went with his position when he visited the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland out of his “sense of duty as a German.” Breaking away from a group of prelates, Benedict walked through the camp’s iron gate alone, looking forlorn.

He was 78 when he became the apostolic successor to St. Peter. And eight years later, he shocked the world by announcing his resignation--the first living pontiff to do so in about 600 years.

According to his aide, he abruptly started announcing his resignation in Latin toward the end of a consistory he was attending. One of the cardinals who was present told the assembly that the declaration “came out of the blue,” and it began to dawn on everyone what had just happened.

The papacy, which until then was understood to be for life, was thus unchained from age.

I wonder how he would feel about receiving the recognition that he contributed to the modernization of the Catholic Church.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 5

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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