BENEDICT XVI: He will preserve orthodox Catholic teachings because he is a Catholic. It is just that simple:
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI will disappoint only those Catholics who want changes that disrupt the integrity of the Catholic faith, said a U.S. priest who has spent decades making available in English the writings of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger before the 78-year-old German was elected to the papacy April 19.
Calling the new pope a theological hard-liner is "absolutely false," said Jesuit Father Joseph Fessio, founder and editor in chief of Ignatius Press, which has published 25 books in English by Cardinal Ratzinger.
"He has a tremendous breadth of vision that is recognized by his critics," said Father Fessio, provost of Ave Maria University in Naples, Fla., and a former student of the new pope.
"But he's a Catholic. He believes in Catholic truth. He wants to preserve the integrity of the deposit of faith," he added.
"Will he allow women priests? No, because he can't," Father Fessio said.
He met the future pope in the early 1970s when then-Father Ratzinger was Father Fessio's adviser for his doctoral thesis in theology at the University of Regensburg, Germany.
I watched Fr. Fessio face a hostile Tim Russert on Meet The Press this last Sunday. He held his own quite nicely, even while Tim Russert managed to slightly lose his cool when Fessio -- quite properly -- suggested that people go read the books written by Cardinal Ratzinger, which would be much more educational about the man than a one hour television show.
