In a Still-Jarring Circumstance, Pope Francis Extended a Visit to Pope Benedict
As he does every year, the Holy Father recently paid a courtesy visit to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI to present his Christmas wishes. The meeting between the two men lasted nearly half an hour.
The meeting took place on December 21, 2017, in the Vatican, at the Mater Ecclesiae seminary, home of the pope emeritus. It was reported by the Holy See Press Office on December 26.
While there does exist the rather widespread idea of an opposition between the former and current pontificates, Francis paid an emphatic and noteworthy homage to the pope emeritus at the presentation of the Ratzinger Prize on November 13, 2017, hailing Joseph Ratzinger as “a teacher and a friendly interlocutor for all those who exercise the gift of reason to respond to the human vocation of seeking the truth”.
Francis has also confirmed several collaborators known to be close to Benedict XVI in their functions: Monsignor Guido Marini, renewed as pontifical Master of Ceremonies, and Archbishop Georg Gänswein, personal secretary to Benedict XVI and prefect of the Pontifical Household, who as such organizes Francis’ schedule.
Sources: Zenit / Vatican News / FSSPX.News
