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Benedict Speaks: 15 Quotes From the Outgoing Pope

As Benedict XVI relinquishes the papacy, much of the non-Catholic world has to admit they have seldom heard him speak directly to them in a language they could understand. Consider then, in the final days of this pope, a short compilation if his more trenchant statements.
Stephen Mansfield
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Stephen Mansfield is a New York Times best-selling author and a popular speaker who also leads a media training firm based in Washington DC.

Stephen Mansfield is a New York Times best-selling author and a popular speaker who also leads a media training firm based in Washington DC.
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FILE - In this Sept. 12, 2006, file photo, Pope Benedict XVI waves to the crowd at the end of a papal Mass in Regensburg, southern Germany, some 120 kilometers (about 75 miles) northeast of Munich. When Benedict steps down on Feb. 28, 2013, he reputation as a brilliant theologian will remain intact. But he fell short of the mark he set for himself on unifying the church, building relationships with other religions and restoring the church's influence in broader society. During his 2006 visit to Regensburg, he was sharply criticized by Muslims when he quoted a Byzantine emperor who characterized some of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as "evil and inhuman." (AP Photo/Wolfgang Radtke, Pool, File)
FILE - In this Sept. 12, 2006, file photo, Pope Benedict XVI waves to the crowd at the end of a papal Mass in Regensburg, southern Germany, some 120 kilometers (about 75 miles) northeast of Munich. When Benedict steps down on Feb. 28, 2013, he reputation as a brilliant theologian will remain intact. But he fell short of the mark he set for himself on unifying the church, building relationships with other religions and restoring the church's influence in broader society. During his 2006 visit to Regensburg, he was sharply criticized by Muslims when he quoted a Byzantine emperor who characterized some of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as "evil and inhuman." (AP Photo/Wolfgang Radtke, Pool, File)

As Benedict XVI relinquishes the papacy, much of the non-Catholic world has to admit they have seldom heard him speak directly to them in a language they could understand. He is not John Paul II. Benedict's heavy German accent, his advanced age and his more restrained personality -- certainly more restrained than the actor and poet John Paul II -- have made him difficult for outsiders to understand.

Still it is an art of living to hear wisdom in the mouths of those with whom we disagree -- even in the mouths of our enemies. Consider then, in the final days of this pope, a short compilation of his more trenchant statements. Some of these are insights into the modern world. Some are barbs. Some are descriptions of the forces tearing at the Roman Catholic Church, indeed tearing at Christianity in our age. All are worth pondering as Benedict XVI leaves the global stage.

Pope Benedict Speaks

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