When we were in Aix our seminary was small enough so that we could take everyone on trips together. One of the most memorable was to Rome in 1985 (I think). Being Protestants we went “Sur les traces de l’apôtre Paul”. Our guide was François Leithel, a former evangelical who had become a Carmelite. He lived in the Facultà Téresianum, an establishment dedicated to the three Saint Teresas, Avila, Lisieux and Benedicta.
Being, as it happened, close to the centers of power, François obtained an audience for us with John Paul II. Needless to say, we were somewhat star-struck. However, the night before our visit we received a most apologetic message saying that the Pontiff suddenly had to leave town. But could he send us his second in command, Cardinal Ratzinger? Of course, we agreed, so the next day we had an appointment with Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, who was at the time Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith. Put simply, he was overseer of doctrine for the Roman Catholic Church.
A session that was scheduled for ½ hour lasted nearly two hours. The exchange was riveting. Ratzinger did his best to deconstruct some of the caricatures of his work. Contrary to the popular image of him, he did not hand down decisions like a demagogue, but always listened to the local bishops and priests first.
Pierre Berthoud, our doyen at the time, summarized the evangelical protestant position powerfully. The Cardinal was clearly astonished. He had no doubt assumed that all Protestants were left-wing liberals. At the end of the exchange, we were able to underscore what we had in common as well as accentuate our differences. We swapped gifts. He gave us some of his books and we gave him ours.
Among our gifts to the Cardinal was a newly minted copy of Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion which our in-house publishing endeavor, Editions Kérygma, had just printed. He told us he had never read Calvin, which was somewhat surprising given his stature as a scholar. But we had come to learn many Roman Catholics are unfamiliar with even the standard Protestant texts.
My colleague Peter Jones later heard Razinger quote Calvin favorably in a lecture. He had read the book we gave him! We do not know what was in his head as he became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005 and then, unusually, resigned in 2013 to become Pope Emeritus. He had a rich and full life (1927-1922). Could it be that Jean Calvin’s uniquely pastoral emphasis on sola gratia fanned into flame the gift of God?
Much is happening in the Roman Catholic Church these days. In view of all its scandals, and its doctrinal ambiguities, could it be that a rediscovery of the gospel, obscured since the Counter Reformation is on the agenda? Much of the Protestant Church could use the same reminders.
William Edgar
Professeur Associé
Faculté Jean Calvin
