Benedict leaves German homeland with complicated legacy

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that "as the 'German' pope, Benedict XVI was a special church leader for many, not just in this country." He paid tribute to the late pontiff as "a formative figure of the Catholic Church, a combative personality and a wise theologian."

"As the church in Germany, we think with gratitude of Pope Benedict XVI: He was born in our country, his homeland was here, and he helped shape church life here as a theological teacher and bishop," said the head of the German Bishops' Conference, Limburg Bishop Georg Baetzing.

Still, a decade after his resignation, deep divisions are apparent in the German church between traditionalists in Benedict's mold and relative liberals.

"The German pope filled many with pride, but above all with hope," said Irme Stetter-Karp, the head of an influential lay organization, the Central Committee of German Catholics, or ZdK. "For some, this hope was richly fulfilled. For others, there remained an unfulfilled longing to find a way ... for their Christianity to succeed in the 21st century."

Since 2019, German Catholic bishops and representatives from the ZdK have been engaged in a potentially trailblazing reform process - the "Synodal Path" - that is addressing calls to allow blessings for same-sex couples, married priests and the ordination of women as deacons.

German church leaders insist that the process won't lead to a schism and vow to see it through, even as they face pressure from suspicious Vatican officials.

Illustrating both the pressure for reform and the divisions it faces, a Synodal Path assembly in September failed to approve a text calling for a liberalization of sexual teaching because, while it won 82% backing overall, it failed to get the required support of two-thirds of German bishops.

Pope Benedict XVI greets the faithful in front of the Old Chapell in Regensburg, southern Germany, September. 13, 2006. [AP photo]

As pontiff, Benedict - who left his homeland for the Vatican in 1982 - made three visits to Germany, including a trip to his native Bavaria in 2006 and a 2011 trip in which he became the first pope to address the German parliament.

His only known trip outside Italy since his retirement also took him to Germany. He returned to Bavaria for a few days in June 2020 to see his elder brother, the Rev. Georg Ratzinger, shortly before the latter's death.

The governor of Bavaria, Markus Soeder, said that "he always carried his homeland in his heart" and that many there "will remember him gratefully not just as Pope Benedict XVI, but also as a humble pastor."

"He gave many people strength and orientation," Soeder said. "But at the same time, he also had to face responsibility for difficult phases in his work."

In his "spiritual will," released by the Vatican Saturday, Benedict wrote: "I pray for our country to remain a country of faith and urge you, dear compatriots: do not let yourselves be deterred from the faith."