The Pope's childhood, in his own words

The Pope's Childhood: In His Own Words | Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) | From Salt of the Earth: The Church at the End of the Millennium (Ignatius Press, 1997) | An Interview by Peter Seewald

You grew up in the country as the youngest of three children.  Your father was a constable, the family poor rather than well-off. Your mother, you once recounted, even made her own soap.

My parents had married late, and a Bavarian constable of my father's rank—he was a simple commissioner—was modestly paid. We were not poor in the strict sense of the word, because the monthly salary was guaranteed, but we did have to live very frugally and simply, for which I am very grateful.  For thereby joys are made possible that one cannot have in   wealth. I often think back on how wonderful it was that we could be happy over the smallest things and how we also tried to do things for one another. How this very modest, sometimes financially difficult situation gave rise to an inner solidarity that bound us deeply together.

Our parents naturally had to make sacrifices so that all three of us could study. We recognized this and tried to respond. In this way, this climate of great simplicity was a source of much joy as well as love for one another. We realized how much was given to us and how much our parents took upon themselves.

The business about the soap needs some explanation. It wasn't due to poverty but to the wartime situation in which one had to find some way to obtain goods that were not available in sufficient quantities. Our mother was by profession a cook and had many talents, and she knew such recipes by heart. With her great imagination and her practical skill she always knew, at the very moment when there was hunger in the land, how to conjure up a good meal out of the simplest and scantiest means.

Continue reading...

Comments

[MenTaLguY]

That was really beautiful. It's a shame posts like this don't get more comments.

[Carl Olson]

Agreed. But, the good news is that there seems to be a lot of people reading it, based on my handy, nifty software that tracks such things...

[Stephen Sparrow]

I'm one of them Carl or rather I finished Salt last week. I loved it and am impatiently waiting for the later interview "God And The World" to arrive in the mail. I ordered both at once but one made it through Despatch ahead of the other.

[Carl Olson]

God in the World is phenomenal, Stephen. When people ask me, "Where should I start with Ratzinger?", I usually suggest that book. It's the perfect introduction for the lay reader to the wide-ranging thought of the Holy Father.

[william]

"Thank God for the man!" What I heard myself say after reading this.

[Filippo]

On the business of making soap during wartime. I don't remember personally (born in 1946) but my mother and aunts were telling me that in Italy making soap at home was quite common, even though my family wasn't poor. It seems so strange now, but it really made sense back then

[ManPeace]

Open letter to the POPE, who caused 9/11, the chief mourners of the innocent victims of September Eleven, survivors of the Monotheistic ethnic cleansing and GENOCIDE of cultural plurality on our GLOBE, like Indigenous from South America, Lakota Red Indians, Tutsis from Rwanda, professor Kangué Ewané a Herero from Africa, President Bush and Putin, EU, UN, Heads of State, Newspapers, TV stations, Usama bin Ladin etc

Dear Sir

The POPE was a HITLERJUGEND, and now he is back in NY April 20. Back on the place of his crime 9/11 when 3000 died.

He is responsible, because in the year 70 AC, Mark created JESUS as a DemiGod, the Heacles of Christianity, and this started the FANATICISM of MONOTHEISM - the driving force of suicide MARTYR BOMBERS. and Holy wars, Crusades, Janjawid etc
The POPE started the Godblessed Terrorism, and with this weapon, the Monotheism has killed all Cultural plurality on our GLOBE the last 2000 years.

Colonialists or Heads of State, Blessed by God means they can do anything evil in the name of MONOTHEISM, and GOD BLESS you means, you can run away from your own CONSCIENCE.
A luck for us that VOLTAIRE – the CONSCIENCE of EUROPE, did not. Instead he gave some of us the ARISTOTLE Democracy back.
The God fearing President Bush says GOD BLESS AMERICA as the Constitution says: USA – ONE NATION UNDER GOD, which means the Americans are enslaved by the dictatorship of Monotheism, and 95% believe JESUS could walk on water, resurrect and was born as a demi God – the Heracles of Christianity - as a result of a virgin birth where Maria was fertilized by the Monotheistic Christian God.
Unbelievable. Are we talking Harry Potter or Superman? Check JESUSHELL.
In REALITY we all are the unique and proud result after 14 billion years of the NOBEL PRIZED BIG BANG and the EVOLUTION, all equal and free by birth, which is a FACT that CHARLES DARWIN – the first KNOWER – told us 149 years ago, which means there is no God/Allah, Heaven, Hell or Martyrdom. Wake up and be FREE at LAST.
We must finally settle accounts with our awful past as Monotheists, like we did with Hitler and Communism, other false doctrines, and leave the old world order of 2000 years of monotheistic dictatorship, slavery and submission of the POPE, Priests and Imams and their invented UFO God, Heaven, Hell, Devil, original sin and Martyrdom
Here are some who definitively WANT THEIR STOLEN SOUL AND PRIDE, and DIGNITY BACK, to become FREE HUMAN BEINGS AGAIN.

Lakota Sioux Indians dig up the Tomahawk to fight for their freedom against the American Godblessed Colonialism.

The African Professor Kangué Ewané, a descendant of the “culture of heathens and Satanists” as they were called by the priests of “monotheism of higher value”, says: I can forgive the Westerner for occupying my land, but not that you STOLE OUR AFRICAN SOUL, CULTURE AND TRADITION.

If you are curious, read more about the Godblessed Colonisation of Africa, check http://www.darwintime.com/FAITHHELL.php#TopFaithhell

Are you ready to risk our GLOBE being exterminated by FLYING NUKE (suicide) MARTYR BOMBERS?

I am not. I am a KNOWER, so I have left the madness of FAITH and BELIEVERS of the MONOTHEISTIC Christianity and Islam, to join the CONSCIENCE of the WORLD.
Now we have two problems to solve - the GLOBAL HEATING and the GLOBAL CHEATING from Monotheisms like Christianity and Islam!

I will never try the POPE’s Cocktail – religious stupidiation – Ground Zero

¼ MARTYRDOM
¼ God/Allah
¼ Heaven
¼ Hell

To give it a taste of bitterness, add a dash of Catholic priest paedopholy a la Boston.
Causes 100% brain death, shaken or stirred by the POPE, priests and Imams. Popular among suicide MARTYR BOMBERS. In the sky bar of Twin -Towers NY called God Bless America - before September eleven, now Ground Zero

If you are tired of the violent world of FAITH and BELIVERS, just leave the NERDS behind, and become a clever KNOWER you too and visit http://www.darwintime.com http://darwintime.blogspot.com

Best wishes

ManPeace e-mail ManPeace@DarwinTime.com and confirm you got this mail-please.

199.04.15 DarwinTime – Time of Truth –Time for human beings – Time for you and me - it’s on time.