Toledo, Spain, Apr 20, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Archbishop Antonio Cañizares Llovera of Toledo, Spain, said the criticism leveled against Pope Benedict XVI in Spain stem from ignorance and from the dictatorship of relativism, alluded to by Cardinal Ratzinger in his last homily as Dean of the College of Cardinals.
Benedict XVI is “a man who is not authoritarian, but he has great moral authority,” Archbishop Cañizares said, adding that “he is as man of faithfulness to the spirit and letter of the Second Vatican Council.”
Commenting on some of the Pontiff’s characteristics, the archbishop noted that he is “among the best theologians of the last century” and that he is “a man of clear-sightedness and is capable of penetrating to the heart of issues.”
Regarding the criticism that has been leveled against the Pope, Archbishop Cañizares recalled that “similar comments were made about Paul VI and John Paul II.”