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It shows that Papa Ratzinger, even with his winning smile and soft voice, is no pushover. His brother, Monsignor Ratzinger, can be seen and heard behind him encouraging him to get in the car.

On reflection, this is probably an incident the Cardinal would rather have not happened, especially with the cameras rolling. ABC aired it again on 15th April, as part of a segment on the abuse issue, with Brian Ross reporting. The Pope's timely remarks on the aircraft fortunately dulled its impact.

To my enormous annoyance, I can't see this video, but I do remember seeing a screen-cap of it somewhere. It is one of the extremely rare moments when the very gentle Joseph Ratzinger was less than "cool", and I can't say that I blame him. It is never a pleasant thing, to have a reporter "ambush" you just when you're about to get into your car and hurry off to another appointment.

There is however, one other reason that may be behind then Cardinal Ratzinger's mild irritation. We are told that the reporter in question had inquired about the case of Fr. Maciel, a case that understandably caused much consternation when it came to light. Events that transpired at the US visit, coupled with Il Papa's very words, have shown us the depth of Joseph Ratzinger's pain over the abuse scandal. Mayhap in this particular moment, when documents about the Maciel case, and other abuse cases, were being referred to the CDF for action, Cardinal Ratzinger was becoming increasingly distressed over the entire horrible affair. The Maciel case could have been particularly difficult for him, given that John Paul the Beloved was known to hold the LC founder in high esteem; now that there was a case against Fr. Maciel, Cardinal Ratzinger may well have been wondering how on earth would he tell the Pope about these terrible reports, especially since John Paul's illness had already advanced considerably. Aside from the fact that John Paul was the Cardinal's deeply-esteemed "boss", he was also one of his closest friends - how does one break a friend's heart?

And then, this reporter comes along, with his intrusive and discourteous manner, asking questions about a scandal that itself is already heartbreaking for the Cardinal, and which he most assuredly did not want to talk about on a sidewalk … well, I don't blame Il Papa for being displeased. Thank goodness Msgr. Ratzinger was there.

"I'm not going to stand in that line for a picture with a cardinal nobody is going to know 10 years from now."

Not one of my better prognostications.

Well now, that is the understatement of the century! I'll bet that priest kicked himself in the shins and was speechless for an entire hour when Il Papa was elected! Then he probably "cussed" himself a navy blue streak!

Thanks for sharing that funny story, Benodette ... it's been a rather glum, rainy night, and you made me laugh!

How conversations flourish amidst the books

by Paolo Mosca

Il Messaggero - 10 August 2008

One could not find that on the via della Conciliazione, close to St. Peter's Square, a library so open to dialogue and, precisely, to inter-religious conciliation.

"Here, besides Catholic books, we offer readings for Muslims, we follow Judaism and the Asian religions." The one speaking is Marcello, the "father director" as he calls himself, because of the friendship with which he treats the employees of the Libreria San Paolo. A Sardinian, whose father and mother were state employees, he soon left Sassari, unlike his four brothers: "In order to come here to Rome, to study at the Instituto San Paolo and to become a brother. I made vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, but I don't say Mass and I don't have a habit. Now I live here in Rome, in a community of 16 among brothers and priests, but until 2005 I managed bookstores in Pescara, Florence, Genoa, Catania …"

How did he arrive here, two steps from the Vatican?

"Someone up there chose me. I admit to feeling at the center of the world. I serve amazing customers. I can't name names, but between the shelves, I meet personalities from politics, culture and also from other faiths, above suspicion. People who on TV appear to be of contrary opinions. And here they confess to me their secret conversions."

But can we convert them with books?

"There is a great thirst for religiosity. Those who buy the "Catechism" of Pope Ratzinger are of all ages. And also "Jesus of Nazareth", or his two encyclicals "Deus Caritas Est" and "Spe Salvi". Now they are often searching for the speeches that the Pope just made in Sydney for World Youth Day. And while waiting for these, they buy those that he wrote on the Pauline Year."

With regard to Ratzinger, was he your customer since he became cardinal?

"My boys said that he passed here in front of the display window several times. He didn't enter, but he took notes in a notebook. And after a few hours, an emissary would come to buy the books in his name."

He is a discreet person, a gentle intellectual.

"I know that once, one of our customer, going out the door in a hurry, bumped into the cardinal himself, who was standing outside with his notebook. 'Excuse me, Eminence," the customer kept repeating. 'Excuse me, it's all my fault," the cardinal kept replying."

Is it true that in these present chaotic times, people search for books about silence (serenity?)?

"It's not only nuns or brothers (priests?) who seek peace in books about the Monastery of Camaldoli, about the Taize community, or who would want to breathe the inner silence of Bose in the writings of Enzo Bianchi. It is, above all, the average person."

Can you suggest some "discoveries"?

"Thirty years after the death of Paul VI, a pair of books came out that reveal his secret suffering, his "hair shirt", his sorrow for the Moorish (Islamic?) issue. And then Guareschi, with his dialogue between don Camillo and the crucifix. The words of that Christ of the countryside still sound modern, and do good for the troubled souls of today."

Do you often go on spiritual retreat?

"An empty bag does not stand (this is a literal translation, which I am sure - regrettably - is not entirely accurate. - Unicorn), the peasants say, but they are referring to food. I believe it also holds for the nourishment of the soul."

A small miracle is the success of the books of Ratzinger for children: "Joseph and Chico (A Cat Recounts the Life of Pope Benedict XVI)" and "Why Does The Pope Wear Red Shoes?"

"And the beauty of it is that adults also buy them. There is much need to dream of a life colored by goodness."

The words of Marcello, our brother.