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	Pope's Book Addresses Church's Pr Disasters By Paddy Agnew Irish Times November 23, 2010 http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2010/1123/1224283934994.html WHEN THE working day is over, even the pope likes to sit down and watch the news or maybe a favourite film such as the Don Camillo movies from the 1950s, films about the never-ending struggles between a parish priest and a communist mayor in a small Italian village. This is one of the more intimate snapshots to emerge from Pope Benedict XVI’s most recent book, Light Of The World: The Pope, The Church, and The Signs Of The Times, due to be launched this morning. Based on a series of interviews with German journalist Peter Seewald, the book has already prompted huge controversy because of the extracts published in last Saturday’s Vatican daily, L’Osservatore Romano . While world media attention has thus far been focused on Pope Benedict’s apparent justification of the use of condoms in the fight against the HIV Aids pandemic (thus spectacularly reversing previous Catholic Church teaching), Light Of The World also contains many other intriguing observations about some of the most contentious issues that have dominated his five-year pontificate. Indeed, some commentators have argued that the major reason for producing this extended interview was, at least partially, to redress some of the many public relations fiascos that have marked his first five years as pope. For example, when asked about the child sex abuse crisis, the pope says: “The facts did not take me completely by surprise. I had already dealt with American [sex abuse] cases at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and I had seen the situation developing in Ireland. Yet, the dimensions of the problem were a tremendous shock . . .” Nonetheless, he criticises the mass media for way it enthusiastically latched on to the abuse issue. “In this time of scandals, we have experienced great sadness and pain, we have realised how wretched the church can be and how much its servants can fail it. “Yet, it was all too evident that the media’s actions were not guided exclusively by a pure search for truth but also that people took great pleasure in attacking the church and, if possible, discrediting her . . .” When asked about a recent church scandal, that concerning the late founder of the Legionaries of Christ Fr Maciel Degollado, who was adjudged to have been guilty of sexual misconduct, the pope calls him “a mysterious figure” and “a false prophet” but adds that the Legionary order is “by and large sound”. He also suggests two examples of media “over-interpretation” of his words and actions. When, in December 2005, he wore a camauro, a woollen hat last worn by John XXIII, commentators pointed to it as a sign of his “traditionalism”. However, Pope Benedict says he wore it because it was a cold day and he had found it lying around. In order to “prevent further misinterpretation”, he has never worn it since. Likewise, the controversy last year caused by the lifting of the excommunication of the Holocaust-denying “Lefebvre” bishop, Richard Williamson, was marked by “an incredible amount of nonsense . . . even from trained theologians”. He does, however, admit that the Vatican’s PR machine completely failed in this case. Light of the World , which also contains reflections on resignation (possible if he is not well), on the Holocaust, the burka, Pius XII and much else besides, makes for an interesting read.
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