The Christological ecology of Joseph Ratzinger

Abstract

Pope Benedict XVI established himself as an untiring champion of the environment during his papacy. This image of the Green Pope unfolded gradually, as his speeches and homilies made their way into the media, and many started noticing his repeated exhortations for proper care of all of creation. Benedict, though, was not riding some green trend to boost his popularity. What many do not know is that Joseph Ratzinger, as a theologian, had already written extensively on the subject of eco-theology although he might never have used that term, one which started being used only during the later years of the twentieth century. Ratzinger’s theology does not focus on one subject area to the exclusion of other theological topics. As a theologian he is widely published, and one can see how, throughout his academic career, which he continued to pursue even during the years he served as Prefect for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, he seeks to engage with theological issues that he feels need to be addressed as they arise. He does this in a two-fold manner. He engages in dialogue with the rest of the world about the Catholic faith, while at the same time he roots his theology in truth and insists that that truth be upheld all the time. For him, that truth is revealed in Jesus Christ, and Christ’s figure is central to all of his theology. [excerpt]