Pope Benedict celebrated at 80

By Peter Gould
BBC News

Benedict XVI is very different from his predecessor

The 80th birthday of Pope Benedict XVI is being marked in style at the Vatican.

The music-loving pope will be guest of honour at a concert, and he will host a dinner for his cardinals. Tributes will be paid, and commemorative stamps will be issued.

The Vatican's employees have another reason to celebrate the pontiff's birthday. Not only are they getting the day off, they will receive a bonus of 500 euros (£340; $676).

The milestone is an opportunity for Vatican-watchers to assess Pope Benedict's papacy, which began three days after his 78th birthday.

He was already one of the most powerful figures at the Vatican. His defence of church doctrine led to him being called "the Pope's enforcer" and "God's rottweiler".

When he succeeded John Paul II, he was expected to uphold the legacy of the Polish pontiff while the church pondered its future direction.

An intellectual Pope

Benedict XVI promised to be a listening pope, and his style has been very different from his predecessor.

Pope Benedict XVI is seen as "shy and laid-back"

"It has been a surprising papacy," says John Wilkins, the former editor of the Tablet magazine.

"Benedict is shy and laid-back. He is an intellectual and he listens, and gives his bishops time to breathe. You can have a conversation with him - it is not like the monologue you got from John Paul II.

"He is all about healing the strife between progressives and conservatives that was so sharp before, and he has made overtures to both sides."

Indeed, critics who thought Benedict XVI would do all he could to stamp out dissent admit they have been surprised.

He has not appointed hard-line traditionalists to key posts. Instead he has promoted men who occupy the centre ground on church issues.

Father Thomas Reese, a senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Centre in Washington, says conservatives in the church are disappointed, while liberals have been pleasantly surprised.

"Both expected him to institute a crackdown on dissident theologians and to appoint authoritarian bishops, but neither has happened so far," he says.

"For the most part, the bishops appointed in the United States have been pastoral teachers who uphold the tradition but don't want to play cops.

"John Paul II tended to appoint bishops who were more confrontational."

Relations with Islam

Benedict XVI has taken a harder line than his predecessor on relations with Islam. But he was dismayed when a quotation he used in a speech last year was seen by some Muslims as an attempt to associate their religion with violence.

Can the "listening Pope" change attitudes?

"It was a serious and surprising blunder," says John Wilkins. "I am told Benedict was quite mortified at the way the reference was taken. His subsequent visit to Turkey was adept, and did repair a lot of damage.

"I think he has reservations about a theological dialogue with Islam, but there could be a cultural dialogue."

The key for Benedict is reciprocity. If Muslims enjoy religious tolerance in the West, he argues, Catholics should have an equal right to worship without fear of persecution in Islamic states.

A central theme of Benedict's papacy has been his defence of Christian values. The real threat facing the Church, he believes, is the moral decline he sees across much of Europe.

God's rotweiller?

But can the "listening Pope" bring about a change in attitudes? Father Thomas Reese has doubts, given the pontiff's past record.

"I believe that Benedict sees the key problems, but his strategy for dealing with them is fatally flawed by his history of suppressing theological discussion in the church," he says.

"To speak about Christianity to people in the 21st Century in a way that they can understand takes creativity. Creativity is not encouraged by the suppression of discussion and debate," says Father Reese.

People say that God's Rottweiler has turned into a German shepherd John Wilkins, Catholic journalist

Vatican-watchers agree that whatever Benedict XVI does achieve in his papacy, we should not expect him to make big changes.

"There will not be any major reforms, for example over the ordination of women or the celibacy of the priesthood, or about sexual ethics and contraception," says John Wilkins.

"He was at the right hand of John Paul II and he believes these matters have been settled. He is also a man of 80, so he is not going to rock the boat."

When he was elected, Benedict knew his papacy was unlikely to be a long one. He was the oldest cardinal to become pope since Clement XII was elected in 1730.

However, he appears in good health and equal to the physical demands of the job, so discussions about retirement seem premature. But what of the future?

"With regards to resignation in response to a long debilitating illness, I always respond that the pope will do what he thinks is best for the church," says Father Reese.

"But I think it is more likely that Benedict will resign than John Paul II because he is a humbler man."

As he enters his ninth decade, Benedict has turned out to be a less authoritarian pope than many expected. But it may be a mistake to think he has lost his teeth.

"People say that God's rottweiler has turned into a German shepherd," laughs John Wilkins. "But a German shepherd is an Alsatian, and can still give you a sharp nip."