New book of interviews with Pope

The book, Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times, has been simultaneously released in a number of languages. The book is based on a week of interviews, an hour a day, that the Pope granted Seewald, a German journalist to whom he had given interviews in the past too. The interviews touch on many different aspects of the Pope's life and thought including certain controversial issues that have made headlines in Israel and overseas.

Among other issues the Pope also talks about the Jewish people and the Jewish roots of our faith: "I must say that from the first day of my theological studies, the profound unity between the Old and New Testament, between the two parts of our Sacred Scripture, was somehow clear to me. I had realized that we could read the New Testament only together with what had preceded it, otherwise we would not understand it". As Germans after the Shoah, he said, we must look on the people of Israel with "humility, shame and love".

The issue that set off reactions in Israel and the Jewish world is the Pope's reaffirmation of Pope Pius XII's efforts to help Jews during the Second World War. The Pope says in the book: "I believe that he understood what the consequences of a public protest would have been. We know that he suffered a great deal personally because of the situation. He knew that he should speak out, but the situation prevented him from doing so.". This debate reminds us all of the great need for more dialogue between Jews and Catholics. It should again be pointed out that the Holy See and Yad VaShem are engaged in joint research on the question of Pope Pius's wartime activities.

Another issue that has raised much interest is the Pope's comments on the use of condoms. Whereas the Pope indeed defends the strict Catholic veto on artificial birth control as well as the use of condoms, he points out that in certain circumstances – where the intent is to prevent the transmission of life threatening diseases rather than avoid pregnancy - the use of condoms is a lesser evil: "(The Church) of course does not regard it as a real or moral solution, but, in this or that case, there can be nonetheless, in the intention of reducing the risk of infection, a first step toward a different way, a more human way, of living sexuality".

The Pope speaks candidly about the crisis provoked by the abuse scandals in the Church. He admits to the profound shock and talks of his meetings with the victims of the abuse.

Pope Benedict also says that there might be a time when he will be unable to do the job as it should be done and he would then seek to retire.

The face of the Pope revealed in this book is fully human and he says about himself: "As for the pope, he too is a poor beggar before God, even more so than other men".