He is the most widely read theologian of the contemporary age, with over 13 million copies of his books on Jesus in circulation. Symposiums on him ar… - Peter Seewald

He had been in a wheelchair for some time, and his voice was barely audible. But his spirit was still alert. He conveyed great sadness about what is happening in Europe, the war and the situation of the Church. I asked him, Pope Benedict, why he had not yet met death. He replied that he felt he had to stay, as a witness to what he represented, a sign of his direction, of Christ's message, of the desire to strengthen the conscience of the faith and, above all, not to think about adulterations and structural changes.

The renunciation of marriage and family is thus to be understood in terms of this vision: I renounce what, humanly speaking, is not only the most normal but also the most important thing. I forgo bringing forth further life on the tree of life, and I live in the faith that my land is really God - and so I make it easier for others, also, to believe that there is a kingdom of heaven. I bear witness to Jesus Christ, to the Gospel, not only with words, but also with this specific mode of existence, and I place my life in this form at his disposal.

Era da tempo sulla sedia a rotelle, la sua voce si capiva appena. Ma lo spirito era ancora sveglio. Trasmetteva una grande tristezza per quanto accade in Europa, la guerra e la situazione della Chiesa. Gli ho chiesto, papa Benedetto, perché non ha ancora incontrato la morte? Mi ha risposto che sentiva di dover rimanere, come testimone di quanto rappresentava, un segnale della sua direzione, del messaggio di Cristo, della volontà di rafforzare la coscienza della fede e soprattutto di non pensare ad adulterazioni e cambiamenti strutturali.