(Regarding the resignation of Benedict XVI) We must agree that the gesture made by the Holy Father is to be appreciated without but and without if. I… - Giovanni Battista Re

Intervistatore: Quale fu il ruolo di Wojtyla nella sconfitta del comunismo?

Deprived for some time of the outward and, so to speak, "commercial" aspects, it is a time of special grace. Indeed, sins need God's forgiveness above all, but then also a purification, to be carried out here below, or, after death, in purgatory. Sacramental absolution in confession removes guilt and restores friendship with God, but there remains the duty of purification of the negative imprint left by the evil done and of reparation. This is the indulgence, through which we draw from the treasure of the Church, that is, from the merits acquired from Christ, Our Lady and the Saints. The indulgence can only be obtained once a day and can also be applied to our deceased loved ones by helping them in their purification process.

Ero sulla terrazza della Segreteria di Stato, con i colleghi e l'arcivescovo Agostino Casaroli. La sua prima battuta fu: "Mai avrei pensato che il conclave avrebbe scelto il cardinale di una diocesi oltre la cortina di ferro!" Tutti gli facemmo molte domande, e Casaroli ci spiegò che era un "uomo di visione". Concluse: porterà novità, ma sarà un buon Papa.