WYD: Benedict the theologian offers seminar on Spirit
By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
As pope, Benedict XVI is many things: A universal pastor, a media superstar, a voice of conscience in world affairs, and the leader of the 1.1-billion strong Catholic Church. As Joseph Ratzinger, however, this particular pope is also a world-class theologian, with decades of classroom experience in rendering complex ideas accessible to young minds.
That side of the pope?s personality stood out in especially clear fashion tonight, as Benedict XVI delivered what amounted to a theological exposition on the Holy Spirit ? sometimes, as the pope put it, the ?neglected person of the Blessed Trinity? ? to a throng of young pilgrims estimated at 235,000 gathered for a vigil at Sydney?s Randwick Racecourse.