Pope Benedict XVI - Pessimism = Optimism?

Pope Benedict XVI- Pessimism = Optimism?
Friday, Sept. 21, 2007

September 13th- Entry
“In the Christian catalogue of virtues, despair – that is, the radical opposite of faith and hope – listed as a sin against the Holy Spirit, because it fails to take into account his power to heal and forgive and this rejects redemption.
“Correspondingly, in the new religion, “pessimism” is the sin of all sins, for doubt with regard to optimism, progress, and utopia is a frontal attack on the spirit of the current age: …

“All this brought to my mind again by the debate occasioned by the publication in 1985 of my “Report on the State of the Church” { published in English as The Ratzinger Report: An Exclusive interview on the State of the Church (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1985)}.

“The indignation aroused by this simple book climaxed in the condemnation: a pessimistic book. In many places attempts were even made to prevent the sale of it because a heresy of such magnitude was just not to be tolerated.
“Those who subscribed to this public opinion put the book on the Index of Forbidden Books: the new Inquisition revealed its strength.

“It was once again evident that there was no greater sin against the spirit of the age than to put oneself into a position where one can be accused of a lack of optimism. The question was certainly not: “Is what has been said true? Are the diagnosis right or wrong?” I have been able to find no evidence that anyone took the trouble to investigate such outmoded questions.
“The criterion was very simple: Is it or is it not optimistic?” And given this criterion, the book was, of course, condemned.

September 20, 2007 - Entry
“It was in the first half of the seventies that one of our friends made a trip to Holland…. In his report all the signs of disintegration about which we had heard so much: empty seminaries for priests, religious orders with no rising generation, priests and religious – both men and women – turning their backs in droves on their religious vocation, the disappearance of confession, the dramatic decline in attendance at Mass, and so on….
“The real surprise in the report was, the evaluation in which it led: in spite of everything the Church in Holland is still an imposing institution, for there is nowhere any evidence of pessimism, everyone faces the future full of optimism.

“This phenomenon of universal optimism makes one forget the decadence and all the marks of disintegration; it is strong enough to balance all the negative elements.
“I reflected to myself: What would we be likely to think of businessman whose ledger showed only red figures but who, instead of recognizing the dark side, seeking its roots, and taking courageous action to repair it, relied solely on his optimism to recommend him to his creditors? What are we to think of this glorification of optimism that has absolutely no basis in reality?”

Co-Workers of the Truth – Meditations for Every Day of the Year, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Ignatius Press, 1990 p. 293-4, 300-1