Unpublished homilies of Pope Benedict XVI released in English
Vatican Publishing House has released an English edition of "The Lord Holds Us by the Hand," compiling previously unpublished homilies by Pope Benedict XVI from 2005‑2017. The collection contains speeches delivered in private Masses during his pontificate and as Pope Emeritus, showcasing his Christ‑centred preaching style. The book is edited by Riccardo Bollati, Luca Caruso and Fr. Federico Lombardi, with a preface by Archbishop Georg Gänswein and an introduction by Fr. Lombardi of the Joseph Ratzinger‑Benedict XVI Foundation. A second volume covering Ordinary Time homilies is planned; the Italian edition was presented at the Turin International Book Fair as part of a wider project.
3 months ago
The Vatican Publishing House has issued the first English volume of “The Lord Holds Us by the Hand,” a collection of previously unpublished homilies by Pope Benedict XVI that were spoken during private Masses between 2005 and 2017. 1
The book, originally released in Italian in 2025 as Il Signore ci tiene per mano, gathers homilies delivered in the liturgical seasons of Advent, Lent and Easter. It was edited by Riccardo Bollati, Luca Caruso and Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., and features a preface by Archbishop Georg Gänswein, the late pope’s former personal secretary, together with an introduction by Fr. Lombardi, president of the Joseph Ratzinger‑Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation. 1 2
The sermons were spoken at “private” Masses attended by the papal household and occasional guests, either in the chapel of the Apostolic Palace or at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery where Benedict lived after his 2013 resignation. Though delivered in intimate settings, the texts reveal his scriptural reading, theological depth and a pastoral focus on a personal relationship with Christ. 1
Across the homilies, Benedict repeatedly centers the mystery of Christ as the guiding hand that sustains believers, underscoring that the Christian journey is a communal walk with God rather than a solitary path. This Christ‑centred emphasis links his preaching to the broader theological work he pursued as Joseph Ratzinger and as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. 2
“The Lord Holds Us by the Hand” is the first of a two‑volume series; a second volume containing homilies from Ordinary Time is slated for future release. The Italian edition was presented on 17 May at the Turin International Book Fair, where speakers included Fr. Lombardi and singer‑songwriter Giovanni Lindo Ferretti, with moderation by Andrea Tornielli, Editorial Director of the Dicastery for Communication. 1
The English edition makes these previously private reflections accessible to a global readership, offering renewed insight into Benedict XVI’s pastoral voice. The publication also anticipates the 2027 centenary of Joseph Ratzinger’s birth, which will feature worldwide celebrations of his theological and philosophical legacy. 2*
Assess Benedict XVI’s private homilies for continuity with Catholic doctrine
Benedict XVI’s “private homilies” (i.e., remarks preached without being formally issued as a public magisterial document) are best evaluated by asking whether their teaching matches the Church’s received doctrine and whether they align with the ordinary magisterium’s constant teaching on the sacraments, Christ’s presence, the Church’s constitution, and Christian morality. With the material available here, I cannot directly assess the doctrinal continuity of specific private homilies, because no text of those homilies is provided in the sources I have. What can be done is: (1) set out the Catholic criteria for continuity and theological reliability, and (2) test Benedict XVI’s broader theological emphases (in the sources available here) against those criteria—especially where they touch the Eucharist, the Church’s sacramental life, and the nature of ecclesial authority.
A Catholic homily is not, by itself, a definitive act of the magisterium (unlike a dogmatic definition or a definitive doctrinal decree). So continuity is assessed by substance, not by the author’s personal authority.
In Catholic terms, the yardstick is the deposit of faith as taught by:
So, if a “private homily” affirms these realities clearly and does not contradict them, it is likely continuous in the relevant doctrinal sense; if it undermines them, it would be discontinuous.
Even though the sources here are not the private homilies themselves, Benedict XVI’s publicly attested theological themes (especially about the Eucharist and the cross) are relevant because a preacher’s core doctrinal instincts usually remain consistent.
Benedict XVI repeatedly emphasized that the Church’s life is not merely organizational but Christ’s action in history, including through sacramental grace. The Catechism’s framework is that:
“Christ now acts through the sacraments he instituted to communicate his grace… By the action of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit they make present efficaciously the grace that they signify.”
When Benedict XVI speaks in this vein, continuity is strengthened, because the Eucharist and sacramental life are treated not as symbols alone but as efficacious communication of grace.
Benedict XVI described the Petrine office in terms of belonging to the whole Church rather than personal autonomy. In his last General Audience, he stated:
“anyone who accepts the Petrine ministry no longer has any privacy. He belongs always and completely to everyone, to the whole Church.”
This resonates with the Catechism’s account that Christ continues to guide the flock through pastors, especially bishops:
“He continues to act through the bishops.”
Continuity check: if Benedict’s private homilies were consistent with this ecclesial vision—i.e., rejecting an individualistic or merely “personal preference” approach to doctrine and instead rooting faith in the Church’s shepherded communion—then they would align with Catholic ecclesiology rather than weaken it.
In the same last General Audience, Benedict insisted:
“I am not abandoning the cross, but remaining in a new way at the side of the crucified Lord.”
And he connected his resignation to prayerful participation rather than severance from the mission:
“I no longer bear the power of office for the governance of the Church, but in the service of prayer I remain…”
Continuity check: Catholic continuity here means the cross is not treated as a mere moral slogan, nor Christ’s salvific work reduced; rather, it remains central and salvific. The Catechism’s broader sacramental framework also helps: grace is not manufactured by office or sentiment; Christ’s action in the sacraments and the Spirit’s work remain primary.
Benedict XVI also explicitly framed a major Petrine priority as working for full and visible unity of Christ’s followers.
Continuity check: in Catholic teaching, ecclesial unity is not optional; it is a constitutive dimension of the Church’s identity and mission. If a homily (even a “private” one) treats unity as peripheral, relativizes ecclesial communion, or suggests that doctrinal communion is negotiable, that would be a serious discontinuity risk. Benedict’s known public emphasis on unity supports continuity rather than contradiction.
On April 16, 2012, Benedict used the “paradox” of anticipating light in Holy Saturday’s darkness:
“there is still the silence of God and his absence, but in the Resurrection of Christ there is already the anticipation of the ‘yes’ of God…”
Continuity check: this kind of language can be doctrinally safe if it is understood as affirming God’s providence and the reality of resurrection hope, not as implying that God’s absence is ontologically real or that revelation is unreliable. Because Benedict’s framing is resurrection-centered (“the ‘yes’ of God”), it coheres with Catholic Christian hope rather than with skepticism.
Since the specific private homilies are not included in the provided sources, the most faithful assessment is methodological:
Ask whether the homily:
If these points are upheld, continuity is strongly supported.
Ask whether the homily:
Benedict’s public statements about ecclesial belonging provide a baseline continuity model.
Ask whether the homily:
If a “private homily” were to present morality as merely a tool of outcomes or ideology, that would be discontinuous with this catechetical principle.
If you provide the text (or transcripts) of the particular private homilies you mean, the next step would be a line-by-line Catholic doctrinal check against the sacramental, ecclesial, and moral criteria above.