Has Benedict XVI ever denied the historicity of the Virgin Birth?

[NewCatholic1207]

I was told in a discussion I was having with a fallen away Catholic the following:

There was a respected Cardinal theologian of the Vatican that wrote that the “virgin birth” is an “ontological” story … Not an “historical” one. The church doesn’t even believe it. Do you know which Cardinal wrote that tenet of the church? Ratzinger!!!

My questions is the obvious one, has Pope Benedict XVI ever said anything close to this, and if so, I need an explanation.

God Bless.

 

[Tantum_ergo]

He did indeed speak of the ontological reality but he never denied the historicity. IOW, he never said, “Why, the Virgin birth is nothing but an ontological puzzle and never really happened historically speaking” which is what your sadly misinformed friend seems to be implying that he said. . .

It is an unfortunate tendency of those who so often make this type of charge that they will look at a word, phrase, action, etc., and then ‘add on’ something else. The add-on will either be to make a false dichotomy (such as the “Catholics pray to Mary and NOT Jesus” as if by praying to Mary one automatically ‘dumps’ Jesus from the picture), or else to make it appear that an actual true remark means something it does not, or implies a belief that it never actually means.

For example, here is a phrase pulled from a book (yes, the words ‘ontological reality’ were used). . .but then comes a counter remark which assuredly is NOT in the book, the charge that ‘the Church doesn’t even believe it. And the quotes seem to imply that in speaking of ontological reality, one automatically negates or disbelieves in historicity’ Utterly false. But, of course, necessary to those who wish to disparge Catholic Christian beliefs. To use the phrase and then to say, “but it appears to mean” or “I think this means” would acknowledge that anything following is the opinion or the assumption or deduction or inference of the speaker, our fallen-away Catholic friend (and not Joseph Ratzinger). . .I leave it to you and other readers to determine, deduce, assume etc. regarding the motives, character, and intellectual honesty of someone who engages in the tactics our ‘fallen-away’ friend has chosen to use. . .

That of course is the friend of the OP, and not the OP himself, I hasten to add.

 

[NewCatholic1207]

Do you happen to know where I could find a transcript of the Holy Father’s speech or the interview whichever it may have been?

 

[Tantum_ergo]

I apologize for not getting back sooner; am suffering with a miserable cold (hope not flu) but I see that you very sensibly went to Jimmy Akins who gave you the proper reference etc.

For those who might miss Jimmy’s article “Ratzinger on the Virgin Birth” it is that the OP’s friend misunderstood a reference of then-Cardinal Ratzinger’s in the book "Intro to Christianity’ in which Card. Ratzinger stated that God did not NEED to have Jesus incarnate in the Virgin Birth. Which of course is true, God could have chosen to redeem us in any way He pleased. However, as Jimmy points out, by definition an ontological reality does not deny a historical reality. IOW, if you’re discussing the ontologic perspective, you’re discussing the perspective of a event. The friend in the OP’s post actually went beyond even the misunderstanding to say an outright falsehood, that ‘the Church’ didn’t believe in the Virgin Birth.

Anyway, glad the question was answered for you.

 

[NewCatholic1207]

Tantum,

Hope you feel better. Is Jimmy Akin amazing or what? Where does he find the time?

God Bless.