When the history of the pontificate of Benedict XVI is written, I think one word will be used over and over: bold. This pope has been astonishingly bold in his outreach to disaffected Christians, especially those who are more traditionally-minded.

• He liberalized the use of the Latin Mass, against the wishes of many within the Church who thought that was a return to “pre-Conciliar” days.
• He lifted the excommunication of the leaders of the traditional Society of St. Pius X, even though in some ways these men didn’t seem to deserve such action.
• He has now created a canonical structure to receive Anglicans en masse into the Church, although many will say that this goes against “ecumenical progress”.
• Not content to just lift the excommunication of their leaders, he has begun discussions with the Society of St. Pius X with the purpose of their eventual reunion with the Church (possibly in the same format as the Anglicans – a “personal Ordinariate”).

There is no question that Pope Benedict desires greatly to bring as many souls back into the fold as possible, and he has taken decisive action to achieve that desire.

Pray for our Pope that he might continue to be given the strength to boldly proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.