In tempest over Benedict XVI and book on celibacy, ‘It is as it was’

• Jan 15, 2020

The current fracas surrounding Benedict XVI and a new book on priestly celibacy is eerily reminiscent of the tempest that erupted in 2003/2004 around St. John Paul II’s alleged endorsement of Mel Gibson’s movie “The Passion of the Christ,” expressed in the infamous soundbite, “It is as it was.”