Interviewing then Cardinal Ratzinger, Rome, 1998.
I was in the cathedral no more than 30 seconds when the image on the screen switched from a French talking head to the balcony of the Vatican. There it was announced that a new Pope had been selected, and it was German Cardinal Josef Ratzinger. Upon hearing the news, the faithful stood as one and cheered, and I shouted out impulsively, “I know that guy!”
In fact, in 1998 I had interviewed Cardinal Ratzinger for a documentary we had done on the revival of the traditional movement within the Catholic Church, a revival that Cardinal Ratzinger had encouraged and that inspired me to return to Catholicism. Not everyone was pleased with the choice. An American woman standing next to me blurted out, “This is a terrible day for women!” As I learned, the media were not too pleased either.
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