Letters | 21 February 2013

Benedictions

Sir: John O’Sullivan’s summary of Pope Benedict XVI’s ‘extraordinary contribution’ to Catholic thought was masterful (‘Benedict’s reformation’, 16 February) — and how interesting that the Pontiff’s writings and speeches have helped create a new ‘Catholic atheist’ movement. It is a shame, however, that O’Sullivan didn’t mention another area in which Benedict has challenged western ideas: his repeated denunciation of ‘unregulated financial capitalism’ as a threat to world peace. Adam Smith would have agreed with him. I hope that O’Sullivan’s omission was not ideological blindness as to the nasty side of free markets.
Camille De La Chesnais

Yorkshire

Sir: Charles Moore writes that Benedict XVI’s memoirs, if he writes them, would be a papal first (Notes, 16 February). Not quite: read the vivid and witty Commentaries of Pius II (Pope, 1458-1464), who died on the way to leading a crusade to retake Constantinople from the Ottomans. An excellent translation from the Latin was published in 1959 (Allen and Unwin).