Putin, in particular, is at home in the German language, having spent many years in East Germany during his days as a KGB agent. Moreover, unlike Pope John Paul II, who, as a Pole, always saw communist Russia as an oppressor, Benedict carries the German sense of guilt stemming from the country’s Nazi past and its brutal invasion of Russia.
教皇本尼迪克特和红衣主教卡斯珀都是德国人，这点非常重要。因为与以前相比，现在俄罗斯和德国的关系也许更为和谐。尤其值得一提的是，普京在为克格勃作间谍期间，曾长驻东德，精通德语。此外，教皇约翰﹒保罗二世身为波兰人，总视共产主义俄罗斯为压迫者。而本尼迪克特则不同，作为德国人，他一直有负罪感，这种负罪感根源于德国的纳粹历史及当年对俄罗斯残暴的侵略。