Pope Benedict's Answers to Questions from Italian Clergy

On Tuesday, Pope Benedict XVI met with 400 priests from two dioceses at a church near his vacation spot.  The Vatican website has an English translation of the Holy Father's statement to the priests and the questions and answers.  Teresa Benedetta has an earlier translation at Papa Ratzinger Forum.  Zenit has posted several articles about the questions and answers here,here, here, here, here, here, here and here, and has posted the Vatican's translation of the question and answer session in 3 parts here, here and here.

The questions were on topics including the education and Catholic formation of youth, the priest shortage, divorce and remarriage, immigration into Europe, evangelism, burdens facing priests and educators, sports, and the Vatican II Council.  Here is an excerpt from an Teresa Benedetta's translation:

"We cannot always live in exalted meditation, as perhaps a saint on the last step of his earthly journey may do, but normally, we should live with our feet on the ground and our eyes raised to heaven. Both have been given to us by the Lord, and therefore to love human things, to love the beauties of his earth, is not only very human but very Christian and very Catholic."

[Updated July 27] Sandro Magister today posted an article based upon Pope Benedict's answer to a question about Vatican II.  Titled "All Against All: The Postconciliar Period Recounted by Ratzinger, Theologian and Pope", the article includes a complete translation to the Pope's answer to the tenth question, which asked about the Vatican II Council.  Magister called it "the most interesting response" of the ten, responding to a priest who "told him about his disappointment with the many dreams that were awakened in him by Vatican Council II but then vanished."  In response, the Pope spoke of his own memories of the council, and spoke about what has happened since Vatican II and the way forward.