Monitor Mag Jan 2023 Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

How He Lived

Homily for the Memorial Mass for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., delivered the following homily during Mass celebrated in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold, Jan. 5, 2023.

What is the measure of a man?  This question has been asked over and again from the beginning of time by philosophers and theologians, poets and writers, statesmen and common folk, believers and atheists – in short, by all of those who share our human mortality, who seek the meaning of life.

What is the measure of a man?  It is a good question; an important question; an enduring question that becomes an ultimate question when we face the death of someone who was larger than life, someone like Joseph Aloysius Ratzinger, our beloved Pope Benedict XVI.

I recall one answer given by an anonymous poet some years ago. What is the measure of a man?

Not “how did he die”? But “how did he live”?

Not “what did he gain?” But “what did he give”?

These are the things that measure the worth

Of a man as a man, regardless of birth.

Not “what was his station”? But “had he a heart”?

And “how did he play his God-given part”?

The biography of Pope Benedict XVI has been well-chronicled in recent days since his passing for those of us who knew him, as I was privileged to, and for those of us who did not.

His Holy Saturday birth and Baptism in Bavaria on April 16, 1927; his conscription into and desertion from the German army of World War II, captured and confined to an American prison camp at the war’s end; his priestly ordination along with his brother Georg in Freising; his long and impressive academic career, rising through the scholarly theological ranks of several German universities; his presence and expert participation at the Second Vatican Council; his learning and study and writings; his subsequent ecclesiastical appointments as an archbishop in Munich-Freising, cardinal and prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; his papal election as the 264th Successor of St. Peter and the 265th Bishop of Rome; his stunning, history-making resignation after only eight years; his following 10 years of hidden prayer and study; at 95, the last surviving cardinal created by Pope St. Paul VI and the oldest living man ever to have served as pope, Benedict XVI closed his eyes on this world and opened them to eternity and the face of God.

Pope Benedict XVI appears on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican after his election April 19, 2005. In his homily for the late pontiff’s Memorial Mass, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., recalled that on the day of his papal election, Pope Benedict introduced himself to the world as “a simple, humble laborer in the vineyard of the Lord.” CNS photo/Max Rossi, Reuters

How did he die? With the heartfelt, whispered words, “Lord, I love you” on his lips.  How did he live?  A man and priest of faith, of learning and wisdom, of pastoral kindness and charity, a shepherd seeking the face of Jesus wherever his life led him.  That was his “station,” that was his “heart,” that was how he played his “God-given part.”

Some of the commentary published has highlighted his incredible theological, pastoral and spiritual accomplishments and contributions to understanding life in the Catholic Church over a long career.  Others have offered critical, even harsh judgments.  With characteristic humility, he was aware of both.

 “... a shepherd seeking the face of Jesus wherever his life led him.”

When he stepped out upon the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome on April 19, 2005, three days after his 78th birthday, appearing for the first time in the vestments of a pope, Pope Benedict XVI introduced himself to the world as “a simple, humble laborer in the vineyard of the Lord.”  That was, indeed, who he was; that was, truly, how he lived and served; that was, ultimately, how he died. And that is, before God and before us all, the measure of this man.

May he forever rest in peace.

From the Bishop

A cherished connection with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

A REFLECTION

BY BISHOP DAVID M. O’CONNELL, C.M.

On the morning of Dec. 31, 2022, as the world learned of the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., released a personal reflection about the pontiff who named him a bishop in 2010 and who had visited The Catholic University of America in Washington during then-Father O’Connell’s tenure as president.

EXCERPTS OF THE REFLECTION FOLLOW:

It is with great personal sadness that I ask the clergy, religious and faithful of the Diocese of Trenton to join me in prayer for the repose of the soul of his Holiness Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI…

If I may speak personally for a moment, I have many great and favorite memories of Cardinal Ratzinger and Pope Benedict XVI, beginning with my election as President of the Catholic University of

America in 1998.

As Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome, Cardinal Ratzinger was one of two prefects – the other being Cardinal Pio Laghi of the Congregation for Catholic Education –who was required to confirm my election. In the following 12 years, I was privileged to meet with him many times. I always found him warm, gracious, welcoming and very interested in CUA. He also

demonstrated a good sense of humor!

In April 2008, Pope Benedict visited the campus of The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., to address US Catholic college and university presidents and superintendents of Catholic schools. As CUA President, I had the good fortune to welcome and introduce him before his talk. In May 2010, Pope Benedict appointed me as coadjutor bishop of Trenton. The following year, as diocesan Bishop, I attended my first ad limina visit to the Vatican and met with him along with the other bishops of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. On a subsequent occasion, Pope Benedict spoke fondly of his visit to CUA.

Pope Benedict spent his entire life in various roles of service to the Catholic Church. He will be well remembered for many accomplishments and, no doubt, criticized for others. To the end,

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI remained a faithful, long-suffering yet joyful witness to the Lord Jesus Christ. May he rest now in the eternal peace of the Lord he served so well and loved so very much.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS FROM BISHOP O’CONNELL

Pope Benedict’s early ministry at universities always inspired me in my own similar assignments and experience. His incredible corpus of scholarly work, which I could never hope to imitate, brought theology to life for me with such clarity. It was easy to feel a kinship with Pope Benedict. As a young Philadelphia-born priest, I never dreamed I would have so many occasions to meet a Pope, this Pope. And to be appointed a bishop by him was something I never imagined. His death saddens me but I know he is with the Lord.

 For Bishop O’Connell’s full remarks, visit TrentonMonitor. com. For more photos, click on Multimedia > Photo Galleries.

1. Then-Father David M. O’Connell, C.M., smiles with Pope Benedict during the Holy Father’s visit to Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., April 2008. In center is the Pope’s private secretary Msgr. Georg Gänswein. Courtesy photo

2. Pope Benedict XVI greets members of clergy and seminarians at CUA in April 2008, accompanied by Father O’Connell. Courtesy photo

3. Pope Benedict XVI greets Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., during his general audience in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican Dec. 7, 2011. Bishop O’Connell and other New Jersey and Pennsylvania bishops were making their “ad limina” visits to the Vatican to report on the status of their dioceses. CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano

4. One of the highlights of Bishop David M. O’Connell’s tenure as president of The Catholic University of America, Washington, was hosting Pope Benedict XVI during the Holy Father’s 2008 visit to the United States. Courtesy photo

5. Father O’Connell listens intently as Pope Benedict XVI addresses the crowd gathered at CUA in April 2008. Courtesy photo

6. Students of CUA gather to greet Pope Benedict XVI with signs and cheers, hoping to catch a glimpse of the pontiff and snap a photo. Courtesy photo

7. Representatives of CUA applaud Pope Benedict XVI as he moves to shake hands with them, accompanied at left by Father O’Connell. Courtesy photo

Pope Benedict: Eight years as pope capped

long ministry

as teacher of faith

Pope Benedict XVI walks with his private secretary, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, as he arrives for opening of the Holy Door to inaugurate the Jubilee Year of Mercy, in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican in this Dec. 8, 2015, file photo.

CNS photo/Stefano Spaziani, pool

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

BY CINDY WOODEN  Catholic News Service AND STAFF REPORTS  Photos courtesy of CNS

VATICAN CITY • Retired Pope Benedict XVI is likely to go down in history books as the first pope in almost 600 years to resign. But he had an impactful and sweeping legacy as a theologian, teacher, author and defender of the basics of Catholic faith, both before and during his eight-year papacy.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died Dec. 31, 2022, at the age of 95, nearly 10 years after leaving the papacy to retire to what he said would be a life of prayer and study. As the retired pope neared death, he was given the anointing of the sick Dec. 28 in his residence, according to Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office.

Immediately after Benedict died at 9:34 a.m., Bruni said, his personal secretary, Archbishop Georg Ganswein, phoned Pope Francis, who went immediately to the late pope’s bedside to pray and to offer condolences to those who had cared for him in the last years of his life.

Archbishop Ganswein told Vatican News Jan. 1 that Pope Benedict’s last words were, “Lord, I love you.”

It was about 3 a.m. the day he died, the archbishop said. “In a faint voice, but in a clearly discernable way, he said in Italian, ‘Lord, I love you!’ I was not there at the time, but the nurse told me shortly afterward. These were his last comprehensible words, because afterward he was no longer able to express himself.”

ERA OF TURBULENCE

Joseph Ratzinger was born April 16, 1927, in the Bavarian town of Marktl am Inn, the third and youngest child of a police officer, Joseph Sr., and his wife, Maria. Young Joseph joined his brother, Georg, at a minor seminary in 1939.

Like other young students in Germany at the time, he was automatically enrolled in the Hitler Youth program, but soon stopped going to meetings. During World War II, he was conscripted into the army, and in the spring of 1945, he deserted his unit and returned home, spending a few months in an Allied prisoner-of-war camp. He returned to the seminary late in 1945 and was ordained six years later, along with his brother.

1945 • With World War II ending, the 18-year-old Joseph, a conscripted soldier, deserts from the German army and is held briefly as a U.S. prisoner of war.

In a meeting with young people in 2006, the Pope said witnessing the brutality of the Nazi regime helped persuade him to become a priest. But he also had to overcome some doubts, he said. For one thing, he asked himself whether he “could faithfully live celibacy” his entire life. He also recognized that his real leanings were toward theology and wondered whether he had the qualities of a good pastor and the ability “to be simple with the simple people.”

After a short stint as a parish priest, the future pope began a teaching career and built a reputation as one of the Church’s foremost theologians. At Vatican II, he made important contributions as a theological expert and embraced the council’s early work. But he began to have misgivings about an emerging anti-Roman bias, the idea of a “Church from below” run on a parliamentary model, and the direction of theological research in the Church – criticism that would become even sharper in later years.

In 1977, St. Paul VI named him archbishop of Munich and Freising and, four years later, Pope John Paul called him to head the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, where he wielded great influence on issues such as liberation theology, dissent from Church teachings and pressure for women’s ordination.

JUNE 29, 1951 • He is ordained a priest along with his brother, Georg, and continues his theological studies.

As the newly elected pope in 2005, he explained that he took the name Benedict to evoke the memory of Pope Benedict XV, a “courageous prophet of peace” during World War I, and said he wanted to place his ministry at the service of reconciliation and harmony among peoples.

Like his namesake and his predecessors, he was untiring in his appeals for an end to violence in world trouble spots and for dialogue as the only true and lasting solution to conflict. Another key to building a better world, he said repeatedly, is to respect the right of each person to seek and to worship God.

A direct appeal to China’s communist government to respect the religious freedom of its people was a central part of Pope Benedict’s 2007 Letter to Chinese Catholics. The letter also pleaded with the faithful on the mainland to work toward reconciliation between communities that had accepted some government control in order to minister openly and those that continued to practice their faith more clandestinely.

In the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States and amid reports of rising religious-inspired violence in various parts of the world, Pope Benedict also repeatedly and clearly condemned all violence committed in the name of God.

One of the biggest tests of his papacy came after a lecture at Germany’s University of Regensburg, in 2006, when he quoted a Christian medieval emperor who said the prophet Muhammad had brought “things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.”

Protests in the Muslim world followed, and Pope Benedict apologized that his words had offended Muslims, distancing himself from the text he had quoted. Soon after, he accepted the invitation of an international group of Muslim scholars and leaders to launch a new dialogue initiative, “The Common Word,” looking at teachings that Christians and Muslims share.

A PAPACY OF FIRSTS

A close collaborator of St. John Paul II and the theological expert behind many of his major teachings and gestures, Pope Benedict came to the papacy after 24 years heading the doctrinal congregation’s work of safeguarding Catholic teaching on faith and morals, correcting the work of some Catholic theologians and ensuring the theological solidity of the documents issued by other Vatican offices. Then-Cardinal Ratzinger earned a reputation in some quarters as a sort of grand inquisitor, seeking to stamp out independent thinking, an image belied by his passion for debate with thinkers inside and outside the Church.

As pope, he continued writing as a theologian, but also made historically important gestures to Catholics who had difficulty accepting all of the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, particularly about the liturgy. In 2007, he widened permission to use the “extraordinary” or pre-Vatican II form of the Mass and, a short time later, extended a hand to the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X. Besides lifting the excommunications of four of the society’s bishops who were ordained illicitly in 1988, he launched a long and intense dialogue with the group. In the end, though, the talks broke down.

making 24 trips to six continents and three times presided over World Youth Day mega-gatherings: in Germany in 2005, Australia in 2008 and Spain in 2011.

On a historic visit to the United States in 2008, the Pope brought his own identity into clearer focus for Americans. He set forth a moral challenge on issues ranging from economic justice to abortion. He also took Church recognition of the priestly sex-abuse scandal to a new level, expressing his personal shame at what happened and personally praying with victims.

TRADITION, TRUTH AND LOVE

While still in his 30s, he served as an influential adviser during the Second Vatican Council, 1962-65, and as pope, he made it a priority to correct what he saw as overly expansive interpretations of Vatican II in favor of readings that stressed the council’s continuity with the Church’s millennial traditions.

Under his oversight, the Vatican continued to highlight the Church’s moral boundaries on issues such as end-of-life medical care, marriage and homosexuality. But the Pope’s message to society at large focused less on single issues and more on the risk of losing the basic relationship between the human being and the Creator.

Surprising those who had expected a by-the-book pontificate from a man who had spent so many years as the Vatican’s chief doctrinal official, Pope Benedict emphasized that Christianity was a religion of love and not a religion of rules.

The German-born pontiff did not try to match the popularity of St. John Paul, but the millions of people who came to see him in Rome and abroad came to appreciate his smile, his frequent ad-libs and his ability to speak from the heart.

Some of Pope Benedict’s most memorable statements came when he applied simple Gospel values to social issues such as the protection of human life, the environment and economics. When the global financial crisis worsened in 2008, for example, the Pope insisted that financial institutions must put people before profits. He also reminded people that money and worldly success are passing realities, saying: “Whoever builds his life on these things – on material things, on success, on appearances – is building on sand.”

APRIL 16, 2007 • The first of what would be a three-volume work, “Jesus of Nazareth,” by Pope Benedict goes on sale and is an immediate commercial success.

His papacy, which began when he was 78, was extremely busy for a man who already had a pacemaker and who had wanted to retire to study, write and pray when he turned 75. He used virtually every medium at his disposal –books and Twitter, sermons and encyclicals – to catechize the faithful on the foundational beliefs and practices of Christianity, ranging from the sermons of St. Augustine to the Sign of the Cross.

He was the first pope to meet with victims of clerical sexual abuse. He clarified Church laws to expedite cases and mandated that bishops’ conferences put in place stringent norms against abuse.

Although he did not expect to travel much, he ended up

He consistently warned the West that unless its secularized society rediscovered religious values, it could not hope to engage in real dialogue with Muslims and members of other religious traditions.

In his encyclicals and in his books on “Jesus of Nazareth,” the Pope honed that message, asking readers to discover the essential connections between sacrificial love, works of charity, a dedication to the truth and the Gospel of Christ.

A LIFE REFLECTED

The retired pope looked in-depth at his papacy and resignation, his relationships with St. John Paul and Pope Francis and a host of other issues in “Last Testament,” a book-length interview with journalist Peter Seewald published in 2016.

In the book, Pope Benedict insisted once again that he was not pressured by anyone or any event to resign and he did

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

not feel he was running away from any problem. However, he acknowledged “practical governance was not my forte, and this certainly was a weakness.”

Insisting “my hour had passed, and I had given all I could,” Pope Benedict said he never regretted resigning, but he did regret hurting friends and faithful who were “really distressed and felt forsaken” by his stepping down.

Less than a month after resigning, he already looked frailer and walked with noticeably more difficulty than he did when he left office. The video images released by the Vatican March 23, 2013, when his successor, Pope Francis, visited him at Castel Gandolfo, and underscored the “diminishing energy” Pope Benedict had said led to his resignation.

Pope Benedict moved to the papal summer villa at Castel Gandolfo Feb. 28, 2013, the day his resignation took effect. He remained at the villa south of Rome for two months – a period that included the conclave that elected Pope Francis as his successor and the first month of the new Pope’s pontificate. The retired pope moved back to the Vatican May 2, 2013, living in a monastery remodeled as a residence for him, his secretary and the consecrated women who cared for his household before and after his resignation.

On his only post-retirement trip outside of Italy, he flew to Germany in June 2020 for a five-day visit with his ailing 96-yearold brother.

Answering questions from reporters on a flight back from Brazil in July 2013, Pope Francis spoke with admiration of the retired pope’s humility, intelligence and prayerfulness. The unusual situation of having a pope and a retired pope both living at the Vatican was working out very well, Pope Francis said. Having the retired pope nearby to consult with, or ask questions of, Pope Francis said, was “like having a grandfather at home – a very wise grandfather.”

By the time Pope Benedict had been retired for a year, his daily routine was set. Archbishop Georg Ganswein, his personal secretary, said his days began with Mass, morning prayer and

breakfast. Although mostly hidden from public view, he was not cloistered, but continued welcoming old friends and colleagues, engaging in dialogue or offering spiritual counsel. He spent hours reading and dealing with correspondence before a 4 p.m. stroll in the garden and recitation of the Rosary.

In the early days of his retirement, to the delight and surprise of pilgrims and cardinals, Pope Benedict appeared at major events with Pope Francis, including the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica Dec. 8, 2015.

At a June 2016 celebration in the Apostolic Palace, where Pope Benedict once lived and worked, Pope Francis, top officials of the Roman Curia and a few friends gathered with him to mark the 65th anniversary of the retired pontiff’s priestly ordination.

Pope Francis told Pope Benedict that with him in residence, the monastery in the Vatican Gardens “emanates tranquility, peace, strength, faithfulness, maturity, faith, dedication and loyalty, which does so much good for me and gives strength to me and to the whole Church.”

Pope Benedict replied to Pope Francis, “More than the beauty found in the Vatican Gardens, your goodness is the place where I live; I feel protected.”

He prayed that Pope Francis would continue to “lead us all on this path of divine mercy that shows the path of Jesus, to Jesus and to God.”

Mercy was a prominent topic in an interview Pope Benedict gave in 2015. The Catholic focus on mercy really began with St. John Paul, the retired pope told Belgian Jesuit Father Jacques Servais in the written interview, which was not released until March 2016.

From his experience as a youth during World War II and his ministry under communism in Poland, St. John Paul “affirmed that mercy is the only true and ultimately effective reaction against the power of evil. Only where there is mercy does cruelty end, only there do evil and violence stop,” said Pope Benedict.

2013-2022 • Lives a “monastic” life of prayer and study, receives visitors in a renovated monastery near the Vatican Gardens. With prompting from Pope Francis, Pope Benedict XVI appears in public for a number of significant Church events at the Vatican.

Retired Pope Benedict XVI waits at Germany’s Munich Airport before his departure to Rome June 22, 2020. CNS photo/Sven Hoppe, Reuters

Remembering the words of a wise and humble servant

Pope Benedict XVI, who served eight years as leader of the Catholic Church, leaves a legacy as broad as his intellectual brilliance, his gentle teaching and his devotion to the truths of the Catholic faith. His beautiful pastoral letters focused on charity, hope and love, are filled with wisdom, and his

expansive teachings extend to a breadth of issues. The quotes below are a small sampling of his wisdom, including thoughts on the connection of faith and reason, responsibility for creation and the environment, family and marriage, economics, abortion and right to life, death and eternity, liturgy and forgiveness, among others.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI leads his last public Angelus from the window of his apartment overlooking St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Feb. 24, 2013. The Pope surprised the world when he announced Feb. 11, 2013, that he was resigning the papacy. CNS photo/Vatican Media

“G od is the foundation of hope: not any god, but the God who has a human face and who has loved us to the end, each one of us and humanity in its entirety. His kingdom is not an imaginary hereafter, situated in a future that will never arrive; his kingdom is present wherever he is loved and wherever his love reaches us.”

– Encyclical “Spe Salvi,” Nov. 20, 2007

closer a person is to God, the closer he is to people.”

– Homily, Dec. 8, 2005

“How can it be that the most wondrous and sacred human space – the womb – has become a place of unutterable violence” through abortion?

– Speech, World Youth Day, Sydney, July 17, 2008

“Iwould like to remind everyone, especially governments engaged in boosting the world’s economic and social assets, that the primary capital to be safeguarded and valued is man, the human person in his or her integrity.”

– Encyclical “Caritas in Veritate,” June 29, 2009

“The environment is God’s gift to everyone, and in our use of it we have a responsibility toward the poor, toward future generations and toward humanity as a whole.”

– Encyclical “Caritas in Veritate,” June 29, 2009

“The Gospel must be preached and taught as an integral way of life, offering an attractive and true answer, intellectually and practically, to real human problems.”

– Meeting with U.S. bishops, April 16, 2008

“Reason and faith can come to each other’s assistance. Only together will they save man. Entranced by an exclusive reliance on technology, reason without faith is doomed to flounder in an illusion of its own omnipotence. Faith without reason risks being cut off from everyday life.”

– Encyclical “Caritas in Veritate,” June 29, 2009

“Fanaticism, fundamentalism and practices contrary to human dignity can never be justified, even less so in the name of religion. The profession of a religion cannot be exploited or imposed by force.”

– World Peace Day message 2011

“The liturgy is not the memory of past events but is the living presence of the paschal mystery of Christ, who transcends and unites times and places. ... The conviction must grow within us every day that the liturgy is not our or my ‘doing’ but rather is an action of God in us and with us.”

– General audience, Oct. 3, 2012

“There is “a mysterious and deep kinship between music and hope, between song and eternal life.”

– Remarks after concert, April 24, 2008

There exists a Christian way of being present in the digital world: This takes the form of a communication which is honest and open, responsible and respectful of others. To proclaim the Gospel through the new media means not only to insert expressly religious content into different media platforms, but also to witness consistently, in one’s own digital profile and in the way one communicates choices, preferences and judgments that are fully consistent with the Gospel.”

– World Communications Day message 2011

is so interwoven in the great mystery of the Church that she and the Church are inseparable, just as she and Christ are inseparable.”

– Homily, Dec. 8, 2005

“Life is not just a succession of events or experiences, helpful though many of them are. It is a search for the true, the good and the beautiful. It is to this end that we make our choices; it is for this that we exercise our freedom; it is in this – in truth, in goodness, and in beauty –that we find happiness and joy.”

– Speech, World Youth Day, Sydney, July 17, 2008

“Mary

“The

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

Tens of thousands pay last respects to Pope Benedict in St. Peter’s Basilica

BY CAROL GLATZ  Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY • Tens of thousands of people streamed through St. Peter’s Basilica to pay their last respects to the late Pope Benedict XVI.

While Rome authorities had predicted between 30,000 and 35,000 visitors a day, some 65,000 people filed past the Pope’s body Jan. 2 – the first of three days dedicated to public viewing. Another 70,000 people paid their respects Jan. 3, the Vatican said, and 60,000 people on the final day, Jan. 4.

A damp chill hung in the air at 9 in the morning when the doors of the basilica opened to the public on the first of three days to view the Pope’s body. Outdoor souvenir sellers were well-stocked with rosaries Jan. 2, but they seemed to have been caught off guard with a plethora of touristy tchotchkes and few to no images or mementos of the late pope.

A quiet hush covered the vast expanse of St. Peter’s Square each day even though it was filled with thousands of

can Jan. 2, 2023.

people slowly winding their way around the colonnade into St. Peter’s Basilica.

Special accommodations, however, were made for cardinals, bishops, current and retired Vatican employees, and dignitaries who were allowed access from the back of the basilica and offered a place to sit or kneel on either side of the Pope’s body, which was laid out in red vestments on a damask-covered platform.

Before the doors opened to the general public, Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, the archpriest of the basilica and papal vicar for Vatican City State, accompanied

People pay their respects at the body of Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican Jan. 4, 2023.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella and his entourage and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and other government ministers to pay homage to the late pope. Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán paid his respects early Jan. 3.

Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, said that by early afternoon Jan. 3 some 600 journalists, photographers and camera operators from around the world were accredited to cover the funeral.

The first people in line outside the basilica Jan. 2 were a group of religious sisters from the Philippines, who said they got there at 5:30 a.m.

People kept slowly arriving before sunrise, including a group from Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin, led by Father Richard Kunst of Duluth. The priest told Catholic News Service that he was leading a tour of Rome the day Pope Benedict died.

Being able to see and pay homage to the late pope made the group part of “a really incredible piece of history,” he said.

Father Kunst said he was “a big fan” of Pope Benedict and “not sad at his passing” since the 95-year-old pope had lived a long life and “this is what he lived for – to be able to be with God.”

Father Felipe de Jesús Sánchez, who

People wait in line to enter St. Peter’s Basilica to view the body of Pope Benedict XVI at the Vati-

CNS photos/Paul Haring

At funeral, Pope remembers Benedict’s ‘wisdom, tenderness, devotion’

BY CAROL GLATZ  Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY • Pope Benedict XVI “spread and testified to” the Gospel his entire life, Pope Francis told tens of thousands of people gathered Jan. 5 for his predecessor’s funeral Mass.

“Like the women at the tomb, we too have come with the fragrance of gratitude and the balm of hope, in order to show him once more the love that is undying. We want to do this with the same wisdom, tenderness and devotion that he bestowed upon us over the years,” Pope Francis said in his homily.

The Mass in St. Peter’s Square was the first time in more than 200 years that a pope celebrated the funeral of his predecessor. Pope Pius VII had celebrated the funeral of Pius VI in 1802 when his remains were returned to Rome after he died in exile in France in 1799.

Pope Benedict, who had retired in 2013, had requested his funeral be simple; the only heads of state invited to lead delegations were those of Italy and his native Germany.

However, many dignitaries – including Queen Sofia of Spain and King Philippe of Belgium – and presidents and government ministers representing more than a dozen nations were in attendance, as were most of the ambassadors to the Holy See.

Members of the College of Cardinals sat on one side of the casket, while, on the other side, sat special guests, including the late pope’s closest collaborators and representatives of the Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, Protestant and U.S. evangelical communities. Jewish and Muslim organizations also sent delegations.

Pope Francis presided over the Mass and Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, was the main

celebrant at the altar. Some 120 cardinals, another 400 bishops and 3,700 priests concelebrated. More than 1,000 journalists, photographers and camera operators from around the world were accredited to cover the funeral in St. Peter’s Square.

An estimated 50,000 people filled the square for the Mass, and a number of visitors told Catholic News Service that banners and flags were being confiscated by security upon entrance. Of the few flags and banners that did make it past security was a white cloth with “Santo Subito” (“Sainthood Now”) written in red and a “Thank you, Pope Benedict” written in light blue in German.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, blesses the casket of Pope Benedict XVI with incense as Pope Francis presides over his funeral Mass in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Jan. 5, 2023. CNS photo/ Chris Warde-Jones

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re sprinkles holy water on the casket of Pope Benedict XVI during its burial in the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican Jan. 5, 2023. CNS photo/Vatican Media

Bishop,

Diocese’s faithful remember Pope Benedict XVI during

memorial Mass

BY MARY STADNYK  Associate Editor

From all corners of the Diocese, hundreds of clergy, religious and parishioners gathered with Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., Jan. 5 to remember, pray and thank God for the life of his servant, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

“We join today with sadness but also with a sense of joy as we commend His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, to our heavenly father,” Bishop O’Connell said at the start of the Memorial Mass celebrated in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold.

“We gather in prayer as a community of faith and let that Resurrection faith fill our hearts,” the Bishop said.

The Memorial Mass, which was livestreamed on diocesan media sites, was celebrated nearly nine hours after the Pope Emeritus’ Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated by Pope Francis on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The interest of diocesan faithful was shown in a Jan. 6 report on the livestream which indicated that within 24 hours, the diocesan YouTube channel showed 4,450 views in English and 321 views in Spanish; the diocesan Facebook page reported 478 views in English and 193 views in Spanish, and viewership on the Familia Viva Su Fe Facebook page indicated 303 views.

Bishop O’Connell began his homily by referencing the commemorative items he brought to have on display at the Mass. The items, arranged on a table in front of the sanctuary and

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

Bishop O’Connell pauses before the display of commemoratives pertaining to Pope Benedict at the start of the Jan. 5 Memorial Mass in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold. Mike Ehrmann photos

Shown are a close-up view of commemoratives pertaining to Pope Benedict XVI that Bishop O’Connell had on display in front of the sanctuary. The commemoratives include a white zuchetto he received from the Holy Father; a few books that the Pope had authored; coins that were minted at the Vatican; and a pectoral cross given to the Bishop by the Pope.

next to a portrait of Pope Benedict, included the papal bull that was presented to Bishop O’Connell when he was named Bishop of Trenton in 2010; coins that were minted at the Vatican to commemorate Benedict’s papacy; a pectoral cross that the Bishop received from the Holy Father during the Bishop’s 2011 ad limina visit to Rome; copies of the Holy Father’s three-volume work, “Jesus of Nazareth,” which Bishop O’Connell described as a “magnificent great work.”

In addition, there were two items marking the Holy Father’s 2008 visit to the United States – a medal and a white zucchetto that was given to Bishop O’Connell by Pope Benedict.

With a smile on his face, the Bishop went on to tell one of the many stories he had of the late pontiff.

One of the stops Pope Benedict made during his U.S. visit was to The Catholic University of America, Washington, where then-Father O’Connell was university president at the time. When one visits with the pope, it’s customary that the person presents a white zucchetto (skull cap) to him. The pope, in turn,

A contingent of high school students, including those from Red Bank Catholic High School, Red Bank, and St. John Vianney High School, Holmdel, were in attendance at the Mass.

Bishop O’Connell was joined by numerous priest concelebrants during the Mass.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI, sprinkles holy water on the casket of Pope John Paul II during his funeral Mass in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican in this April 8, 2005, file photo. OSV News photo/Catholic Press Photo

Fond recollections of Benedict XVI shared by Diocese’s Faithful

BY ROSE O’CONNOR  Digital and Social Media Manager AND MARY STADNYK  Associate Editor

The ways in which Pope Benedict XVI inspired others from around the globe are many and varied. Here in the Diocese of Trenton, some folks spoke on how they gleaned inspiration from the late Holy Father’s works and many teachings, while others reflected on his charism and the way he carried himself as a Catholic man, priest and leader of the Universal Church.

In a January bulletin message, Father Daniel Kirk, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Cinnaminson, recalled his time as a seminarian, watching when then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger celebrated Pope John Paul II’s funeral Mass. The Cardinal’s homily left him “instantly impressed by how well he spoke of the deceased pontiff and of the Christian faith.”

Father Kirk was also in Rome for studies when Pope Benedict announced his resignation from the papacy; “Something not seen in centuries,” recalled Father Kirk, who attended the Holy Father’s final Angelus address and Papal audience, observing how “surreal it was to be in Rome for those historic days.”

“It was both exhilarating and sad to be witness to the end of the time of Pope Benedict in person,” Father Kirk said. Now, “Pope Emeritus Benedict has gone home to the Lord …” and while “it’s a mercy he’s been called home by God … there’s a sad-

Retired Pope Benedict XVI is seen in a file photo praying with his brother, Msgr. Georg Ratzinger, in his private chapel at the Vatican. The retired pope declined the inheritance of his brother Georg – who died July 1, 2020 – so the estate goes to the Holy See. CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano via Reuters

ness for me and for many who’ve shared some kind of connection with this particular pope,” he said.

While he was a tremendous theologian, an accomplished servant of the Church, and a nuanced liturgist, “which stands out

St. John Paul II and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger ride in the popemobile during a visit to Germany in 1980. The cardinal – future Pope Benedict XVI – headed the Archdiocese of Munich 1977-1981. CNS photo/KNA

most to me is how authentically he loved Christ and the Church,” Father Kirk stated. “It came across in everything he wrote and said, in how he carried himself and treated others, in his humility and his prayer life. He did much good in the life of the Church.”

In a prepared statement, Congressman Chris Smith, R-NJ, recalled the late Holy Father as being “an extraordinary religious leader, a powerful defender of the weakest and most vulnerable, including unborn children and their mothers, and ever faithful in both living and promoting the good news of the Gospel.

“Pope Benedict XVI led us to be more faithful followers of Jesus Christ and his Church on earth,” said Smith, a member of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Whiting. “Pope Benedict XVI inspired countless believers to love God above all things and to love our neighbor as ourselves …”

The congressman spoke of how “tenacious” Benedict was in defending the tenets of the Catholic Church and a great defender of religious freedom. He recalled Benedict’s speaking about religious

freedom during his 2008 address at the White House and at the United Nations.

“Pope Benedict XVI was brilliant yet humble and courageous and spoke much of forgiveness and reconciliation,” Smith said. “What a blessing he was. Indeed, what a blessing.”

For priests like Father Alberto Tamayo and Father Richard Osborn, both of whom concelebrated the Memorial Mass with

MORE ON THE WEB

There is much more to read about Pope Benedict’s legacy and memorials at:

TrentonMonitor.com/rememberingpope-benedictxvi

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Jesuit Father Joseph Fessio is pictured with then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in this 1987 photo.

Father Fessio is the founder of Ignatius Press, a publisher of the late Pope Benedict XVI’s books. CNS photo/ Dorothy Peterson, courtesy Ignatius Press

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Important events in the life of Pope Benedict XVI

UPDATE: Pope Benedict: Eight years as Pope capped long ministry as teacher of faith

Pope Benedict’s 2008 U.S. visit a whirlwind with timely, pointed message

UPDATE: Pope Benedict’s funeral will respect his wishes to be simple