Tributes to Pope Benedict XVI

Humble and Kind
I had the honor of meeting Pope Benedict briefly in December 2011.  I experienced that same humility and kindness mentioned by everyone who has commented on Pope Benedict the man. I was one of probably a hundred people the Pope had already met that morning, and he would probably meet another hundred, or more, by the end of that day.  But he greeted me with a warm smile and some kind words as if I was the only person he was scheduled to meet that day.  He certainly manifested his own definition of holiness: “Charity lived to the full.”

— Msgr. William Benwell, Pastor
St. Mary Church – Stony Hill, Watchung

 

Inspirational
Deus Caritas Est, the first encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI, is still an inspiration to me.  The concept of Christ’s love as light shining in our dark world still rings true to what I can observe.

I will remember Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI as a scholar, an accomplished pianist, and most importantly as a man of prayer.

May he enjoy his reward of eternal happiness.

— Sister Anna Nguyen, SCC,
Delegate for Religious and Consecrated Life

 

Insightful
One of the first things that comes to my mind whenever I think of Pope Benedict involved my youngest sister, Christine. She was injured on a family skiing trip. When I went to visit her while she was recovering at her family home, she was reading Pope Benedict’s Jesus of Nazareth. While she was always religious – having been a catechist and stills serving as an Extraordinary Minister in her own parish – it was the last thing I expected!

We spoke about the book for a while, and she told me it was good reading. I agreed, having read much of it myself. Indeed, it is through that book that Pope Benedict most influenced my priestly ministry, as I have turned to it on many occasions while preparing homilies. His ability to express deep theological and biblical insight in ways that I can use in a homily, and my sister could find spiritually enriching, allowed Pope Benedict XVI to touch many lives.

— Fr. John J. Barbella, St. John Vianney Church, Colonia, NJ

 

Shining Example
I am very grateful to Pope Benedict XVI. I recall how he was inspired to call for the Year of the Priest from June 2009 to June 2010.  I was blessed to be present in Rome along with an estimated 15,000 priests from all over the world to concelebrate the Mass presided by Pope Benedict XVI in Vatican Square in June of 2010, which officially closed the Year of the Priest.  As I reflect today upon the mystery of the priesthood, I believe Benedict’s life, before during and after his 8 years as pope, is a shining example for others of a deep participation in the priesthood of Jesus Christ, for his life was one of many difficult personal choices and sacrifices, that he was asked to make, for the good of the church and for others.

— Fr. Ronald L. Jandernoa
Pastor, St. Jude Church, Blairstown

 

A Mentor
It was September of 2011 when through the kindness of Bishop emeritus Paul Bukowski that myself and eight brother priests had papal honors conferred on us through the goodness of Pope Benedict.  All of a sudden I was a newly minted monsignor, and I have forever felt a spiritual connection to this particular bishop of Rome. Although I never met him, he feels like a mentor to me. I will forever be grateful for this honor.

— Msgr. Charlie Cicerale

 

Critic of Relativism
Pope Benedict XIV’s Regensburg speech in 2006 emphasized the connection between reason and faith, a passion for me. My employment as a scientist required reasoning alone to succeed. But any human endeavor, whether science or something else, done without faith input is often aimless and, sometimes worse, harmful. The Pope criticized relativism, which permits people to choose what’s morally right for them while accepting an opposite morality for someone else. Benedict labeled relativism a “dictatorship” because relativism is reasoning devoid of faith. The connection between reason and faith has strongly influenced my preaching ministry. Requiescat in pace, Pope Benedict XVI

— Deacon Thomas J. Giacobbe,
Christ the Redeemer Parish, Manville

 

Unwavering Pro-Life Voice
His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI will be remembered as a strong advocate for promoting the sanctity of human life and the centrality of marriage and family life for a healthy society.  He beautifully emphasized that “the right to life is a fundamental truth and that every human person, from conception to natural death, is loved by God and bears His image and likeness.” He was an unwavering voice for the unborn, those with disabilities and the elderly. He always wrote and spoke with clarity especially regarding emerging bioethical issues such as human cloning and new reproductive technologies.  His teachings always stressed Christian love and mercy.  In addition, Pope Benedict XVI gave great encouragement to all those involved in the pro-life cause.

— Jennifer Ruggiero, Secretary,
Secretariat for Family & Pastoral Life
 

Wonderful Smile
I was “introduced” to Pope Benedict as Cardinal Ratzinger in my seminary classes, when his books and articles were assigned reading. I first came into his presence at the 1999 Diaconate Ordinations of the Pontifical North American College in Rome. He was the ordaining prelate, and I was there because some friends of mine were being ordained. I’ll always remember an exchange between he and an extremely nervous seminarian who served as the Master of Ceremonies that day. In Rome, it’s not unusual for the M.C. to physically put the miter on the bishop’s head at the appropriate times. At one point of the ordination, this nervous seminarian had trouble simultaneously navigating his hands and the miter, the eyeglasses, and the head of Cardinal Ratzinger. Thinking his days in God’s service were finished, he was instead met with a smirk and giggle from the future Pope, known only to a few of us who were seated in the right spot to witness the exchange. In that little moment, I realized he had been mislabeled as “God’s Rottweiler.”

My first actual meeting with him came after his election as Pope. In 2006 I had helped to write “John Paul II for Dummies,” including the chapter about Pope Benedict. I visited Rome in October of 2007, and through the intercession of Bishop Bootkoski it was arranged I would be able to present a copy to the Holy Father. Having seen this done before and knowing how many people he would be meeting, I figured I would have about 10-15 seconds with him. I wondered not only what to say but how to say it (English? Italian? My 20-year-old memories of high school German?).  Knowing what I was going to say and practicing it made me calm. Then the moment came, and my hand is shaking his hand. I planned it all: introducing myself while holding the book properly, a paper clip on the chapter about Pope Benedict. What I didn’t plan on is what happens when he decides to stick around longer than the 15 seconds? In my head I knew I had run out of things to say, and my mind went blank. I think I started talking about his writings (though honestly, I might have possibly said something about chocolate).  That’s when the Prefect of the Papal Household (an American who knew I had gone off the rails) said, “OK, we’re done” and mercifully ended my sinking in quicksand. Through it all, I must say, Pope Benedict kept his wonderful smile, and my pictures of the moment look like we had an amazingly profound conversation.

What I loved about Pope Benedict was his ability to teach the same theological point to a Doctoral student or to a 7-year old, with both walking away from the conversation having understood the points he wanted to make. That’s the task of parish priesthood in a nutshell.

— Very Rev. Jonathan S. Toborowsky
Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia

 

Faithful Friend
“After the great Pope John Paul II, the Cardinals have elected me, a simple and humble labourer in the vineyard of the Lord.” This was the first line that Pope Benedict said after his election in 2005. He saw himself as “a simple and humble labourer.” However, many commentators point to the profound impact he has made on the Church will last for centuries- (see George Weigel). His towering intellect was respected by even his theologically opponents. Yet, when reads about Pope Benedict or his writing itself, the thing that radiates the most is his love for Jesus and for the Church. What a faithful friend Pope Benedict was to the Lord and all who were brothers and sisters in the Lord.

— Br. Patrick Reilly, BH
The Catholic Center at Rutgers

 

Model Pastor
I have had the honor of meeting both Pope Benedict and Pope Francis, with whom I concelebrated a Mass in St. Martha’s Chapel at the Vatican. Both visits were the highlights of my life and were published in our Catholic Spirit at that time. What impressed me most about Pope Benedict is his charisma to bring both Conservatives/Traditionalists and Liberals into a mutual understanding of communion or unity. He was a man of prayer.   I was also touched by his wisdom, faith and holiness.  He was a model pastor for our Priests and laity.  Most profoundly, Pope Benedict emphasized that Christianity is a religion of love, not a religion of rules.

— Fr. Pauly Thekkan CMI
St. Joseph Church, Bound Brook

 

Gracious
I met Card. Ratzinger in New York after the First Things Erasmus Lecture in 1988. He was standing by himself in the lobby of the venue. The Ratzinger Report, a book length interview with Vittorio Messori, had just been published so I went to thank him for the work. After a very brief chat a hand came darting in at my left accompanied by this greeting, “Hi, John O’Connor here. Who are you?” Suddenly I’m there with two Cardinals! A little awkward but funny and through it all Cardinal Ratzinger was his classically gracious self.

— Br. Joe Donovan

 

Gift to Catholics
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was a consummate teacher of the Faith. Here are just two quotes of his that have inspired me.

The first is a neat distillation of what it means to be a Christian:

“Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.”

- Deus Caritas Est, 1

And then there is this poignant reflection on his own death, written less than a year ago:

“Quite soon, I shall find myself before the final judge of my life. Even though, as I look back on my long life, I can have great reason for fear and trembling, I am nonetheless of good cheer, for I trust firmly that the Lord is not only the just judge, but also the friend and brother who himself has already suffered for my shortcomings, and is thus also my advocate, my ‘Paraclete.’ In light of the hour of judgment, the grace of being a Christian becomes all the more clear to me. It grants me knowledge, and indeed friendship, with the judge of my life, and thus allows me to pass confidently through the dark door of death. In this regard, I am constantly reminded of what John tells us at the beginning of the Apocalypse: he sees the Son of Man in all his grandeur and falls at his feet as though dead. Yet He, placing his right hand on him, says to him: ‘Do not be afraid! It is I…’ (cf. Rev 1:12-17)
- Letter regarding the Report on Abuse in the Archdiocese of Munich-Freising, February 8, 2022

This and so much else published from the mind and heart of Benedict is a gift to Catholics that will resonate for generations.

— Deacon Stephen F. Kern
Director, Office of the Diaconate,

 

Towering intellect
In many ways, I attribute my conversion to the Catholic Church to Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, whose voluminous writings had a profound influence on me while studying at Princeton Theological Seminary in the late 1990s. Shortly after my conversion, I transferred to The Catholic University of America where I enrolled at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. While studying at CUA, I was given the opportunity to serve as an editorial assistant at Communio: International Catholic Review, which was founded in 1972 by Hans Urs von Balthasar, Henri de Lubac, and, of course, Joseph Ratzinger. As an advocate of Ressourcement theology (or a “return to the sources”), Joseph Ratzinger helped to reinvigorate an appreciation for Sacred Scripture and the Church Fathers. While I had a deep and abiding respect for the theological and philosophical underpinnings of the Catholic Church, even as a Protestant, it was Ratzinger’s love for St. Augustine (a convert, himself) and, in particular, his spiritual Christology that not only paved the way for my conversion, but also deepened my love of Christ. I will miss Benedict XVI’s towering intellect, spiritual acumen, and humble service. Requiescat in pace. (Matthew 25:21)

— Adam John Carlisle, M.A., M.T.S.
Secretary for Evangelization and Communication
Diocese of Metuchen
 

Truly Good Shepherd
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was a great friend of the Ordo virginum. We remember him with love and thanksgiving. We also pray for him as he himself asked, “Pray for me, so that the Lord, despite all my sins and insufficiencies, welcomes me into the eternal dwelling.”

The Feb. 2, 2023 issue of the Lamp will be devoted in tribute to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and will re-print the text of his address to the Ordo virginum in Rome in 2008.    

I thank our Eternal Father for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, his gift to the Church. I thank God for his wisdom and his unwavering faithfulness to the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ, the doctrines of the Church and for leading his flock in clarity of the Father’s will.

Pope Benedict was a true light in the darkness. Our heroic and courageous Pope Benedict was “like a bright-ringing bell, a clarion call of truth, in a darkened age.”

With the rest of our universal Church, we mourn the loss of a truly Good Shepherd, but our mourning is tempered with the hope of the Gospel which Pope Benedict preached with such eloquence. I further appreciate his extraordinary intelligence and knowledge coupled with Christ-like meekness and humility. He truly served according to the inspired words of his episcopal motto as one of our Lord’s “fellow workers in the truth (3 Jn 8)

— Helen Qua, Consecrated Virgin

 

“Renaissance” Man
We, the Sisters of Mercy at Mount Saint Mary in Watchung, would like to express our sincere gratitude for the many years of love and service that Pope Benedict XVI gave to the People of God through the Church. Benedict was a “renaissance” man – accomplished in theology and scripture, music, history and life.

We would also like to convey our appreciation for the “courage” it took for Pope Benedict to decide, for the good of the Church, to retire and become the first Pope Emeritus in 600 years. His help and support to Pope Francis during his retirement was inspirational - indispensable during this very difficult historical time in Church and in society.  Benedict’s contemplative spirit during his years in retirement proved to be an excellent model for people of all ages.  We pray and wish Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI, peace and love as he remains forever in the arms of a loving God.

— Mercy Sister Alice Swartz and Sisters of Mercy at Mount St. Mary.