Gulf Pine Catholic

18 Gulf Pine Catholic • January 20, 2023 At funeral, pope remembers Benedict’s ʻwisdom, tenderness, devotion’ BY CAROL GLATZ VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- 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 prede- cessor’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, ten- derness 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 communi- ties. Jewish and Muslim organizations also sent delega- tions. 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. The vestments and stoles were red in keeping with the color of mourning for deceased popes. Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, who turns 91 Jan. 13, was allowed to leave China to attend the funeral of Pope Benedict, who had made him a cardinal in 2006. The retired cardinal was arrested in May and fined in November together with five others on charges of failing to properly register a now-defunct fund to help anti-government protesters. More than 1,000 journalists, photographers and camera operators from around the world were accred- ited 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. Just as Pope Benedict dedicated his pontificate to directing the faithful’s focus to the person of Christ, Pope Francis dedicated his homily to Christ’s loving devotion and suffering witness as the “invitation and the program of life that he quietly inspires in us,” rather than on a summary of his predecessor’s life. Pope Francis spoke of Jesus’ grateful, prayerful and sustained devotion to God’s will and how Jesus’ final words on the cross, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit,” summed up his entire life, “a ceaseless self- entrustment into the hands of his Father.” “His were hands of forgiveness and compassion, healing and mercy, anointing and blessing, which led him also to entrust himself into the hands of his broth- ers and sisters,” he said. “Father into your hands I commend my spirit,” the pope said, is the plan for life that Jesus quietly invites and inspires people to follow. However, he said, the path requires sustained and prayer- ful devotion that is “silently shaped and refined amid the challenges and resistance that every pastor must face in trust- ing obedience to the Lord’s command to feed his flock.” “Like the Master, a shep- herd bears the burden of inter- ceding and the strain of anoint- ing his people, especially in situations where goodness must struggle to prevail and the dig- nity of our brothers and sisters is threatened,” said the pope. “The Lord quietly bestows the spirit of meekness that is ready to understand, accept, hope and risk, notwithstanding any misunderstandings that might result. It is the source of an unseen and elusive fruitful- ness, born of his knowing the One in whom he has placed his trust,” he said. “Feeding means loving, and loving also means being ready to suffer. Loving means giving the sheep what is truly good, the nourishment of God’s truth, of God’s word, the nourishment of his presence,” Pope Francis said, quoting his predecessor’s homily marking the start of his pontificate April 24, 2005. “Holding fast to the Lord’s last words and to the witness of his entire life, we too, as an ecclesial com- munity, want to follow in his steps and to commend our brother into the hands of the Father,” he said of Pope Benedict. “May those merciful hands find his lamp alight with the oil of the Gospel that he spread and tes- tified to for his entire life.” “God’s faithful people, gathered here, now accom- pany and entrust to him the life of the one who was their pastor,” the pope said. “Together, we want to say, ‘Father, into your hands we commend his spirit.’” “Benedict, faithful friend of the Bridegroom, may your joy be complete as you hear his voice, now and forever!” he concluded, as the crowd prayed in silence. Among the people in the crowd was Georg Bruckmaier who traveled nearly 10 hours by car to come to the funeral from his home in Bavaria, not far away from where the late pope was born. Wearing a Bavarian flag around his back, he told CNS , “There are a lot of Bavarians here today, I’ve seen people I know from university. I wanted to be here for the atmosphere.” SEE BENEDICT FUNERAL, SEE PAGE 21 Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re sprinkles holy water on the coffin of Pope Benedict XVI as Pope Francis looks on during the late pope’s funeral Mass in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Jan. 5. CNS photo/Vatican Media