Montreal — Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI He is remembered in Canada for his wit and religious influence on the Catholic Church, which he led for nearly nine years.
Cardinal Thomas Collins praised the 95-year-old former pontiff, who died at his home in the Vatican on Saturday, for his astonishing intelligence.
“His writings would help guide Jesus’ disciples through the centuries,” Collins – Whatever Works archbishop of toronto – said in a statement. “As pope, he led the universal Church with wisdom and holiness, providing a clear and loving message on how our faith can inspire us and guide us through the storms of life’s journey.”
Benedict XVI, first pope to resign in 600 years, dies aged 95
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At a Saturday afternoon mass, Collins told the faithful that Benedict’s theological work showed that he was “in love with the Lord”.
“There was a fire and a beauty and a glory in his teaching, this man of God’s word could touch the hearts of those who heard him and those who read his writings,” he said.
Bishop William McGrattan of Calgary said that Benedict’s writings drew on a deep knowledge of scripture and the work of other theologians, but remained accessible to many Catholics.
He said in an interview, “I think Pope Benedict will be known for his teaching, for the contribution he made to the Church’s reflection on scripture and theology.” “He was very simple, very direct, and could explain very deep things in very simple, intelligible ways.”
McGrattan, who became a bishop when Benedict was pope and met the late pontiff on several occasions, said he would continue to hold Benedict in prayer.
The German intellectual, theologian and prolific writer was known as a reluctant pope, becoming the first to resign in 600 years.
His dramatic exit in 2013 paved the way for the election of Pope Francis, who will preside over Benedict’s funeral on Thursday, marking an unprecedented moment in papal history for a retired pope to be eulogized. Collins said he plans to attend the service.
While Francis has taken different positions than his predecessor on many issues, the reigning pope has said he appreciated the pope emeritus’ presence at the Vatican, describing him as a “wise grandfather”.
Monseigneur Christian Lépin, Archbishop of Montreal, said Benedict was a man of faith who sought dialogue with people who had different faiths.
“He was a man of conviction, but at the same time he always wanted to be a man of dialogue, conviction I would say was first, but dialogue was not far behind.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also praised Benedict’s work as a theologian.
“His Holiness Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI dedicated his life to the service of his faith. He was an accomplished theologian and scholar, and he was an inspiration to millions,” Trudeau wrote on Twitter. With Catholics and all who mourn his passing.”
McGrattan, vice-president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Canada, said before his election as pope, Benedict saw a need for the church to address sexual abuse in a more transparent, outspoken way. And as the cardinal responsible for the doctrine of the faith, he said Benedict changed the way the church dealt with allegations of sexual abuse.
“He called it an ‘open wound’ on various occasions, he met victims of sexual abuse and, I think that was the beginning of not just gestures, but concrete action that, under his pontificate, the Church began to deal with, And Pope Francis is following that path,” McGrattan said.
Benedict also visited survivors of the residential school in 2009, and in 2012 canonized the first indigenous saint in North America.
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, born in 1656 to a Mohawk father and Algonquin mother, is the patron saint of the environment and indigenous peoples. A shrine containing his relics is located in a church in Kahnawake, near Montreal.
In 2005 Joseph Ratzinger was elected the 265th Pope. After his retirement, Benedict was criticized in an independent report commissioned by the German Church for his handling of four cases of abuse while Archbishop of Munich.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on December 31, 2022.
— The Associated Press, with files from Mathieu Paquette and Ello Gauthier Lamothe in Montreal and Jordan Omstead in Toronto.
© 2022 The Canadian Press