Pope Benedict XVI – May He Rest In Peace…
From Vatican News
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has returned to the Father’s House.
The Holy See Press Office announced that the Pope Emeritus died at 9:34 AM on Saturday morning in his residence at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, which the 95-year-old Pope emeritus had chosen as his residence after resigning from the Petrine ministry in 2013.
“With sorrow I inform you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away today at 9:34 AM in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican. Further information will be provided as soon as possible. As of Monday morning, 2 January 2023, the body of the Pope Emeritus will be in Saint Peter’s Basilica so the faithful can pay their respects.” Continues…
Editor writes…
The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI brought us the election of Francis. Pray for the soul of Pope Benedict!
While we look back with regret at the resignation of Benedict, we must not forget that his pontificate was far from perfect. There were scandals then, too, which we reported and for which we were denounced. When the outcry began against Pope Francis and his antics, we pointed out that the way had been prepared for his scandalous pontificate by his two immediate predecessors, Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict, who – despite the media hype describing them as “hardliners” – were popes in the modernist mould.
This, not to attack Benedict or to cause ill-feeling but to remind us all of the need to pray for him as he faces his Maker. We recall, with gratitude, his restoration of the Traditional Latin Mass in the face of active hostility when he published Summorum Pontificum. But we recall, too, that he asked us to pray that he “would not flee for fear of the wolves” , – which, sadly, is exactly what he did in the end when he resigned from the papacy. Our Lady of Fatima, Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for him. May he rest in peace.
Your thoughts…
Comments (37)
Sad news today. May Pope Benedict XVI rest in peace.
May he Rest in Peace. The last man to sit on the throne of Peter ordained priest in the pre-Vatican II rite. Summorum Pontificum was, for me, his most valuable legacy – but this was quickly and disgracefully trashed by Bergoglio, the man whom the act of quitting facilitated.
Very sad to hear this news this morning. I’m praying for a merciful judgment. May he rest in peace.
Benedict XVI and the Unfinished Mission of Fatima
https://gloria.tv/share/MyZ6BzjDxfPS3rJXXmFXKHv4M
I’ll certainly pray for the repose of Benedict’s soul, I hope God will be merciful to him.
Editor, the man has been dead a matter of hours and your tone is one of judgement and criticism. Let his frail body get cold at least before you get on your high horse. There’s a time and a place for such commentary, in the hours following someone’s death it is just inappropriate.
Michael,
I explicitly said that I was not attacking Pope Benedict but seeking prayers for his soul and that precisely because a pontiff – any pontiff – will need all the prayers he can get at his judgement, even without the scandals of the Benedict pontificate. As for “tone” – it’s been a while since I’ve had that particular criticism thrown at me but tone is all a matter of subjective judgment. Me, I don’t see anything wrong with the tone at all.
I knew, of course, that critics would “get me” on the fact that I did not simply post a flowery commentary but I tend, at such moments, to recall Our Lord’s words when he was slapped during his trial before the High Priest: “If there is something evil in what I say, point it out. Otherwise, why do you strike me?”
You needn’t answer this question, of course, but I’m curious (and if the answer is “yes” I won’t take it further) but are you, by any chance, the same Michael McGinley whom I knew in my youth?
Editor,
You’ll never find out now if that is the same Michael McGinley you knew in your youth. After giving him that roasting, he’ll never admit to it, LOL!
Lily,
It ain’t necessarily so, as the song goes. If, in fact, the above named Michael McGinley is one and the same Michael McGinley whom I knew in my youth, he’ll not take my remarks as a “roasting” (if he did, I’d get a roasting back!) but rather a simple rebuttal, a rejoinder.
In fact, if he doesn’t return to deny, I’ll assume he is, indeed, the one and the same very nice, much admired acquaintance from my youth, married to another very nice acquaintance from my youth. And in case I’m right (yet again 😀 ) allow me to wish them both, and their family, a very happy New Year.
Christ is Born!
Dear Madam Editor,
I remember when BXVI was elected in 2005. We had the TV on at work and when it was announced I fell to my knees in joy. When BXVI announced his resignation I cried. It was like losing my dad.
This morning when I heard on the radio that BXVI had died, I cried again.
May Our Lady intercede for him before the throne of God.
Blessed repose and eternal memory!
Wishing you and the entire CT family a Happy and Blessed New Year!
Yours in the Infant King,
Margaret 🇺🇸
Editor
Just to wish you a Happy New Year from the real Michael and Maureen. Hope you are well. Michael says he agrees with the sentiments of his namesake. He doesn’t do emails hence why I am answering in his place.
God bless from Michael and Maureen
Maureen,
Welcome! Great to hear from you! I suspected that Michael McGinley was YOUR Michael McGinley!
I take it you (i.e. Michael) means he agrees with the other Michael, the one without a surname… That’s a bit of a shame because among my favourite words on this blog are “Editor, you are right” and “Editor, I agree with you” – or better still, “Editor you are so right again and I agree with you wholeheartedly” 😀
Thank you for indulging my curiosity – I am delighted to hear from you and wish you every grace and blessing (and maybe a lottery win) in the New Year! 😀
God bless.
Michael McGinley,
I’m sorry to say that it’s you being uncharitable by telling editor off for writing her commentary. She could have gone into detail about some of the scandals caused by Pope Benedict but she didn’t so I don’t know what you think is uncharitable about her “tone”. You need to be more specific.
This is indeed sad news. I will add my prayers to the repose of his soul. May he rest in peace.
It is a reminder of the responsibilities of priests of all ranks for they carry a heavy responsibility for the souls in their care. And we have a responsibility to pray for priests.
It is indeed sad news and I will add my prayers too for the repose of Benedict XVI. May he rest in peace. I remember as a child to pray for priests as they carry heavy responsibility for the souls in their care.
Dear Friends
May Benedict RIP.
Like all of us, l pray that the Lord will forgive his human frailties (we all possess them) and take him to Our Father’s home.
In the spirit of Charity, Benedict was an integral part of the life of the Church at the highest levels since the 60’s. He understood profoundly the major issues doctrinal, ethical, liturgical, pastoral that the Church faced systemically both internally and externally and it’s response to a rapidly developing irreligious world that felt
l think he dealt with them as well as he or any human being could, given the resistance he constantly faced. I remember he once remarked to a Vatican insider that his real authority began and ended at his office door. His poor health and ultimately his resignation are understandable.
I know others will strongly disagree and take issue with my thoughts. That’s their prerogative.
However l say this in complete charity and humility, the laity will never fully know substantively speaking the constant pressures he faced and the problems he had to deal with in terms of their content, scope, which were local and global.
As a deeply holy man he understood all to well the substantive degree of systemic evil operating within the life of the the World, the Church and the Catholic faithful all sustained and promoted by the evil one.
He defended the Church’s teaching on marriage, sodomy and abortion. He challenged the dictatorship of relativism etc etc.
His love for the Lord was clear to everyone. A man who never wanted the papacy, thrust into a situation with all its challenges that would have been difficult enough even for a younger and healthier personality of which he was the opposite.
I pray for his soul and ask the Lord to forgive his weaknesses, frailties and all that effects each of us as a consequence of concupiscence.
RIP Papa Benedetto
Every blessing
Michael 🙏
Michael,
Your charity is praiseworthy – but you put your finger on the key issue when you note that the then Cardinal Ratzinger was a man who never wanted the papacy.
And thus – knowing that he was going to be facing “the wolves” – surely, he should have refused the honour. The Cardinal receiving the most votes is, I believe, asked if he will accept the office. He doesn’t need to accept it. Knowing what he knew, having worked so closely with Pope John Paul II for many years, knowing where the bodies are buried, so to speak, Cardinal Ratzinger should have said “no, thank you” and run for the hills.
It’s not about “weaknesses and frailties” – nobody should be criticised for those; we’re all weak and we’re all sinners. What if that principle were held in other walks of life… this or that doctor, teacher, CEO, you-name-it, is but human with his/her faults and failings so what if that doctor, teacher, whoever isn’t doing their job properly? So what? They’re only human. We can see the nonsense in that, yet everyone, it seems, applies such undeveloped thinking to those who hold the highest office in the Church.
The only reason we need a pope in the first place is to “confirm the brethren”- make sure that the bishops, priests and everyone in authority within the Church are passing on the Faith, using the power of discipline in the cases of those who refuse fidelity to Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life, those who dissent and cause scandal. That’s why we need a pope. Not to be a diplomat, an envoy travelling the world in public relations’ stunts. None of that is necessary. Appoint me, I could do that and I wouldn’t charge much. 😀
To repeat: it’s not about overlooking a pope’s human frailty – that is irrelevant. The fact is, Benedict asked us to pray that he would not flee from doing his duty of office for fear of the wolves (I give the link to that source above somewhere, probably the intro) which shows us that even on the first day of his pontificate, he was aware of the dangers he faced. Yet, flee the wolves is exactly what he did, leaving the door wide open for his successor – the worst ever pontiff in the history of the Church. Enter Francis, and God help us all.
Benedict is gone now and we must pray for his soul, assuming that by the grace of God he is, at least, safely in Purgatory. But it is wrong to write off such requests for prayers as being necessary only because of his human faults and weaknesses. No, it’s much more serious than that. The judgement of any pope will be severe. It’s not helping him to pretend otherwise. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him, may he rest in peace.
Sad news indeed, but at least he seems to have had a peaceful end to his life.
Requiescant in pace.
In my own opinion ( and is of course only my opinion) Pope Benedict ran the great race under terrible oppression He kept the Faith. To me His resignation to let the Bergoglions in was an offer He couldn’t Refuse.
Like the ED am not so keen on saying that when everyone Dies they go to Heaven but Benedict Couldn’t keep the Ravishing Wolves at Bay and they now control the Vatican which they have turned into a Den of Iniquity. He will be Judged Fairly. God have Mercy on Him. The best thing I can do is offer prayers for His Soul. I will offer up our Latin Mass next Thursday in repose of His Soul.
God Willing.
I prayed for the repose of his soul. I suspect he was a very conflicted man, unable to deny what his reason told him about the Vatican II disaster, yet still admiring such destructive people as Teilhard de Chardin. Getting back to an old topic, frankly, I wish there had been some sign of such an inner conflict in Bishop Sheen, but I never saw any indication of it.
I imagine there are numerous “Bene-vacantists” out there who are now at a loss for a new novel opinion. I hope they don’t all turn into Sedevacantists….
RCA Victor,
I’m not sure that Benedict was conflicted – remember, he (quite shockingly) promised unconditional obedience to Francis when he was elected and he must have known that he was an out and out liberal, to put it mildly. In any case, nobody should ever promise unconditional obedience to anyone.
I believe he regretted his role in the SSPX business and I think his Preface to the French edition of Mons Klaus Gamber’s book on the liturgy (Reform of the Roman Rite) shows that he had regrets about the new Mass, but those examples apart, I don’t think he was too concerned about his role in the revolution. I could be wrong, hope I am, but that’s how I see it at the moment. It’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind, though, so watch this space 😀
Editor,
Interesting parallel between Our Lord’s Passion and what happened to Pope Benedict, including the aftermath of his resignation. All the Apostles fled from the wolves, as it were, upon Our Lord’ arrest in the Garden. Peter then followed Him and denied Him.
Peter then repented, shed copious tears, and affirmed his love for Our Lord three times.
Benedict fled from the wolves; the Pope who followed him has denied Our Lord repeatedly by his scandalous words and deeds. Perhaps there will be a repentance coming….?
ED do you really believe that Pope Benedict had a choice in
2013 to allow the Bergoglion Wolves into rafish our Catholic Church. As I said He was Given ( Mafia Style) an Offer He Couldn’t Refuse.
Bergoglio and His Wolves knew the Money that could be made especially from China. Pope Benedict being a Catholic would never have let the Chinese Communist Party choose Cardinals and Bishops and the Bergoglions knew it . He had to go one way or the other. I believe that Pope Benedict thought He would maybe have been of more use living than Dead . That He bowed to Bergoglio is now a thing between Him and His Judge.
But in fact he DID flee from the ravening wolves, abandoning us to those who were salivating like Pavlovian dogs at the chance to wreak havoc on Holy Mother Church. It seems — for some unknown reason — that the revolutionaries were waiting for Pope Benedict to die before mounting their final assault on the Faith. Have you noticed how every time, in the last ten years, Francis pushed beyond the pale of what we could ever imagine, there was a kind of restraint and even a bit of a walk-back? It happened with the LGBTQ issue, it happened with the female priest issue, and it even happened with Traditionis Custodes to a certain extent. In fact Traditionis Custodes has not been enforced as we all expected it to be. Francis and his cronies have been holding back from a full-scale and broad-frontal attack. Was it that Pope Benedict was still alive and could possibly have gotten word out as he did with his collaboration with Cardinal Sarah on the book “From the Depths of Our Hearts” in 2020? For him to have done this, despite papal-minder Ganswein being required to keep the “Pope Emeritus” in check, was nothing short of a miracle. For some inexplicable reason, Pope Benedict’s presence in the Vatican was itself enough to be an unspoken restraint on the destroyers. Now I fear it will happen — sooner than later. As Shakespeare put into Marc Antony’s mouth: “Cry ‘havoc’, and let slip the dogs of war.” Or are they the dogs of hell? God have mercy on us. And Happy New Year!
Dear Editor
I believe that Benedict XVI knowing all that was going on in the Church and the ravenous wolves etc in his election to the Petrine office saw in this a clear sign that God was calling him to serve him in that capacity and he accepted the role in humility and fidelity to the Lord, knowing full well what he was confronted with in all it’s complex natural and supernatural reality.
I do believe that his health ultimately failed him and in an additional spirit of humility resigned his office again in a spirit of faith and trust in the designs of providence. He knows that ultimately Christ is sovereign in the Church, he is merely Our Saviour’s vicar on earth.
I think his actions are rooted in a deeper and more supernatural understanding of all that is happening in the world, the Church etc and he knows that regardless of Pope Francis etc etc the Lord will intervene in his own time and calm the storm just as he did on earth when the Apostles were loosing faith and heart by being overwhelmed with the storm overwhelming the boat.
I do think in the years ahead people will see more clearly the deeper meaning of his role and actions as Pope and his great humility throughout that period.
I pray for the repose of his soul RIP
Every blessing
Michael 🙏
It is right that we should all pray for the repose of the soul of Cardinal Ratzinger (formerly Pope Benedict XVI), for God alone knows his soul and God alone is his sole judge. But it’s also right at this time that we should reflect on the impact (both good and bad) that this prelate had on the Church for more than 60 years.
If ever there was a misnomer title attached to Cardinal Ratzinger, it was the title “God’s Rottweiler”, as though he were some champion of the faith and witchfinder general. He was in fact a timid man, a quiet intellectual who disliked confrontation of any kind. He was also a very influential liberal peritus during Vatican II, the priest in collar and tie alongside his infamous liberal friends, Karl Rahner, Hans Küng and Edward Schillebeeckx. Many have forgotten over time how much harm these men of the new theology did to the Faith. These and others were instrumental in spreading the poison of Modernism through the veins of the Church.
To his credit, Cardinal Ratzinger, from the mid 80s onwards, became alarmed by the ferocity of the liberalism he had helped to unleash and tried very hard to mitigate the damage. Sadly, rather than renounce and condemn destructive liberalism in its entirety for the poison it is, he chose to seek a middle ground, a kind of compromise between Tradition and Modernism, which he dubbed “the hermeneutic of continuity”. It was a catchy title for pie in the sky, for there is very little, if any, continuity in liturgy or doctrine between 19 centuries of dogmatic Councils and the 60-year-old pastoral Vatican II, which latter has more in common with the Protestant Reformation and French Revolution.
And so it was that, as Pope, Benedict XVI set about the task of introducing what he saw as a healthy rebalance in the Church, a kind of happy coexistence between the old and new liturgies, an attempt to gently discourage lay handling of the Blessed Sacrament and a forlorn clarion call to interpret Vatican II in light of tradition, which is equivalent to asking Communists to interpret Marx in light of Catholic Social teaching. Still, he did very well in rehabilitating the ancient Mass of the Church and making clear to all priests that they need not seek permission to celebrate this venerable rite.
The other good he did was to uphold fearlessly the Traditional moral teaching of the Church. Like Pope John Paul II before him, he stood opposed to all who attempted to subvert and pervert the morals of the faithful. However, unlike John Paul II, who refused to abdicate the Papacy despite grave pain and physical disability, Benedict fled under pressure when his duty of office was to imitate St. Peter himself, as had his predecessors throughout history. The example of St. Peter’s martyrdom was clear, yet he laid down the burden for a quiet life. He also did wrong in accepting the title “Pope Emeritus”, which is another of those Modernist innovations designed to undermine the office of the Papacy. There is no such position in the Church as “Emeritus Pope”. The two cases from history of Popes who abdicated the Papal office returned to being Cardinals. Nor did Benedict “resign” his office, which is again a Modernist play with words to insinuate that this sacred office is akin to that of a corporate CEO. He ADBICATED the Papacy because it is a monarchic office and that’s why he specifically used the word abdication in his letter of renunciation.
In summation, I agree with RCAVictor that Cardinal Ratzinger was a conflicted man. He was conflicted in mind between Tradition and Modernism, which explains why he was in some ways Traditional and in others Modernist and liberal. St. Pius X describes this split personality of the Modernist in his great Encyclical against Modernism – how they are one minute orthodox and the next heterodox.
All the Popes since Vatican II, from Paul VI to the present incumbent, share this spiritual schizophrenia, this compulsion for innovation against even the soundest teaching of their predecessors. We have seen as a result how this insanity has supplanted the great tree of Tradition with the mustard seed. And now, for the first time in Church history, a Pope is laying the axe to the great tree of Traditional moral teaching. Francis has his sights set on this goal and it’s all thanks to Pope Benedict XVI opening the way for his ascendancy.
I would say in summation that I write from what I know of these Popes; from their writings, their words and their actions. I do not, however, know what is in their hearts. God alone knows this and there may therefore be some mitigating circumstances in their regard which reduces or nullifies their culpability. I write of the fruits as I see them but God knows the tree.
I will certainly pray for Cardinal Ratzinger’s soul, reminded of the good he did do in the latter years and the further good he wanted to do. But I don’t think any of us can pretend that the damage done to the faith by the younger Ratzinger and his fellow liberals was inconsequential. It was enormous and lasting and it gave us Pope Francis and a hierarchy largely now lost to Tradition.
Athanasius,
Well and eloquently said, and a very balanced perspective. Regarding Fr. Ratzinger in collar and tie at the Council, I seem to remember that Abp. Lefebvre objected to his presence as a peritus; apparently his reputation, to that point, had preceded him.
I remember thinking of Pope Benedict, after Summorum, as a “gentlemanly Modernist.”
I also recall the lightning strike on the dome of St. Peter’s (though I don’t remember the exact timing) – a clear warning to us, it seems, about what was about to transpire.
RCAVictor
I think you’re right. If memory serves, Fr. Ratzinger and a number of others were on a Vatican watchlist of those suspected of heresy, yet they were permitted, against normal rules, to participate in Vatican II. Not only were they allowed to participate, they were given prominent and influential roles as theological and liturgical advisers. No wonder the Council went pear shaped!!
The one difference between Fr. Ratzinger and the others was that he was, as you say, he was more of a gentlemen Modernist. The others were largely in-your-face liberals who were not backward in the doctrinal thuggery department. Also, by the mid ’80s, Ratzinger had definitely swung back a bit towards Tradition, which is why the great apostate Hans Kung, his former partner in crime at the Council, cut him off.
As regards the lightening strike on the Vatican, if memory serves there were two such strikes; one upon the announcement of Benedict’s abdication and another when Francis was elected as his successor. God was not, and is not, pleased with the machinations that have gone on!
I can clearly remember the lightning strike on the day Benedict abdicated – even the BBC reported it! But not on the day Francis was elected. There was another strike but it was in 2016 Feast of the Rosary – I can’t find anything for the day of Francis’ election.
https://aleteia.org/2016/10/07/lightning-strikes-dome-of-peters-basilica-on-feast-of-our-lady-of-the-rosary/
Laura
You’re right, there was no lightening strike when Francis was elected, it must have been my fertile imagination together with a wee bit of wishful thinking. There was only one lightening strike and that was on the day Benedict XVI abdicated. That was significant enough, though. It was either Our Lord showing His displeasure at Benedict’s abandonment of duty or a warning of what was coming next. I favour a combination of both. Frankly, after 9 years of Francis on the Chair of Peter, I’m surprised the lightening strikes aren’t more frequent and more targetted on Casa Sancta Marta!
Athanasius,
LOL! A few lightning strikes on Casa Sancta Marta would have been great, right enough!
https://remnant-tv.com/video/782/benedict-xvi-rip-he-restored-the-latin-mass?channelName=RemnantTV
WF,
Just what you would expect from Michael Matt – unite the clans, no matter what! I think it’s a bit of an exaggeration to call Benedict the saviour of the traditional Mass but he has a point in that we wouldn’t have had the priests given the freedom to say the old Mass without permission from the bishops. Then again, Francis has changed that. Sigh.
Josephine
One wonders if Benedict realised late in life the error and the abuses of the new rite including it’s devastating effects on the life of the Church and laity.
I suspect though l can never prove it, that Summorum Pontificum was an effort to restore a sense of the organic liturgical dignity and respect for the adoration of God in accordance with the Tradition of the Church which had been seriously eroded since the closing of the Council.
Sadly his successor has demonstrated a complete lack of pastoral charity in this regard with his own views and subsequent actions
Every blessing
Michael 🙏
Michael,
I do think that Benedict realised later in life – too late really to put things right – that the new Mass was having deadly effects on the faith, there can be no doubt about it. Whole families have children who are lapsed and grandchildren who will not be raised as Catholics. Someone will have to account for those souls at judgment.
As for his successor – I have no words for him that are printable.
I agree about Michael Matt – he does some great videos but I knew he’d take the middle road on this news. Also, I wish he’d get rid of the La Salette statue on his desk – it’s awful. The crying Lady doesn’t sit well with me at all. I’m very doubting about La Salette and anyway Fatima is obviously the key apparition for these times. Why doesn’t he see that or is it a case of just wanting to be different? I am being uncharitable, sorry!
I’ve read online that some priests have refused to give Holy Communion on the tongue to people at Pope Benedict’s funeral. Lots of the priests in the queues received in the hand but remember, even when Pope JP II, in a wheelchair, received from Cardinal Ratzinger, he received on the tongue, so it’s no use excusing those priests because they are ordained. It sets a bad example, IMHO.
I wonder if they have seen this video of Bishop Schneider on his shock at seeing Communion in the hand for the first time? It’s worth spreading around, IMHO.
I head that, too, that people were refused Communion on the tongue at the funeral. It’s scandalous. Pope Benedict made it clear that he wanted CoT – it’s the only way to avoid the sacrilege of particles of the Host being left on the hand or falling to the floor and being trampled underfoot. How many priests (and lay people) do not believe in full the dogma of the Real Presence? They treat the Eucharist like a piece of bread because that’s all they think it is.