Pope Benedict remembered fondly by many

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is being remembered by clergy members and the laity in the Diocese of Baton Rouge as one of the church’s great theologians who was clear in defining the teachings of the church, a man of humility with a love of others and whose teachings were imbued with a love for Christ.

Pope Benedict died Dec. 31 at the Vatican at the age of 95.

In a statement released Dec. 31, Bishop Michael G. Duca said he and Bishop Emeritus Robert W. Muench “join the faithful of the diocese in expressing deep sorrow at the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.” 

“His remarkable life spanned nearly a century, a tumultuous time in the history of our world and an era of great change in our Church,” the bishop said. “His contributions range from his participation in Vatican II, to his directing the publication of the new (Catechism of the Catholic Church), to his role in updating and publishing the Code of Canon Law.”  
Bishop Duca, who was appointed by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI as bishop of the Diocese of Shreveport on April 1, 2008, said the pontiff’s  papacy “followed that of one of our most revered Holy Fathers (St. John Paul II), and he dutifully assumed the role of the good shepherd, governing lovingly and with mercy but ever true to the Magisterium of the Church.” 

“Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI retired to a monastery at the Vatican to live out his days in prayer and meditation. May he now rest in God’s peace for all eternity,” the bishop added.  

“They always used to say in Rome that the people came to see (St.) John Paul II but they came to listen to Pope Benedict,” said Father Jeff Bayhi, pastor at St. John the Baptist Church in Zachary. “Pope Benedict, aside from being one of the first theologians at the Second Vatican Council, was a very, very brilliant  theologian. One of the things I will always treasure is that he was very clear about defining the teachings of the church. 

“And I think that his contribution was to create clarity, and when there is a lack of clarity people get very, very confused. And so I’ll always appreciate that.”

Judicial Vicar Father Paul Counce said Pope Benedict had a “minimal impact” canonically, saying the “few changes he introduced into canon law were mostly textual changes to reflect a greater theological accuracy.”

But Father Counce was quick to credit the pontiff’s influence with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, especially within its disciplinary section handling crimes involving sexual abuse of minors

“He insisted that responsibility for situations in which serious accusations were made in this regard not be left within the competence of the local bishop but instead be processed as the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith would determine,” Father Counce said.

Father Bayhi concurred, saying that he believes the unjust legacy of Pope Benedict was that he ignored some of the abuse problems in the church.

“He started from the top down,” he said. “I thought he started the work of addressing that. I thought he did a good job.”

Archbishop Emeritus Elden F. Curtiss of the Archdiocese of Omaha, Nebraska, recalled how on his first ad lumina visit with Pope Benedict the pontiff gathered the group of bishops in a circle and asked what issues each bishop was facing in his home diocese or archdiocese. 

“It was wonderful,” Archbishop Curtiss, who was in the Diocese of Baton Rouge at the time of Pope Benedict’s death, told The Catholic Commentator. “He listened to us and he dialogued with us and if he questioned something we would say, he said, ‘I didn’t understand what you are saying’ or, ‘You probably have a good point.’ ”

Archbishop Curtiss called Pope Benedict the best scholar the church has had for centuries, adding that his knowledge of the tradition and history of the church was phenomenal.

“He was a real scholar,” Archbishop Curtiss said. “He had a hard time accepting the papacy
because he was a scholar and enjoyed teaching and writing.”

Father Brent Maher, pastor at St. Agnes Church in Baton Rouge, said his first recollection of then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was during his first year in the seminary when he was assigned to read the cardinal’s book on Christianity.

“I was quite frustrated because I was new to theology and he was a profoundly intelligent man with deep insights that I couldn’t grasp,” Father Maher said. 

The next semester Cardinal Ratzinger was elected pope and from his first public appearance Father Maher said he knew he would love the new pope.

“His awkward wave in a grandfatherly fashion and his smile showed a genuineness to the man who clearly had been entrusted with something far greater than he desired,” Father Maher said. “As time passed and I began to read his writings, both before and after his election to the papacy, I began to appreciate him more and more.”

Father Maher said he devoured Pope Benedict’s encyclicals and other documents but none had quite the impact as “Summorum Pontificum,” the document allowing for the wider use of celebrating the traditional Latin Mass. Father Maher said his time in the seminary was his introduction to the Latin Mass and from that point he has developed an ever-deepening love of the traditional rites.

He celebrates the Latin Mass weekly at St. Agnes at 9:15 a.m. on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays. 

“I am not unique to this,” Father Maher said. “Pope Benedict identified that young adults all around the world were discovering the riches of the tradition and the traditional liturgy, and he generously opened the gates for us to celebrate with greater freedom the beauty of the sacred liturgy, both the old and the new.

“Celebrating the Traditional Latin Mass myself since the time of my ordination, I cannot overstate the formative experience it has been for me. It has shaped my understanding of God, the priesthood, the sacred liturgy, and nearly every facet of the church and the Catholic faith.”

Argentine Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of the Sciences in Rome who was a collaborater with then-Cardinal Ratzinger, said Pope Benedict was an important contributor to the academy in the sense to understand the importance of science but at the same time to put limits on science, for people to understand it is not the only knowledge available.

“We have other knowledge that is also very important, but we need science,” said Bishop Sanchez Sorondo told The Catholic Commentator. “We have the truth that comes from sciences that we don’t in the Bible, revelation religion.”

Bishop Sanchez Sorondo, who was delayed on a recent flight to Baton Rouge and spent the night in a terminal at Atlanta’s Hatfield Airport praying for his departed friend, also praised Pope Benedict’s significant contribution to the  Catechism of the Catholic Church. 

He said the pope was humble and intelligent but also kind in his relationships with others. He said he always listened to whomever he spoke with and worked well with his collaborators. 

Pope Benedict was also a talented pianist, Bishop Sanchez Sorondo said. He said playing the piano was one of the pope’s great loves.

“He had a saying about this,” Bishop Sanchez Sorondo said. ”He said the music is not only a living thing but is a form of elevation that could also be prayer.”  

Pope Benedict also had a profound impact on the laity, said Dina Dow, director of the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis for the Diocese of Baton Rouge. She said that as one of the leaders in the compilation of the Catechism Pope Benedict brought to the faithful his passion for the truth in Christ.

“His insights into the teachings of the Catholic faith are still disseminated today,” Dow said. “What’s most inspirational was his prayer and thorough deep dive into the sacred Scripture and the Mass, leading us to the true encounter with our Lord in his plan for salvation.”

She noted Pope Benedict was one of the pioneers of the new evangelization while serving as pope, as he consistently reiterated the treasury of faith, the importance of prayer and the presence to love in the name of Jesus Christ.

Father Maher said he is saddened that the world has lost one of the greatest minds and holiest men but he also mourns the loss of a man who he said in many ways made him the priest he is today. 

“Many priests consider themselves to be ‘JP2 Priests’; I consider myself a ‘Benedict XVI priest,’ or more simply, a spiritual son of Pope Benedict,” Father Maher said. “I cannot help but be happy for him at finally finishing the race of this earthly life and going to gain his crown. 

“Lastly, I rejoice for the church in the United States as we continue in this time of Eucharistic Revival because (Pope) Benedict XVI is sure to pour forth many prayers for its fruitfulness.” 

See the Visual Timeline of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's Life