Bishop Duca fondly remembers Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was remembered as a humble servant who opened up the Gospel for people so they can live in the freedom to love as sons and daughters of God during a memorial Mass celebrated by Bishop Michael G. Duca at St. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge on Jan. 5. 

In his homily Bishop Duca fondly remembered his ad limina visit with Pope Benedict. At the time Bishop Duca was the bishop of the Diocese of Shreveport. 
“This is my first ad limina visit, the visit that (bishops) make to the Holy See to present a ‘state of the union’ report of the diocese but also to make a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Peter,” said the bishop. 

He noted that St. Peter stands as a reminder to “stay connected with our roots.” 
“We wear red because this Mass marks a celebration of St. Peter as well, a celebration of St. Peter, the rock,” said the bishop. 

He noted during the visit the bishops of Louisiana were sitting in a circle and then the bishops had an opportunity to ask questions. 

“(Pope Benedict) was very soft spoken but he answered every question with clarity,” said Bishop Duca. “He didn’t back down from questions and even offered some speculative and creative answers, and he was considering the future.” 

Despite the fact that the pontiff was older, Bishop Duca pointed out that Pope Benedict’s mind was “sharp and alive.” 

During that visit, the pope stood patiently as the bishops preceded through and had their pictures taken, far from the human tendency to think of the pope as a Rottweiler or “the enforcer.” 

“Today I remember him as our Holy Father. And there’s really no way we can fully think about the generous gift he was to the church,” Bishop Duca said. 

Pope Benedict was a major influence as a theologian in the Second Vatican Council. His immense amount of work will continue to be something people will continue to plumb the depths of for years to come, the bishop said. 

Part of the generations of bishops that lived through the Second World War, the rise of communism and the world’s changes “that have come and gone since then,” Pope Benedict was also one of the last popes with roots that are “grounded in that part of history,” Bishop Duca said. 

He noted that news reports highlighted the fact that in his homily at the funeral Mass for Pope Benedict, Pope Francis only mentioned the deceased pope’s name once (and then as a “faithful friend of the bridegroom”). But Bishop Duca said he would not be surprised if Pope Benedict wished it to be that way. 

“I can imagine he would have wanted that kind of humble presence,” said the bishop, noting when people talk about him he would not want them to “lift me up” but to “lift me up in prayer, for I am a humble servant.” 

“But we’re all servants and in some ways, we are always coming up short and always in need of prayer,” the bishop said. 

When Bishop Duca reads Pope Benedict’s writings he said he is surprised by the pontiff’s insight and the way in which he worded things so concisely and beautifully. 
“I had to marvel at his insight,” said the bishop. 

He also noted that if one picked up Pope Benedict’s writings not knowing where the writings came from, one would think it was Pope Francis, because he spoke highly of the need to be evangelists and for renewal in the church. 

The bishop said the pope’s public ministry is summed up in “one small but very important” Aramaic word: “Ephphatha.” 

“Ephphatha means ‘be opened,’ which sums up Christ’s entire mission,” Pope Benedict had said in one of his Angelus addresses. 

The pontiff dwelled on the Gospel of St. Mark, in which Jesus takes a deaf and dumb man aside, touches his ears and tongue, looks up to heaven and says with a deep sigh, “Ephphatha.” 

The bishop underscored the pope’s observations that the “closure of man” and his “isolation” are not solely dependent on the sensory organs. It’s more of an “inner closing” that covers the deepest core of the person, which the Bible refers to as “the heart.” Jesus came to liberate and open people so they can live fully in their relationship with God and others. 

Pope Benedict has said “God opens us up so that we might hear the voice of God and the voice of love speaking to our hearts.” 

Bishop Duca emphasized that these are not the words of “an enforcer” but someone who is proclaiming the good news and is someone who is in love with the Lord. Pope Benedict was someone who knew that the heart of the Gospel is to free us from sin that separates us from God and others and to free us from the fear of death by giving us hope of eternal life; not to be afraid of physical death but to die to self so we can be reborn and to grow in a deeper ability to love; to live freely as sons and daughters of God, which is to love as God as he loved us first. 

There is a sense that the Gospel is not a Gospel of judgment, said the bishop, but a call to be sons and daughters of God, which is liberating and freeing.  

This understanding of the Gospel also helps people better understand the heart and mind of Pope Benedict, said the bishop. He encouraged the attendees to follow the path of Pope Benedict who opened the Gospel in a new and inspirational way. 

“Let us thank God for him but let us also pray for him that God will receive him quickly into the kingdom of (heaven) and that he will find his place as that good and faithful servant,” said the bishop. 

He then lead the congregation in the Eternal Rest Prayer.