Dear Loyola community,
This morning Pope Francis presided over the funeral of his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
Like the rest of humanity, popes are complex, and obituaries note Pope Benedict’s complexity, including his many flaws. (Here is an obituary by an early biographer and personal reflections from a more critical source.)
The Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities marked Pope Benedict’s passing by noting “his love of education; his commitment to serving the poor; his formidable contributions to theological reflection; and his dedication to the global Catholic Church.”
I would add concern for creation; some dubbed him the “Green Pope” (see his 2009 World Day of Peace message, “If You Want to Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation”). An intellectual of astonishing breadth, he was moved by artistic and natural beauty and devoted his first encyclical to love. “In a world where the name of God is sometimes associated with vengeance or even a duty of hatred and violence, … I wish in my first Encyclical to speak of the love which God lavishes upon us and which we in turn must share with others.”
Among his last words as pope in 2013 were, “I am simply a pilgrim beginning the last leg of his pilgrimage on this earth…. But I would still … like to work for the common good and the good of the Church and of humanity.” Pilgrims encounter obstacles and have to adjust course, which Benedict did as pope. His most daring adjustment was resigning, the first pope to do so in almost 600 years.
Our prayers are with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI today. May we on our own pilgrimage through life advance his commitment to the good of the Church, humanity, and all creation.
Tom Ryan
Interim Vice President for Mission and Identity
