Homily of the Apostolic Nuncio
Mass in Thanksgiving for the Life and Ministry of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
Notre Dame Cathedral-Basilica, Ottawa
January 5, 2023

Dear Archbishop Damphousse and brother Bishops,
Distinguished Representatives of the Public Authorities,
Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Leaders and Members of Faith Communities,
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

At the inauguration of his ministry as Supreme Pastor of the Church in April of 2005, Pope Benedict XVI preached about the Gospel that we have just heard, saying: “One of the basic characteristics of a shepherd must be to love the people entrusted to him, even as he loves Christ whom he serves.  “Feed my sheep”, says Christ to Peter, and now, at this moment, he says it to me as well.  Feeding means loving and loving also means being ready to suffer.” (cf. Homily at Inaugural Mass – April 25, 2005). Throughout his Pontificate, Benedict XVI returned often to this intimate and necessary connection between love and service, both in his words and in his example.

       As a scholar well-acquainted with the life and writing of St. Augustine, Pope Benedict would have been familiar with Augustine’s words about the primordial power of love:  Pondus meum, amor meus – my love is my weight; where it goes, I go.  Love is an affirmation of the intrinsic value of life itself and it is love that motivates a person to make progress, to find value and significance in giving of oneself, both for the benefits that come from such giving, as well as for the benefits that such loving confers upon others.  Only from such a love can our lives grow and flourish.  For disciples, because Christ has shown us how to love by giving his life, we can say as St. Paul says:  Caritas Christi urget nos – the love of Christ urges us on! (cf. 2 Cor 5:14).

Dans sa première encyclique Deus Caritas Est, le pape Benoît XVI rappelle la parole de saint Jean, à savoir que Dieu est amour, et affirme que cet amour, ancré dans notre nature humaine, peut nous rapprocher de Dieu et les uns des autres.  

Nous avons vu cet amour à l’œuvre aux différentes étapes de la vie du pape émérite. Cet amour s’est manifesté tout d’abord dans sa vie familiale, en Bavière, marquée par une profonde piété liturgique, puis dans sa réponse à un appel au sacerdoce ministériel et, après son ordination, dans sa poursuite d’une vie consacrée à la recherche et à l’enseignement.

En tant que prêtre, il a été conseiller théologique lors du Concile Vatican II. Dans les années qui ont suivi ce Concile, il en a été un des interprètes les plus autorisés, soulignant sans cesse qu’il fallait le concevoir non comme une rupture avec la tradition, mais comme un prolongement naturel de celle-ci. Il a toujours insisté sur le fait que l’âme du Concile résidait dans le désir d’une communion ecclésiale plus profonde et, pour chaque fidèle, dans un appel à la sainteté de vie, cette sainteté étant le prélude nécessaire à l’évangélisation d’un milieu social et culturel en constante évolution. 

In another expression of love and obedience, he gave up his academic career and accepted the appointment as Archbishop of Munich, and then to Rome to carry out his service as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.  In this latter capacity, he assisted Pope St. John Paul II in the carrying out of his teaching office. When he turned 75 in 2002, Benedict expressed his desire to retire to Bavaria and to a life of study and writing, but once again, love constrained him to remain in service to the Church universal, a task he carried out until the momentous days of April 2005, when his brother Cardinals elected him Roman Pontiff. 

Many wondered how the shy and retiring professor and curial Prefect would fare in his new office as Successor of Peter.  He had no misgivings about himself on the day of his election, introducing himself as “a humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord”. 

But what a great gift was this humble worker to the Church!  He was welcomed enthusiastically by young people at the World Youth Days in Cologne, Sydney and Madrid.  Who can forget the poignant images of Benedict visiting Auschwitz, the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, and Ground Zero in New York.  Here in Canada, we recall Benedict’s encounter with leaders and representatives of First Nations communities, who recalled how moved he was to sorrow at their testimony.  During the Year of St. Paul, the Year of Priests and the Year of Faith, during these, he provided a wealth of theological and spiritual teaching and commentary.  And there were the three encyclical letters of his Pontificate, Deus Caritas Est, Spe Salvi, and Caritas in Veritate.

       Finally, it was love – love of God and love for the Church – that compelled Pope Benedict to do something that had not been done in six hundred years: to renounce the Office of Successor of Peter!  He showed great humility in this decision which echoed the words of John the Baptist – “He must increase and I must decrease.” (cf. John 3:30).    

What is the legacy of Pope Benedict?  Yesterday morning at his Wednesday General Audience, Pope Francis said: “I would like us to join with those [in St. Peter’s] who are paying tribute to Benedict XVI and address my thoughts to him, who was a great master of catechesis. His sharp and graceful thinking was not self-referential, but ecclesial, because he always wanted to accompany us to the encounter with Jesus. Jesus, the risen Crucified One, the Living One and the Lord, was the goal to which Pope Benedict led us, taking us by the hand. May he help us to rediscover in Christ the joy of believing and the hope of living.” (cf. General Audience, January 4, 2023).

Pope Benedict reaffirmed the relationship between faith and reason, always proclaiming the unchanging truth of the Gospel to the today’s world, whether to lands of great affluence, or of material or spiritual poverty, or those suffering great social injustices; he was aware of the great modern scientific and technological achievements, but also of the threats to human welfare and dignity: religious, social, or otherwise. Throughout his pontificate, he offered deep insights in the worlds of culture, governance, international relations as well as to the ecumenical and interreligious dialogue.

Dans son testament spirituel, Benoît XVI affirme ce qui suit: « J’ai vu et je vois comment […] le caractère raisonnable de la foi a émergé et émerge encore. Jésus-Christ est vraiment le chemin, la vérité et la vie – et l’Église, avec toutes ses insuffisances, est vraiment son corps ». Lors de l’Année de saint Paul, il a rappelé que la conversion de ce dernier s’est traduite, non par un rétrécissement de sa vie, mais par son expansion. De la même manière, nous pouvons dire que la confession de foi au Christ de Benoît XVI ne l’a jamais coupé du monde. Au contraire, elle lui aura permis d’aller à la rencontre de gens appartenant à d’autres traditions religieuses et des personnes de bonne foi sur tous les continents. Ici encore, sa démarche était tout empreinte de respect et d’amour.      

Oui, comme ce fut le cas pour Pierre, le poids de l’amour a été tel chez le pape Benoît qu’il a été appelé à fréquenter de nombreux endroits qu’il n’aurait jamais autrement fréquentés. Mais c’est par cet amour qu’il a voulu rendre gloire à Dieu. En union avec le pape François qui, ce matin, a présidé la messe de funérailles du pape Benoît XVI, nous prions : « ‘Père, entre tes mains nous remettons son esprit’. Benoît, ami fidèle de l’époux, puisses-tu être comblé de joie en entendant sa voix, maintenant et à jamais! »

 Amen.