Among the more than 50,000 people in St. Peter’s Square Jan. 5 for the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori, who said the subdued nature of the liturgy was at the request of the retired pontiff, the first to resign the papacy in more than 600 years.
“I think Pope Benedict explicitly requested that his funeral rites be celebrated with simplicity,” the archbishop said via Zoom from Rome, shortly after the funeral.
“I think it was a noble simplicity. It was beautiful and it allowed the liturgical prayers to speak for themselves, as he would have wished,” he said.
Also in attendance at the funeral was Cardinal Edwin F. O’Brien, archbishop emeritus of Baltimore and grand master emeritus of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher.
Pope Francis presided over the Mass and Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, was the main celebrant at the altar, according to Catholic News Service. Some 120 cardinals, another 400 bishops and 3,700 priests concelebrated. More than 1,000 journalists, photographers and camera operators from around the world were accredited to cover the funeral in St. Peter’s Square.
A number of visitors told Catholic News Service that banners and flags were being confiscated by security upon entrance. Of the few flags and banners that did make it past security was a white cloth with “Santo Subito” (“Sainthood Now”) written in red and a “Thank you, Pope Benedict” written in light blue in German.
Asked whether he thought Pope Benedict will eventually be declared a saint, Archbishop Lori said, “I think there is a widespread perception of his goodness, his integrity, his lifelong discipline and his generosity in placing his abundant gifts entirely at the service of the church. People perceive this, and I think that is what lies behind those ‘Santo Subito’ signs and calls that we saw.
“I was not surprised to see them,” he added.
The archbishop said he thinks that Pope Benedict “will be remembered as one who combined great learning, encyclopedic learning, depth of learning with pastoral, love and pastoral care – making great thoughts, deep thoughts and perceptions about the faith available to a wide swath of people.”
Above all, the archbishop said, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, even before he was elected to the papacy, made accessible to millions of people around the world – believers and nonbelievers alike – the person of Jesus Christ, particularly through his many writings.
In his capacity as bishop, archbishop and supreme chaplain of the Knights of Columbus, Archbishop Lori had many occasions to meet with Cardinal Ratzinger, and later as Pope Benedict.
“He was always gentle, he always focused on the person he was with. When I received the pallium (a symbol of the office of archbishop, which Archbishop Lori received in Rome in June 2012 after coming to the archdiocese), he remarked to me of his own accord that Baltimore is the first diocese in the United States. I didn’t bring it up, he brought it up – and he said that to me several times.”
He said that as Supreme Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus, he often accompanied the Supreme Knight on visits to the pope. “It was almost as though he remembered our conversations from year to year. And no matter how tired he was, no matter how he might have been feeling or what he was going through, he gave us his undivided attention and was the soul of graciousness.”
Archbishop Lori said that this visit to Rome – which lasted only a little more than two days – was really a pilgrimage of sorts – an opportunity to thank God for raising up leaders such as Pope Benedict and a moment to renew trust in divine providence, that God is loving and caring for the church.
“It was an opportunity to realize anew the depth, the beauty, the truth and the goodness of the faith which flows from and is centered upon the person of Jesus Christ – all things that Pope Benedict’s life bore witness to,” he said.
Email Christopher Gunty at editor@CatholicReview.org.
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