Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI “spread and testified to” the Gospel his entire life, Pope Francis told tens of thousands of people gathered Jan. 5 for his predecessor’s funeral Mass.

The theological writings and papal teaching of the late Pope Benedict XVI were and will continue to be a blessing to the Catholic Church, Pope Francis wrote.

Pope Benedict XVI made substantial contributions to theology and Catholic thought through his prolific writing, academic lectures and long-form interviews, say scholars who study his work.

In a Q&A with OSV News, author Peter Seewald takes a look at the legacy of the German pope he studied and who, he said, “will be canonized some day.”

Pope Benedict XVI was a “great teacher of catechesis” whose “sharp and gentle thinking” led others to encounter Jesus, Pope Francis said.

The Jan. 5 funeral Mass for Pope Benedict XVI will be a papal funeral with a few changes to fit with the fact that he was not the reigning pope and has not left behind a “sede vacante.”