I was in the presence of Pope Benedict XVI three times, twice while he was pope and once before he was chosen to lead the Catholic Church. In 1986, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger came to Manhattan to make a philosophical presentation at a Lutheran church. He was considered a controversial figure because he was the head […]
by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – In one of his last public appearances, Pope Benedict XVI told an overflow crowd in St. Peter’s Square Feb. 24 that his upcoming retirement does not mean he is abandoning the Church, but that he will be serving it in a new way, through prayer and meditation. […]
With great emotion His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI celebrated his final Sunday prayers in St. Peter’s Square, restating his conscientious conviction that his decision to retire is from the Lord. “If God is asking me to do this, it is precisely so I can continue to serve with the same dedication and love as before […]
You can call him Pope Emeritus or Pontiff Emeritus. He’ll wear the white cassock but not the red shoes. He’ll live out of view of the public in what used to be a cloistered convent. These are some of the things that we know about Benedict XVI’s future as he “retires” from the papacy. There […]
by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) — On his last full day as pope, Pope Benedict XVI delivered an unusually personal and emotional farewell address, thanking the faithful around the world for their support and assuring them that he would remain in their service even in retirement. “I will continue to accompany the […]
The New York Times ran a column this past week asking the question about whether or not Benedict XVI will still be infallible when he retires. The answer, of course, is no! Only the reigning pontiff is infallible and only when he makes a definitive statement about faith or morals. In fact, the Holy Father […]
Christ Our Hope was the theme of Pope Benedict XVI’s apostolic journey to the U.S. in 2008. The six-day trip, April 15-20, began in Washington, D.C., and concluded in New York City. The Diocese of Brooklyn was present to welcome the Holy Father when he arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport… While in New […]
by Father Raymond P. Roden In the late 1960s when many religious sisters reclaimed their baptismal and family names, Sister Mary Marcellus, C.S.J., became Sister Mary Anne Ricioppo, C.S.J. Curiously, the name didn’t stick. It was one of those funny things in a time of whirlwind change that she continued on as Marcellus in spite […]
by Father Robert Lauder 11th in a series In re-reading Pope Benedict’s Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2011, pp. 362), I found some of the statements that the Holy Father makes about the Risen Christ especially interesting. Reflecting on my own experience of […]
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The Sistine Chapel sounded a bit like a nursery Jan. 14, as Pope Benedict XVI baptized 20 babies, whose crying provided a constant accompaniment to the two-hour Mass on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Referring to the day’s reading from the Gospel St. Luke, which recounts the baptism […]
