Archbishop Timothy Broglio, the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, said that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI helped lead the Church to “a more profound love of truth and the mystery of God,” on Saturday.
“While we grieve that he is no longer with us here, I join Catholics everywhere in offering my profound gratitude to the Lord for the gift of Pope Benedict XVI and his ministry,” said Broglio, who heads the Archdiocese for the Military Services. “Together we beg Our Lord to grant him eternal rest.”
Benedict XVI served as pope from 2005 to 2013. He was the first pontiff to resign from the papacy in nearly six centuries.
“The passing from this life of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI sounds contrasting notes of sorrow and gratitude in my heart,” Broglio continued.
“The Church gives thanks for the treasured ministry of Pope Benedict XVI,” the archbishop said, calling him “an effective teacher of the faith.”
Broglio remembered Benedict as “a superb theologian” who gave his talents to the Church as an expert, called a “peritus,” at the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s. He noted Benedict’s roles as a priest, university professor, archbishop, and cardinal.
“Generations will continue to be enriched by his books, discourses, and homilies,” Broglio commented. “They all reveal a depth of learning and reflection that is essential both in our time and in the future.” Benedict XVI’s voice, he added, helped deepen Catholics’ understanding and “led us all to a more profound love of truth and the mystery of God.”
“It will take many years for us to delve more deeply into the wealth of learning that he has left us,” Broglio said.