Bishop McManus asks for prayers, praises faith and wisdom of late Pope Benedict XVI

WORCESTER — Diocese of Worcester Bishop Robert J. McManus asked for prayers for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died Saturday, and praised him for guiding "the Church through the rough seas of doubt, confusion and challenging ideologies, always presenting the tenets of our Catholic faith with wisdom and genuine pastoral concern."

Benedict, 95, served as leader of the Catholic Church from 2005, until his resignation in 2013 — the first pontiff to do so in 600 years.

“I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me,” he said at the time. He took the title of Pope Emeritus.

Benedict died three days after his successor, Pope Francis, warned the world that Benedict was gravely ill.

The Vatican announced that Pope Francis would preside at Benedict’s funeral in St. Peter’s Square in Rome on Thursday. From Monday, his body will lie at St. Peter’s Basilica to allow the faithful to pay respects.

Pope Benedict XVI was praised Saturday by world leaders and leaders of the church and other denominations.

Archdiocese of Boston Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley issued a statement, calling Benedict an “engaged leader, thoughtful in his decisions and always committed to the mission of the Church.”

"Jill and I join Catholics around the world, and so many others, in mourning the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI," President Joe Biden said in a statement Saturday. "May his focus on the ministry of charity continue to be an inspiration to us all."

"The German-born pontiff did not try to match the popularity of St. John Paul, but the millions of people who came to see him in Rome and abroad came to appreciate his smile, his frequent ad-libs and his ability to speak from the heart," said a Catholic News Service story about Benedict's death.

CNS is published by The Catholic Free Press of the Diocese of Worcester.

The full statement by Bishop McManus:

"The universal Church is profoundly saddened at the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, whose pontificate was an extraordinary gift to the Church and to the world. Ever the brilliant theologian and teacher, the late Pope Emeritus guided the Church through the rough seas of doubt, confusion and challenging ideologies, always presenting the tenets of our Catholic faith with wisdom and genuine pastoral concern. It is that same Catholic faith in the resurrection of Christ from the dead that gave our deceased Pope Emeritus and that gives us as well our only hope of future glory in heaven. I encourage all Catholics and all people of good will to pray for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in the coming days that he may be welcomed home to the new and eternal Jerusalem by the Risen Lord whom he loved and served so well. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.”

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Bishop McManus praises faith and wisdom of the late Pope Benedict