Local Catholics mourn passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict

Jan. 1—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Catholics in the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown are mourning the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died Saturday in Rome at age 95.

Benedict died in a Vatican monastery where he had been residing since shortly after he retired in 2013.

Diane Gorka, a member of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Johnstown's West End, said she loved Pope Benedict — including after he stepped down.

"I'm happy for him because he's in a better life right now and he's not suffering anymore," Gorka said, "and I always loved him even though Pope Francis is our current pope. I always had a soft spot in my heart for Pope Benedict, so we're going to remember him — always remember."

Gorka noted several characteristics of the pope that she appreciated.

"He was a traditionalist. He was a conservative," she said. "He was very polite and I respected him.

"I was sad when he retired. A lot of us were very sad, but we always pray for our clergy and at the very tippity-top as I continue to pray for Pope Francis and Pope Benedict."

The Very Rev. Matthew Baum, of St. John Gualbert Cathedral in downtown Johnstown and St. Patrick Church in the city's Moxham section, said that the pope is being mourned as he is one of the fathers of the church.

"I think the big thing is Pope Benedict was the pope, and as the pope, he's the Holy Father — and so as a whole church, we're mourning the passing of one of our fathers ... and that's one of the most important things to remember," Baum said. "The church is a family. He is our father and has been our father, and so right now, with his passing, we're mourning him."

Baum noted that the pope had a number of accomplishments in his short tenure.

"He did a great number of things for the church," Baum said. "Was he perfect? No. But what human being is? But he did work hard and he did pave a lot of new ground for the church.

"He was the first pope to reach out to abuse victims in any way, and that was a huge accomplishment. Was there more? Maybe, but he did something, and that's important, and we shouldn't lose sight of that.

"Otherwise, Pope Benedict kind of had really big shoes to follow. John Paul II, who was pope for over 20 years and was pope as communism fell and these huge world events, and here steps in Benedict who was an amazing person in his own right. ...

"He was barely a kid when his 14-year-old cousin with Down syndrome was hauled off to a Nazi concentration camp while he was conscripted and, after two years, finally getting out (and) took that experience with him — and I don't think we realize what it must have been like to live in Germany when all that was happening, and he carried that with him his whole life."

Bishop Mark Bartchak said local observances will be held in the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown in the coming days, with the details to be announced.

"I am deeply saddened by the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI," he said. "Today, I join Catholics around the world in mourning the end of his earthly pilgrimage and celebrating his life of faithful service to the church."

Bartchak said that over the years he had been inspired by the pope emeritus as a theologian.

"I was privileged to meet Pope Benedict in Rome on two occasions in 2011, the second of which was especially memorable to me," he said. "Upon seeing me in a simple black habit that I had to borrow because the airline lost my luggage, he asked me if I was a Benedictine. It immediately occurred to me that the Pope knew the difference between a Benedictine habit and a cassock, but this was his way of engaging in a lighthearted conversation with me.

"When I explained my predicament to him, he shared humorous stories of his own travel experiences, including lost luggage. Nearly an hour later, Pope Benedict assured me that he was praying that I received my luggage that day, which I did.

"Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace."