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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Archbishop of Abuja Catholic Archdiocese, Most Rev Ignatius Kaigama, on Thursday, led a Holy Mass at Our Lady Queen of Nigeria Pro-Cathedral, Abuja, to honour the late Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI.
The Mass coincided with the funeral Mass held at same time in St Peter’s Square, Vatican city, Rome, led by Pope Francis, for the late Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, who died on December 31, 2022, at the age of 95.
Archbishop Kaigama, in his homily, described late Emeritus Pope Benedict as a man who made profound theological contributions to the Catholic Church and the world; one who was a theological advisor during the Second Vatican Council and Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, but above all, a man of prayer.
He said the entire world has a lot to learn from the late Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, particularly in the area of promoting peace and unity among global population irrespective of religion, race, social and economic status, and other differences.
“Late Emeritus Pope Benedict focused on the goal of bringing God back to the centre in a world where faith was on the verge of dying out. (Letter to the Bishops of the whole world written on 10th March, 2009) and where the dictatorship of relativism was strong. He also stressed the need to purify the Church,” the Archbishop said.
“A recurring theme in his many talks and writings was the link between faith and reason. He believed that faith pre-supposes reason and perfects, and remains a journey that should not become an ideology that can be manipulated. Faith should be transmitted by attraction and not by proselytism or imposition and not reduced into a philosophical system into an architecture of ideas, into a list of moral norms, ending up forgetting that the Christian faith is the encounter with a Person [Jesus]
“Pope Benedict faced up to the issues of sex abuse with clarity and determination, listening to the victims and establishing appropriate norms and procedures, as a response to stop the abuse. He taught with clarity the Church’s traditional positions on issues like abortion, contraception, homosexuality, euthanasia and the priesthood.
“His first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est (God is Love), stressed the importance of inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue, and he worked to build bridges between Christian and other faiths, especially Islam. He was also very committed to Ecumenical dialogue and Church unity.
“After his surprise resignation, Pope Benedict XVI left the Vatican briefly and was rarely seen in public. He kept himself busy praying in the monastery. He pledged obedience to Pope Francis and he kept that promise and avoided the lime light. He and Pope Francis had a very warm relationship.”
