VATICAN CITY — Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the shy German theologian who tried to reawaken Christianity in a secularized Europe but will forever be remembered as the first pontiff in 600 years to resign from the job, died Saturday. He was 95.
Allentown Diocese Bishop Alfred Schlert recalled Pope Benedict as "a gentle, affable shepherd" and a "champion of clarity" on church teaching.
Pope Francis will celebrate his funeral Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Thursday, an unprecedented event in which a current pope will celebrate the funeral of a former one.
Bishop Schlert said a special Diocesan Memorial Mass for the Pope Emeritus will be scheduled at the Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena, 18 W. Turner St., Allentown. Bishop Schlert will be the main celebrant and homilist. Details will be announced when they are available.
“Together with Catholics and all men and women of good will, the priests, deacons, religious men and women, seminarians, and the lay faithful of our Diocese mourn the loss of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI,” Bishop Schlert said, in commenting on the passing of the Pope Emeritus, who died in Rome.
“He was a faithful son of the Church, and he used his considerable spiritual and intellectual gifts in service of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He was a champion of clarity regarding the constant teachings of the Church.
“Like many who met him, I found him to be a gentle, affable shepherd who truly cared for the person standing before him.
“May Pope Emeritus Benedict receive the reward of the good and faithful servant, as our prayers accompany his soul to Eternal Life.”
Benedict stunned the world on Feb. 11, 2013, when he announced, in his typical, soft-spoken Latin, that he no longer had the strength to run the 1.2 billion-strong Catholic Church that he had steered for eight years through scandal and indifference.
His dramatic decision paved the way for the conclave that elected Francis as his successor. The two popes then lived side-by-side in the Vatican gardens, an unprecedented arrangement that set the stage for future “popes emeritus” to do the same.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
