Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI Photo: CTV |
We know that there are many people who
dislike Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Many Catholics believe that he was harmful
to the Church and they have done everything possible to ensure that the whole
world knows their feelings in this regard. Some have gone as far as to described Pope Francis as
the saviour that the Church needed in order to halt any further disintegration of the Church caused by
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
So what does Pope Francis think about Pope
Emeritus Benedict XVI? Is Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI someone we should be glad
to see the back of?
Pope Francis said, during the press conference on his way from from World Youth Day, this of Pope Emeritus Benedict
XVI: “I love him so much. I’ve always
loved him. For me he is a man of God, a humble man, a man who prays. I was so
happy when he was elected Pope.”
He went on and explained that when Pope Benedict XVI gave his resignation he saw in this action: “an
example of greatness! A great man. Only a great man does this! A man of God is
a man of prayer.”
He also told those at the press conference
that he thought of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI as a “Father”. He explained that having Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI living
in the Vatican close to him was the same as “having a
grandfather at home”.
There is no doubt that the Holy Father does
not share the negative sentiments that some Catholics have towards Pope
Emeritus Benedict XVI. In fact it is quite clear that he feels exactly the opposite
of what these people feel.
Pope Francis should be an example to those
Catholics who are trying to press home their particular agenda in
the Church by using Pope Francis' fresh style as the means to do so. Pope Francis, like Pope Emeritus
Benedict XVI and Blessed Pope John Paul II before him, is “a child of the Church.” These are Pope Francis' words.
Pope Francis is not going to change but is instead going to uphold the teaching of the Church, just
like the popes before him did. Catholics must follow his example. We must obey
the Church. We must give up our selfish need to persist with our own divisive topics, like women priests and same sex marriage, which have already been definitively
settled by the Church. Instead we must focus on the many important areas that do need our
attention.
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