Archbishop Lori, of Archdiocese of Baltimore, heads to Rome for funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
BALTIMORE - While the Catholic community continues to mourn the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Archbishop William Lori, from the Archdiocese of Baltimore, has traveled to Rome for the funeral.
Pope Benedict XVI, who died on New Year's Eve at the age of 95, will be laid to rest on Thursday in St. Peter's Square. An estimated 60,000 people are expected to attend with Pope Francis presiding over the ceremony.
The funeral will be livestreamed at 3:30 a.m.
"Pope Benedict was a man of deep faith and a keen intellect who placed his considerable gifts at the service of Christ and his bride the Church," Archbishop Lori said in a statement. "Early in his priesthood, this took the form of scholarship and teaching. We are grateful for his contribution to the great work of the Second Vatican Council. He went on to serve as a bishop and later as Prefect for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith. For eight years the Pope Emeritus served as Supreme Pontiff and since his humble decision to resign from the Petrine ministry, Pope Benedict's service took the form of a life of prayer for the needs of the Church and especially for our current Holy Father, Pope Francis."
The Archdiocese of Baltimore will host a special "Mass for the Deceased" for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, located at 5200 North Charles Street in Baltimore.
Bishop Adam Parker will preside over the Mass.
"As we remember Pope Emeritus Benedict's life and commend his soul to the Lord, I would invite all the lay faithful, religious, and clergy of the Archdiocese of Baltimore to join me for a special Mass for the Deceased on Wednesday, January 4 at 5:30 PM at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen," Archbishop Lori said. "In your charity, I would ask all to pray for the repose of the soul of Pope Emeritus Benedict."
Pope Benedict XVI is lying in state in St. Peter's Basilica.
Benedict had been in failing health and his successor, Pope Francis, said last week that Benedict was "very sick" and asked the faithful to pray for him.
Nothing defined Benedict XVI's pontificate so clearly as its ending, and his majestic farewell flight over the Eternal City. He had become the first pope in more than 700 years to voluntarily resign.
Benedict said that his mental and physical strength had deteriorated "to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to fulfill the ministry entrusted to me."
A naturally shy man, Pope Benedict XVI always said he had no ambitions to lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics. But he was chosen in 2005 to succeed Pope John Paul II. At 78, he took on the role as the oldest pope in nearly 30 years.
Born Joseph Ratzinger in a small town in Germany in 1927. He was required to join the Hitler Youth at age 14, and was conscripted into an anti-aircraft unit in the German army in 1943. He deserted, and was taken prisoner by the Americans.
He entered the priesthood after the war and rose to become a cardinal. In the powerful position as head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he earned the nickname "God's Rottweiler" as a rigid enforcer of church policy. It was a characterisation his biographer John Allen said Ratzinger worked hard to change.
