The Bible readings at the Mass were in Spanish, English and Italian, and the prayers of the faithful at the Mass were recited in German, French, Arabic, Portuguese and Italian. Nearby Karolina Hejka, a Polish woman, was standing alongside a bright pink floral suitcase and an overnight bag; she also said being present for the funeral was a surprise. Bryan Medlin in the Gaylord Diocese. Being able to see and pay homage to the late pope made the group part of a really incredible piece of history, he said. WASHINGTON (OSV News) Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Ronald W. Gainer of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who is 75, and has appointed Auxiliary Bishop Timothy C. Senior of Philadelphia to succeed him. Catholic school students from five elementary schools in Lackawanna County recently came together to make sure no local child will be without a proper celebration for their big day. I think it truly symbolically closes the earthly symbiosis of the two popes the Polish and German pontiff, added Yago de la Cierva, professor at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. When we read his writings, or heard him preach, or saw him celebrate the Mass, we really saw a man that cares for his sheep and gives us an example of how to care for ours, he said. Although they traveled some 10 hours to pay their final respects to the late pope, the mood in St. Peters Square in the hours leading up to the historic funeral was much more festive than somber. Allison Van Pelt, who has served as an altar server and sacristan at Saint Jude Parish, believes the morals and values taught in scouting help to empower young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in our world today. May those merciful hands find his lamp alight with the oil of the Gospel that he spread and testified to for his entire life., Gods faithful people, gathered here, now accompany and entrust to him the life of the one who was their pastor, the pope said. Before the doors opened to the general public, Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, the archpriest of the basilica and papal vicar for Vatican City State, accompanied Italian President Sergio Mattarella and his entourage and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and other government ministers to pay homage to the late pope. Hannah OConnor from Rhode Island credits Pope Benedict as being instrumental in her conversion during college, where we read a lot of Ratzinger., His writings and pontificate were an important part of my journey, she said, and I hope that people keep encountering his works and are brought to the one church through beauty, thats what really drew me in., Sugey Viramontes from Mexico told CNS that, without a doubt, his example of simplicity, and above all how he spent his last few years, always in prayer, is a great example for us young people., Inside the basilica, staff and security kept visitors moving smoothly and quickly, letting people stop before the popes remains long enough to make the sign of the cross and take a picture or two before being asked quietly to Please, move along.. I think we can add our little part to this ceremony by playing some music from Bavaria, the kind of music Benedict grew up with.. The Mass booklet features a color reproduction of Caravaggios Deposition or entombment of Christ a 17th-century masterpiece housed in the Vatican Museums. Some traditions connected with the death and burial of a pope will be followed, Bruni said, such as three objects being deposited in the popes casket before he is buried: his palliums, coins and medals minted during his pontificate, and a rogito or scroll that summarizes in Latin the highlights of his papacy. Past synods have included women as non-voting auditors, a group that included many women. Just one example includes charges against Fr. A damp chill hung in the air at 9 in the morning when the doors of the basilica opened to the public on the first of three days to view the popes body. The vestments and stoles were red in keeping with the color of mourning for deceased popes. The Ad Altare Dei program centers on the Sacraments and the program for the Pope Pius XII emblem helps scouts explore vocations (single, married, religious, ordained) and ministries in the Church as calls from God. However, we do not lose hope because we have faith in God, who in Jesus Christ has opened for us the way of peace, he said. After public viewing of his body ends the evening of Jan. 4, Pope Benedict will be placed in a traditional cypress casket, following a traditional ritual, Bruni said. However, many took advantage of the large nooks and niches in the basilica to press up against a wall or barricade and linger just a little while longer. Bishop-elect Walsh therefore leaves the scandal-ridden Diocese of Scranton in the wake of allegations against Fr. Bryan Medlin in the Gaylord Diocese. On the day after the announcement of Bishop-elect Walsh, the Diocese released a belated statement regarding Fr. Bryan Medlin, who is accused of inappropriate text messaging to minors. I remember one press conference with Joseph Ratzinger in the Holy See Press Office, de la Cierva said. That day changed my life and left a mark that has endured to the present day, the pope wrote. He attended St. Rose of Lima Elementary School and graduated from Lansdale Catholic High School in 1977. Pope Francis blessed the casket and laid his right hand on it in prayer, then bowed slightly in reverence before it was taken inside for a private burial in the grotto of St. Peters Basilica, in the same tomb that held the remains of St. Pope John Paul II before his beatification. Born in 1927, Joseph Ratzinger was raised in a Germany struggling to recover from the first World War; Adolf Hitler came to power when the future pope was only 7. Among 2023s ordinands, the elementary school (32%) and high school (26%) years were the peak periods for them in first considering a vocation, followed by the college years (19%). Each grade brought in something small to contribute and created the completed bags that we then donated to local food pantries, Liz Devine, elementary school guidance counselor, explained. Perhaps he may have been educated in what not to do with regard to wayward priests when they are under the care and leadership of a Bishop. My family is Catholic, so I had seen (Pope Benedict) a lot on television. Ive traveled around the world to go to celebrations that hes been a part of, so I wanted to be here for this, she said. While based on a traditional papal funeral, he said, it will have some new elements that give the rite its originality and some missing elements, which are those that are more pertinent to a reigning pontiff.. However, many dignitaries including Queen Sofia of Spain and King Philippe of Belgium and presidents and government ministers representing more than a dozen nations were in attendance, as were most of the ambassadors to the Holy See. Holding fast to the Lords last words and to the witness of his entire life, we too, as an ecclesial community, want to follow in his steps and to commend our brother into the hands of the Father, he said of Pope Benedict. As the doctrinal guardian office of the Catholic Church, it also is handling cases of clerical sexual abuse. We realize that we are beloved sons and daughters of the one Father, and we come to see ourselves as brothers and sisters of one another.. Even if their characters seemed a world away, Pope Benedict was similar to St. John Paul in many aspects. Cardinal You Heung-sik told reporters that Pope Francis truly gives an excellent example of what a Christian vocation is, not just as a bishop or priest, but as a person who has encountered Jesus and joyfully shares the faith with others. In an age of flaunted raw ambition, he did not cling to power. The number of delegates each conference can elect depends on the size of the conference. This humility grounded him through the trials, difficulties, and controversies of his varied and demanding life, poured out for Christ and the saving truth of our beautiful Catholic faith., Pope Benedict XVI also was a man of true humility who radiated quiet, authentic joy in Christ, said Ukrainian Catholic archbishop Borys Gudziak of Philadelphia in a Facebook post written originally in Ukrainian. mesurer votre utilisation de nos sites et applications. Text APP to (570) 826-1616. VATICAN CITY (CNS) It is intolerable that conflict and wars are still raging in Ukraine and other parts of the world, Pope Francis said on World Peace Day. Bishop Senior served as the moderator of the curia for the archdiocese from 2009 to 2012, when Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, then head of the Philadelphia Archdiocese, appointed him rector of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. In scouting, I have the Scout oath and the Scout law and in the church we have all of the teachings from the bible and the scriptures and all of these give me a very good point of view to follow and they really help guide me throughout my life, Van Pelt said. Ask the Lord to console him and sustain him in his witness of love for the church until the very end, Pope Francis had said at the end of his general audience. Elected St. John Pauls successor April 19, 2005, it said, he presented himself as a humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord' when he greeted the crowds from the central balcony of St. Peters Basilica. Pope Benedict had wished his funeral to be simple, Bruni had said, emphasizing it would be solemn, but sober. Pope Francis will preside over the funeral Mass in St. Peters Square and Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, will be the main celebrant at the altar. Greg Loughney, who found soliciting young boys for sexual favors. Now, rather than the Union of Superiors General selecting 10 voting members, the office said, it will elect only five priests or brothers. Mark Spalding of Nashville, Tennessee, noted Pope Benedict XVI was well prepared to serve when elected to lead the Church as successor to St. John Paul II, and that his strength and compassion carried the world through periods of moral, political, and societal challenges on the firm footing of the depth and breadth of Catholic teaching., Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, called on his diocese to both unite in prayer for the retired pope as they mourn and also give thanks to God for Benedicts example and witness.. After Loughney was charged with soliciting underage males, he was removed from ministry following significant negative publicity.