Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
While I’m saddened by the news of his passing, I consider myself fortunate to have had several opportunities over the decades to meet Pope Benedict. The first time was in the early 2000s when he was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. Years later, after he appointed me as Archbishop of Milwaukee, I received the Pallium from Pope Benedict in Rome. In 2012, I and hundreds of other U.S. bishops met with him during the USCCB’s Ad Limina visit to the Vatican.
I always found Pope Benedict to be quite gracious and humble, despite being the pontiff and the greatest theologian of the century. May he now rest in peace.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.
May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki
