It has been made known to us in the media that Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI is no more. He passed away after a brief age related illness at Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican on 31st December, 2022 at 09.34 a.m. We also learnt that the Former Pope Benedict XVI's Funeral will take place on Thursday,
5 January, 2023. His Holiness Pope Francis will preside over the Funeral Service.
The Late Pope Benedict was a great Pope, sometimes referred to as one of the greatest theologians of our time. For nearly 25 years, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict was the powerful Head of the Vatican’s Doctrinal Office, formerly known as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).
He was a confidante of St. Pope John Paul II, who elevated him to the rank of Cardinal in 1977 and, eventually, succeeded him, taking the name of Benedict XVI in 2005. He stunned the world by resigning in 2013 — the first to do so in six centuries. Thus, he paved the way for the election of the present Holy Father Pope Francis.
We, in the Archdiocese, will pay our respect, homage and condolences to this great Pope when we offer a Requiem Mass on Monday, 2nd January, 2023 at 6 p.m. at St. Francis Xavier’s Cathedral. I request Priests, Religious and Lay faithful to participate in it in large numbers.
May I also request the Parish Priests to make the announcements in all the Masses on the New Year’s Day, and also circulate it in their Parish WhatsApp Groups.
The Priests and Religious are kindly requested to confirm their presence by calling or sending an SMS to Rev. Fr. John Antony, Parish Priest (Mob. No.77604 12320) or to Rev. Fr. Edwin Shylendra, Assistant (Mob. No 96116 37422).
My prayerful and cordial blessings to all of you.
✠Rev. Dr. Peter Machado
Metropolitan Archbishop of Bangalore,