The message of the Argentine Bishops’ Conference after the death of Benedict XVI

The bishops met in Episcopal Conference of Argentina This Saturday they greeted Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died in Italy at the age of 95, and thanked him for his “service to the Church”.

They did so through a statement released by the organization, which bears the signature of the president of the Argentine Bishops’ Conference, Monsignor Oscar Ojeda; the 1st Vice President, Marcelo Colombo; the 2nd Vice-President, Carlos Azpiroz Costa; and the general secretary, Alberto Bochatey.

“The Argentine bishops, united with all the faithful holy people of God, pray for the eternal rest of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who left today for the Father’s house”, the document begins.

In it – which adds to the message circulated via his official Twitter account, where they posted an image of him announcing his death – they highlighted his “generous dedication” until the end of his life and his “greatness” in deciding to step down February 2013.

“We give thanks for his service to the universal Church, with generous dedication and until the end of his life, with his robust faith, his unshakeable hope and his exemplary charity. Firmly rooted in Christ, he has offered the Church a magisterium that nourishes his journey as a pilgrim and evangelizer”, they underlined.

And they added: “When the fragility of his health did not allow him to continue to carry out his mission entirely, he had the greatness to resign in service of the Church he loved so much”.

Finally, they concluded with a reference to Pope Francis, who will preside over the funeral of Benedict XVI next Thursday.

“Since then he has been able to take care of her with his assiduous prayer and intercede for her with God; in the words of Pope Francis, ‘it was a grace that sustained and sustains the Church’. may it not cease to shine for him, Christ, Good Shepherd. May the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, her patron, and all her saints come to meet her to enter the abode of God”, concludes the Argentine Bishops’ Conference.

The death of Benedict XVI

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died on Saturday 31 December at the age of 95. As reported by the Vatican, the death occurred at 9:34 am Italian time, in the residence of the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery.

He was a historical character of the Church, a great theologian, who for forty years was at the forefront of the Vatican’s leadership. First, since 1981, as Cardinal Custos of Doctrinal Orthodoxy and Church Discipline.

Joseph Ratzinger was the trusted man of St. John Paul II, practically the number two in the Church for importance and influence in the long 26 years of Karol Wojtyla’s pontificate.

The Polish Pope guided him in his succession by appointing him dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals, which allowed him in 2005 to lead the 115 cardinals who elected him in two days in the Sistine Chapel with the name of Benedict XVI.