\u201cOur Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has gone to heaven. In this moment, as we mourn his loss, we celebrate his life, because it was a life given in service to Jesus Christ,\u201d Los Angeles Arc\u2026<\/b>
\nSouthern California clerics \u00a0paid tribute to former Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday, Dec. 31 after the 95-year-old\u2019s death was announced by the Vatican.
Los Angeles Archbishop Jos\u00e9 Gomez will lead a special Mass in the Archdiocese \u201cfor the faithful to commemorate the life and death of Pope Benedict XVI,\u201d a spokesperson said Saturday, with details to be released later.
\u201cOur Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has gone to heaven. In this moment, as we mourn his loss, we celebrate his life, because it was a life given in service to Jesus Christ,\u201d \u00a0Gomez said.
\u201cI know there will be more for me to reflect on about this beautiful man and great figure in the Catholic Church of our times. But in this moment, I find myself giving thanks to God for his witness and recalling the words that he spoke in his inaugural homily: \u2018The purpose of our lives is to reveal God to men. And only where God is seen does life truly begin. \u2026 There is nothing more beautiful than to be surprised by the Gospel, by the encounter with Christ. There is nothing more beautiful than to know Him and to speak to others of our friendship with Him,\u201d Gomez\u2019s statement continued.
\u201cMay Our Lady wrap him in the mantle of her love, and may the angels lead him into paradise, and may he rest in peace.\u201d
Benedict, who was elected pope in 2005 and resigned in 2013 due to health problems, died after a period of ill health, the Vatican announced Saturday without providing further details about his death. His funeral is scheduled for Thursday in St. Peter\u2019s Square.
Cardinal Roger Mahony, Archbishop Emeritus of Los Angeles and Gomez\u2019s predecessor, also released a statement Saturday praising Benedict.
\u201cHe was a grand gift from God to the Church, and his many years as a priest, a theologian, an Archbishop, and a Pope, created a tapestry of holiness, wisdom, compassion, and integrity,\u201d Mahony said.
\u201c\u2026 As Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith beginning in 1981 he blended sound theology with compassionate pastoral practice. Over the years he was Prefect I had several occasions to write him a personal, non-official letter, about some pastoral issue in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He welcomed informal consultation about issues affecting people\u2019s lives without submitting a formal case or petition. He saw us as brother Bishops and he would always send back a fraternal letter offering some possible avenues forward to resolve the matter.\u201d
Pope Benedict was criticized by some for his handling of the Catholic church\u2019s massive child sex-abuse scandal, but Mahony defended him on that score.
\u201cWhen the clergy sexual misconduct scandal erupted he was very helpful in getting norms and regulations changed in order to handle these cases more quickly for the protection of young people and the processes needed to deal with clerics who had been found guilty of their crimes and sins,\u201d Mahony wrote. \u201cAs Pope, he helped change Canon Law to assist in the entire process more rapidly.\u201d
As a member of the College of Cardinals, Mahony will travel to St. Peter\u2019s Square to attend Benedict\u2019s funeral, a spokesperson for the LA Archdiocese said.<\/p>\n