The Diocesan Pastoral Center (DPC) gathered Jan. 5 for a special Memorial Mass for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
“Today we want to recognize for Benedict XVI that there was no one else, and nothing else, than Jesus Christ,” said Vicar General Monsignor Gerard Lopez, who was the principal celebrant of the Mass, during the homily.
“There’s a beautiful song that says, ‘O Lord, you are the center of my life,’ and that was the whole theology of Pope Benedict, that Jesus Christ was the only important thing for him, and that everything he did as priest, as bishop, as Pope, was focused on the mystery and revelation of the Lord,” he added.
Msgr. Lopez pointed out the important role Pope Benedict XVI played in our Diocese, as he appointed as bishops both Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Rutilio del Riego in 2005 and Bishop Alberto Rojas in 2011.
After the Mass, Bill Lemann, the Diocese’s attorney, shared the story of his interaction with Pope Benedict XVI in 2006. It is a tradition that a pope will occasionally swap his zucchetto (the white skullcap worn by popes) when presented with another one. Lemann had bought a zucchetto in Rome, just in case, and went to one of the Pope’s weekly addresses in St. Peter’s Square, attended by thousands.
Against the odds, Lemann was able to complete the swap of the zucchetto with the Pope. “Every once in a while, you get lucky, and I got lucky on this trip to Rome,” he said.
“I would like to say that the pope saw me and was enamored and wanted to shake my hand and get to know me,” Lemann joked, “but the truth of the matter is there was a lady with a little baby in front of me, and popes and babies usually go together, right? So the baby was my connection to the pope. It was by the grace of God and the Holy Spirit that I was there and knew about the tradition.”
Lemann gave the zucchetto to the Diocese to keep as a memento of this connection between the Pope and a member of our Diocese.