Month: January 2023

The Dispatch

Here are the prayers and readings for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s funeral Mass

January 3, 2023 Catholic News Agency 3
Rosary beads entwined in the hands of the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI as his body lies in state on Jan. 3, 2023, in St. Peter’s Basilica. / Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Rome Newsroom, Jan 3, 2023 / 09:07 am (CNA).

The Vatican has released the missal for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s funeral Mass. 

Pope Francis will preside over the funeral of Benedict XVI on Thursday, Jan. 5, at 9:30 a.m. (Rome time) in St. Peter’s Square.

Here is a preview of the readings and prayers that will be offered at the funeral of Benedict XVI:

The collect prayer will be prayed in Latin: 

Let us pray. O God, who in your wondrous providence chose your servant Benedict to preside over your Church, grant, we pray, that, having served as the Vicar of your Son on earth, he may be welcomed by him into eternal glory. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen.

The readings for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s funeral Mass will be:

In the Prayers of the Faithful, the second prayer will be said in German:

For Pope Emeritus Benedict, who has fallen asleep in the Lord: may the eternal Shepherd receive him into his kingdom of light and peace.

At the end of the Prayers of the Faithful, Pope Francis will pray:

God our Father, lover of life, hear the prayers we raise to you with faith in the Risen Lord for Pope Emeritus Benedict and for the needs of the Church and our world. Grant us a share in fellowship with you in the heavenly Jerusalem, where sorrow and tears will be no more. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Prayer over the Offerings:

Look with favor on the offerings of your Church as she calls on you, O Lord, and by the power of this sacrifice grant that, as you placed your servant Benedict as High Priest over your flock, so you may set him among the number of your chosen Priests in heaven. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer at the end of the Eucharistic Prayer III offered in Latin:

Remember your servant Pope Emeritus Benedict, whom you have called from this world to yourself. Grant that he who was united with your Son in a death like his, may also be one with him in his Resurrection, when from the earth he will raise up in the flesh those who have died, and transform our lowly body after the pattern of his own glorious body. To our departed brothers and sisters, too, and to all who were pleasing to you at their passing from this life, give kind admittance to your kingdom. There we hope to enjoy forever the fullness of your glory, when you will wipe away every tear from our eyes. For seeing you, our God, as you are, we shall be like you for all the ages and praise you without end, through Christ our Lord, through whom you bestow on the world all that is good.

The Prayer after Communion will be prayed in Latin:

Let us pray. As we receive sacred sustenance from your charity, O Lord, we pray that your

servant Benedict, who was a faithful steward of your mysteries on earth, may praise your mercy forever in the glory of the Saints. Through Christ our Lord.

After Communion there will be a Final Commendation and Farewell followed by a moment for silent prayer:

Dear brothers and sisters, in celebrating the sacred mysteries we have opened our minds and hearts to joy-filled hope; with confidence we now offer our final farewell to Pope Emeritus Benedict and commend him to God, our merciful and loving Father.

May the God of our fathers, through Jesus Christ, his only Son, in the Holy Spirit, Lord and Giver of Life, deliver Pope Emeritus Benedict from death, that he may sing God’s praises in the heavenly Jerusalem in expectation of the resurrection of his mortal body on the last day.

May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of the Apostles and Salus Populi Romani, intercede before the Eternal Father, that he may reveal the face of Jesus his Son to Pope Emeritus Benedict and console the Church on her pilgrimage through history as she awaits the Lord’s return.

After Pope Francis incenses the mortal remains of Benedict XVI, the pope will pray in Latin:

Gracious Father, we commend to your mercy Pope Emeritus Benedict whom you made Successor of Peter and shepherd of the Church, a fearless preacher of your word and a faithful minister of the divine mysteries.

Welcome him, we pray, into your heavenly dwelling place, to enjoy eternal glory with all your chosen ones. We give you thanks, Lord, for all the blessings that in your goodness you bestowed upon him for the good of your people.

Grant us the comfort of faith and the strength of hope.

To you Father, source of life, through Christ, the conqueror of death, in the life-giving Spirit, be all honor and glory forever and ever.

The choir and the congregation will sing the following Antiphons:

May the angels lead you into paradise; may the martyrs come and welcome you and take you to the holy city, the new and eternal Jerusalem.

May choirs of angels welcome you and with Lazarus, who is poor no longer may you have eternal rest.

As Benedict XVI’s coffin is carried to his place of burial in the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica, the choir will sing the Magnificat in Latin.

You can view the funeral live on EWTN here.

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News Briefs

What did being a cardinal mean to Joseph Ratzinger?

January 3, 2023 Catholic News Agency 0
New Cardinal Ruben Salazar Gomez, archbishop of Bogotá, Colombia, receives the biretta cap from Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Basilica on Nov. 24, 2012, in Vatican City, Vatican. / Photo by Franco Origlia/Getty Images

Vatican City, Jan 3, 2023 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger demonstrated faithfulness, said Pope Paul VI in his address during the consistory of June 27, 1977, in which Ratzinger, then archbishop metropolitan of Munich and Freising, was created a cardinal of the Holy Roman Church.

Paul VI pointed to Ratzinger’s “theological teaching in prestigious university seats in his Germany and in numerous and worthy publications.”

Ratzinger, Paul VI continued, “has made apparent how theological research — in the main way of the ‘fides quaerens intellectum’ — cannot and should not be ever disconnected from the profound, free, creative adherence to the Magisterium, which authentically interprets and proclaims the Word of God; and that now, from the archiepiscopal seat of Munich and Freising he, with so much of our confidence, leads an elect flock on the paths of truth and peace.”

The future Pope Benedict XVI wore the red cassock for almost 28 years and always carried out, with the utmost dedication, the functions of a cardinal called for by canons 349 and 353 of the Code of Canon Law: “The cardinals of the Holy Roman Church constitute a special college which provides for the election of the Roman Pontiff according to the norm of special law. The cardinals assist the Roman Pontiff either collegially when they are convoked to deal with questions of major importance, or individually when they help the Roman Pontiff through the various offices they perform, especially in the daily care of the universal Church,” and “The cardinals especially assist the supreme pastor of the Church through collegial action in consistories in which they are gathered by order of the Roman Pontiff who presides. Consistories are either ordinary or extraordinary.”

Paul VI assigned Ratzinger the titular church of Santa Maria Consolatrice in Casal Bertone. In 1993, Pope John Paul II established his promotion to the order of bishops with the assignment of the title of the Diocese of Velletri-Segni, a suffragan diocese of Rome. In 1998, Ratzinger became vice deacon of the Sacred College, and after the resignation of Cardinal Deacon Bernardin Gantin in 2002, he was elected deacon of the College of Cardinals and assigned the titular Diocese of Ostia, also a suffragan diocese of Rome.

As cardinal deacon, in April 2005 Ratzinger presided over the funeral of John Paul II, the general congregations, and the conclave that then saw his election to the pontificate.

But what did being a cardinal mean to Ratzinger? Pope Benedict XVI himself responded several times to the question.

The red cap, the pope said during his first consistory in March 2006, was above all a responsibility. To the new cardinals he said: “More closely linked to the Successor of Peter, you will be called to work together with him in accomplishing his particular ecclesial service, and this will mean for you a more intense participation in the mystery of the cross as you share in the sufferings of Christ. All of us are truly witnesses of his sufferings today, in the world and also in the Church, and hence we also have a share in his glory. And so you will be able to draw more abundantly upon the sources of grace and to disseminate their life-giving fruits more effectively to those around you.”

At the November 2010 consistory, Benedict added that “the special communion and affection that bonds these new cardinals to the pope makes them his unique and precious cooperators in the lofty mandate to tend his sheep, which Christ entrusted to Peter in order to unite peoples with the solicitude of Christ’s love. From this same love the Church was born, called to live and to journey on in accordance with the Lord’s commandment, which sums up the whole of the law and the prophets. Being united with Christ in faith and in communion with him means being ‘rooted and grounded in love,’ the fabric that unites all the members of Christ’s Body.”

At his last consistory to create cardinals, in November 2012, Benedict repeated that “situated within the context and the perspective of the Church’s unity and universality is the College of Cardinals: it presents a variety of faces, because it expresses the face of the universal Church. In this consistory, I want to highlight in particular the fact that the Church is the Church of all peoples, and so she speaks in the various cultures of the different continents. She is the Church of Pentecost: amid the polyphony of the various voices, she raises a single harmonious song to the living God.”

He reminded the new cardinals that, “from now on, you will be even more closely and intimately linked to the See of Peter: the titles and deaconries of the churches of Rome will remind you of the bond that joins you, as members by a very special title, to this Church of Rome, which presides in universal charity. Particularly through the work you do for the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia, you will be my valued co-workers, first and foremost in my apostolic ministry for the fullness of catholicity, as pastor of the whole flock of Christ and prime guarantor of its doctrine, discipline, and morals.”

In the course of his pontificate, Benedict presided over five consistories in which he created 90 cardinals originating from 37 countries.

This article was originally published in ACI Stampa. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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News Briefs

Funeral of Benedict XVI: Everything you need to know

January 3, 2023 Catholic News Agency 2
The mortal remains of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI were moved early in the morning on Jan. 2, 2023, from his former residence in the Vatican’s Mater Ecclesiae Monastery to St. Peter’s Basilica, where the late pope is lying in state through Jan. 4. Thousands waited in line to pay their respects. / Daniel Ibañez / EWTN

Vatican City, Jan 3, 2023 / 01:46 am (CNA).

Following the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, these are the details you should know about his funeral in the Vatican.

Benedict XVI passed away on December 31 at 9:34 am (Rome time). As confirmed by his personal secretary Archbishop Georg Ganswein, his last words were “Signore, ti amo !” (Lord, I love you!) And he pronounced them in Italian.

Unlike the death of Saint John Paul II in 2005, the death of the Pope Emeritus was not announced in Saint Peter’s Square nor was there a peal of bells. Confirmation of his death was reported by the director of the Vatican Press Office, Matteo Bruni.

Bruni told reporters that “following the wishes of the Pope Emeritus, the funeral will be held under the sign of simplicity,” stressing that it will be a “solemn but sober funeral.”

“The express request on the part of the emeritus pope is that everything be simple, both with regard to the funeral, as well as the other celebrations and gestures during this time of pain,” he added.

After his death, the remains of Benedict XVI remained in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, his place of residence since his resignation in 2013. The small monastery is located in the Vatican Gardens, on a hill behind St. Peter’s Basilica. 

On January 1, 2023, the Holy See released the first images of the body of the Pope Emeritus with a rosary in his hand and lying at the foot of the altar in the monastery’s chapel. The chapel is the same place where, in addition to celebrating Mass, it received public visits from Pope Francis and the new cardinals every time there was a consistory in the Vatican. Since it continues to be Christmas liturgically, the chapel still has a small Christmas tree and a manger.

Next to the remains of Benedict XVI, some kneelers were placed for prayer.

A few hours later dozens of people including cardinals, bishops, priests, Vatican workers, nuns from different congregations and even journalists who cover the activities of the Holy See, were able to enter the monastery to keep vigil and pray with the remains of the Pope before they were transferred to San Peter.

At 7:00 am on January 2, the body of the Pope Emeritus was transferred from the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery to St. Peter’s Basilica to begin the wake and allow thousands of pilgrims to say their last goodbyes. 

The Archpriest of the Basilica, Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, received the remains of Benedict XVI with a liturgical act that lasted about 30 minutes.

Among the attendees were Bishop Georg Ganswein, who was his personal secretary since 2003, and the master of liturgical celebrations, Bishop Diego Ravelli.

From 9:00 am to 7:00 pm the faithful from all over the world were allowed to enter St. Peter’s Basilica to visit the body of Benedict XVI.

It is estimated that at least 65,000 people came to visit the Pope Emeritus on the first day of his wake. 

The remains of Benedict XVI will remain on display in St. Peter’s Basilica until Wednesday, Jan. 4. Visiting hours for Tuesday and Wednesday are from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Rome time).

Funeral of Benedict XVI

Pope Francis will preside over the funeral of Benedict XVI on Thursday, January 5 at 9:30 a.m. (Rome time), in St. Peter’s Square.

Two official state delegations, those of Italy and Germany, will attend the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. 

The President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, was one of the first to visit the funeral chapel of Pope Benedict XVI. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, accompanied by other officials from her government, also attended on the morning of Monday, January 2, and prayed for several minutes before the remains of the Pope Emeritus.

Many other heads of state will come to pay respects and attend the funeral in an unofficial capacity, including the President of Hungary, Katalin Novak; the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda; King Philip of Belgium; and Queen Sofia of Spain, among others. 

The funeral of Benedict XVI will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 5. You can view it live on EWTN here.

This article was originally published by our sister agency, ACI Prensa. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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Scenes from a day of grief and gratitude: 65,000 pay their respects to Benedict XVI

January 2, 2023 Catholic News Agency 3
The mortal remains of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI were moved early in the morning on Jan. 2, 2023, from his former residence in the Vatican’s Mater Ecclesiae Monastery to St. Peter’s Basilica, where the late pope is lying in state through Jan. 4. Thousands waited in line to pay their respects. / Daniel Ibañez / EWTN

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jan 2, 2023 / 16:00 pm (CNA).

Some 65,000 pilgrims waited in line to pay their respects to Benedict XVI Monday, providing moving scenes of grief and gratitude on the first day the pope emeritus’ body lay in state in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Simple rituals of prayer, holy water, incense, and silent goodbyes began in darkness inside the Vatican’s Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, where he died Saturday at age 95.

Those who had cared for him there during his nearly decade-long retirement — including his longtime personal secretary and spokesman, Archbishop Georg Gänswein — said prayers and farewells before Benedict’s mortal remains were transported in a motor coach from the monastery’s chapel to the basilica, as a small group of mourners processed behind the vehicle past brightly lit Christmas decorations in the Vatican Gardens.

Once there, pallbearers slowly bore his body inside the massive church and down the center aisle, setting it atop a platform in front of the altar. The symbolism was potent: the 265th pope lying in state almost directly above the tomb of the first, St. Peter.

Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, the archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, incensed Benedict’s body and sprinkled it with holy water, praying for Benedict’s soul. The dignitaries in attendance included Italy’s president, Sergio Mattarella, and prime minister, Giorgia Meloni.

Among the first to have a private moment there with Benedict was Gänswein, who bent down to kiss the hands of his friend and mentor.

Outside, well-wishers waited patiently in St. Peter’s Square to enter the basilica, some praying for the former pope as they shuffled forward.

At the end of their wait, after their own solemn procession down the center aisle, they saw him at last, dressed in red and gold vestments and wearing a gold miter, rosary beads in his hands. Before they reached the front of the line for an unobstructed view, some craned their necks for a clearer glimpse or stood on tip-toes to snap photos with their cell phones.

Late Monday the Vatican press office estimated that 65,000 people had made the pilgrimage throughout the day. Benedict’s body will continue to lie in state through Jan. 4. His funeral is Thursday. You can watch EWTN’s live coverage of Benedict’s death from Rome here.

The mortal remains of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI were moved early in the morning on Jan. 2, 2023, from his former residence in the Vatican's Mater Ecclesiae Monastery to St. Peter's Basilica, where the late pope is lying in state through Jan. 4. Thousands waited in line to pay their respects. Vatican Media
The mortal remains of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI were moved early in the morning on Jan. 2, 2023, from his former residence in the Vatican’s Mater Ecclesiae Monastery to St. Peter’s Basilica, where the late pope is lying in state through Jan. 4. Thousands waited in line to pay their respects. Vatican Media
The mortal remains of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI were moved early in the morning on Jan. 2, 2023, from his former residence in the Vatican's Mater Ecclesiae Monastery to St. Peter's Basilica, where the late pope is lying in state through Jan. 4. Thousands waited in line to pay their respects. Vatican Media
The mortal remains of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI were moved early in the morning on Jan. 2, 2023, from his former residence in the Vatican’s Mater Ecclesiae Monastery to St. Peter’s Basilica, where the late pope is lying in state through Jan. 4. Thousands waited in line to pay their respects. Vatican Media
The mortal remains of Benedict XVI were moved early in the morning on Jan. 2, 2023, from his former residence in the Vatican's Mater Ecclesiae Monastery to St. Peter's Basilica, where the late pope is lying in state through Jan. 4. Thousands waited in line to pay their respects. Vatican Media
The mortal remains of Benedict XVI were moved early in the morning on Jan. 2, 2023, from his former residence in the Vatican’s Mater Ecclesiae Monastery to St. Peter’s Basilica, where the late pope is lying in state through Jan. 4. Thousands waited in line to pay their respects. Vatican Media
Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, the archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, presided over a brief ritual upon the arrival of Benedict XVI’s body in St. Peter's Basilica on Jan. 2, 2023, sprinkling the body with holy water and offering prayers for the repose of his soul. Vatican Media
Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, the archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, presided over a brief ritual upon the arrival of Benedict XVI’s body in St. Peter’s Basilica on Jan. 2, 2023, sprinkling the body with holy water and offering prayers for the repose of his soul. Vatican Media
Archbishop Georg Gänswein, personal secretary to Pope Benedict XVI, bids farewell to the late pontiff while his body lays in state at St. Peter's Basilica. Vatican Media
Archbishop Georg Gänswein, personal secretary to Pope Benedict XVI, bids farewell to the late pontiff while his body lays in state at St. Peter’s Basilica. Vatican Media
Italy's Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni (third from left, front row) pays her respects to the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at St. Peter's Basilica on Jan. 2, 2023. Vatican Media
Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni (third from left, front row) pays her respects to the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at St. Peter’s Basilica on Jan. 2, 2023. Vatican Media
The mortal remains of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI were moved early in the morning on Jan. 2, 2023, from his former residence in the Vatican's Mater Ecclesiae Monastery to St. Peter's Basilica, where the late pope is lying in state through Jan. 4. Thousands waited in line to pay their respects. Daniel Ibañez / EWTN
The mortal remains of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI were moved early in the morning on Jan. 2, 2023, from his former residence in the Vatican’s Mater Ecclesiae Monastery to St. Peter’s Basilica, where the late pope is lying in state through Jan. 4. Thousands waited in line to pay their respects. Daniel Ibañez / EWTN
The mortal remains of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI were moved early in the morning on Jan. 2, 2023, from his former residence in the Vatican's Mater Ecclesiae Monastery to St. Peter's Basilica, where the late pope is lying in state through Jan. 4. Thousands waited in line to pay their respects. Vatican Media
The mortal remains of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI were moved early in the morning on Jan. 2, 2023, from his former residence in the Vatican’s Mater Ecclesiae Monastery to St. Peter’s Basilica, where the late pope is lying in state through Jan. 4. Thousands waited in line to pay their respects. Vatican Media
The mortal remains of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI were moved early in the morning on Jan. 2, 2023, from his former residence in the Vatican's Mater Ecclesiae Monastery to St. Peter's Basilica, where the late pope is lying in state through Jan. 4. Thousands waited in line to pay their respects. Vatican Media
The mortal remains of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI were moved early in the morning on Jan. 2, 2023, from his former residence in the Vatican’s Mater Ecclesiae Monastery to St. Peter’s Basilica, where the late pope is lying in state through Jan. 4. Thousands waited in line to pay their respects. Vatican Media
The mortal remains of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI were moved early in the morning on Jan. 2, 2023, from his former residence in the Vatican's Mater Ecclesiae Monastery to St. Peter's Basilica, where the late pope is lying in state through Jan. 4. Thousands waited in line to pay their respects. Daniel Ibañez / EWTN
The mortal remains of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI were moved early in the morning on Jan. 2, 2023, from his former residence in the Vatican’s Mater Ecclesiae Monastery to St. Peter’s Basilica, where the late pope is lying in state through Jan. 4. Thousands waited in line to pay their respects. Daniel Ibañez / EWTN
The mortal remains of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI were moved early in the morning on Jan. 2, 2023, from his former residence in the Vatican's Mater Ecclesiae Monastery to St. Peter's Basilica, where the late pope is lying in state through Jan. 4. Thousands waited in line to pay their respects. Daniel Ibañez / EWTN
The mortal remains of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI were moved early in the morning on Jan. 2, 2023, from his former residence in the Vatican’s Mater Ecclesiae Monastery to St. Peter’s Basilica, where the late pope is lying in state through Jan. 4. Thousands waited in line to pay their respects. Daniel Ibañez / EWTN
The mortal remains of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI were moved early in the morning on Jan. 2, 2023, from his former residence in the Vatican's Mater Ecclesiae Monastery to St. Peter's Basilica, where the late pope is lying in state through Jan. 4. Thousands waited in line to pay their respects. Daniel Ibañez / EWTN
The mortal remains of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI were moved early in the morning on Jan. 2, 2023, from his former residence in the Vatican’s Mater Ecclesiae Monastery to St. Peter’s Basilica, where the late pope is lying in state through Jan. 4. Thousands waited in line to pay their respects. Daniel Ibañez / EWTN
The mortal remains of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI were moved early in the morning on Jan. 2, 2023, from his former residence in the Vatican's Mater Ecclesiae Monastery to St. Peter's Basilica, where the late pope is lying in state through Jan. 4. Thousands waited in line to pay their respects. Vatican Media
The mortal remains of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI were moved early in the morning on Jan. 2, 2023, from his former residence in the Vatican’s Mater Ecclesiae Monastery to St. Peter’s Basilica, where the late pope is lying in state through Jan. 4. Thousands waited in line to pay their respects. Vatican Media
The Holy See Press Office estimated that 65,000 people paid their respects to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on Jan. 2, 2023, the first day his body was lying in state in St. Peter's Basilica. Vatican Media
The Holy See Press Office estimated that 65,000 people paid their respects to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on Jan. 2, 2023, the first day his body was lying in state in St. Peter’s Basilica. Vatican Media
Archbishop Georg Gänswein, the longtime personal secretary of Benedict XVI, embraces one of the estimated 65,000 pilgrims who came to pay their respects to the former pope on Jan. 2, 2023, the first day his body was lying in state in St. Peter's Basilica. Daniel Ibañez / EWTN
Archbishop Georg Gänswein, the longtime personal secretary of Benedict XVI, embraces one of the estimated 65,000 pilgrims who came to pay their respects to the former pope on Jan. 2, 2023, the first day his body was lying in state in St. Peter’s Basilica. Daniel Ibañez / EWTN

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Meet 7 of the best-known saints canonized by Pope Benedict XVI

January 2, 2023 Catholic News Agency 3
Pope Benedict XVI arrives in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican for the Oct. 21, 2012, canonization ceremony for Jacques Berthieu, Pedro Calungsod, Giovanni Battista Piamarta, Maria Carmen Salles y Barangueras, Marianne Cope, Caterina (Kateri) Tekakwitha, and Anna Schaffer. / Photo by Franco Origlia/Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jan 2, 2023 / 14:00 pm (CNA).

During his pontificate, Pope Benedict XVI beatified 870 people and canonized a total of 45 saints. Though his papacy was relatively short, spanning from 2005 to 2013, the 45 people whom he declared saints are models of faith and holiness, celebrated by Catholics all over the world.

Here are seven of the best-known saints Pope Benedict XVI canonized:

St. Kateri Tekakwitha

St. Kateri Tekakwitha, or “Lily of the Mohawks,” was the first Native American saint to be canonized. Born in what is today New York state, she was the daughter of a Mohawk father and a Christian Algonquin mother. She was baptized at age 21 and fled persecution to St. Francis Xavier Mission near Montreal, Canada, joining a community of Native American women who had also converted to Christianity. She is remembered for her suffering, devout faith, courage, and her purity. St. Kateri died on April 17, 1680, at age 24.

Statue of St. Kateri Tekakwitha with lily. Shutterstock
Statue of St. Kateri Tekakwitha with lily. Shutterstock

She was canonized by Benedict XVI on Oct. 21, 2012. He said: “Kateri impresses us by the action of grace in her life despite the absence of external help and by the courage of her vocation, so unusual in her culture. In her, faith and culture enrich each other! May her example help us to live where we are, loving Jesus without denying who we are.”

St. Hildegard of Bingen

St. Hildegard of Bingen was an abbess, artist, author, composer, mystic, pharmacist, poet, preacher, and theologian from Germany. Born in 1098, in her late teens she became a Benedictine nun at the Monastery of Saint Disibodenberg. From the age of 3, she experienced visions of God and was asked by her confessor to write them down in what became the influential illustrated book “Scivias.” She founded two monasteries and was a prolific writer of poetry, theology, and sacred music. She died on Sept. 17, 1179.

A sculpture of Hildegard of Bingen by Karlheinz Oswald at Eibingen Abbey in Hesse, Germany. . Gerda Arendt (CC BY-SA 3.0).
A sculpture of Hildegard of Bingen by Karlheinz Oswald at Eibingen Abbey in Hesse, Germany. . Gerda Arendt (CC BY-SA 3.0).

St. Hildegard was canonized on May 10, 2012, and declared a Doctor of the Church by Benedict XVI on Oct. 7, 2012. He said: “In Hildegard are expressed the most noble values of womanhood: hence the presence of women in the Church and in society is also illumined by her presence, both from the perspective of scientific research and that of pastoral activity.”

St. Damien of Molokai

The bronze cast of Marisol Escobar's 'Father Damien' in the National Statuary Hall (detail). public domain.
The bronze cast of Marisol Escobar’s ‘Father Damien’ in the National Statuary Hall (detail). public domain.

Joseph de Veuster, later to become St. Damien of Molokai, was born in 1840 in rural Belgium. At the age of 13, he was forced to leave school to work on a farm but later decided to pursue a religious vocation with the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. As a priest, he served victims of leprosy quarantined on the Hawaiian island of Molokai. He eventually contracted the disease, losing his eyesight, speech, and mobility. St. Damien died of leprosy on April 15, 1889. Benedict XVI said of St. Damien, whom he canonized on Oct. 11, 2009: “Following in St. Paul’s footsteps, St. Damien prompts us to choose the good warfare, not the kind that brings division, but the kind that gathers people together. He invites us to open our eyes to the forms of leprosy that disfigure the humanity of our brethren and still today call for the charity of our presence as servants, beyond that of our generosity.”

St. Marianne Cope

St. Marianne Cope was born in Germany in 1838 and entered religious life with the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis in Syracuse, New York, in 1862. Mother Marianne served as an educator and opened two of central New York’s first hospitals. She was sent to Kalaupapa on the island of Molokai in Hawaii at age 45 to care for leprosy patients and established an education and health care system for them in the years she was there.

Painting of nun Saint Marianne Cope and images with lepers and her team on Molokai Island at Mary, Star of the Sea, Catholic Church, Kalapana, Hawaii. Claudine Van Massenhove / Shutterstock
Painting of nun Saint Marianne Cope and images with lepers and her team on Molokai Island at Mary, Star of the Sea, Catholic Church, Kalapana, Hawaii. Claudine Van Massenhove / Shutterstock

Benedict XVI canonized St. Marianne Cope on Oct. 21, 2012. Of her legacy, he said: “At a time when little could be done for those suffering from this terrible disease, Marianne Cope showed the highest love, courage, and enthusiasm. She is a shining and energetic example of the best of the tradition of Catholic nursing sisters and of the spirit of her beloved St. Francis.”

St. Jeanne Jugan

St. Jeanne Jugan was born on Oct. 25, 1792, during the French Revolution. At age 25, she joined the Third Order of St. John Eudes, a religious association for laypersons. After some time serving as a nurse caring for elderly women, she acquired an unused convent building that would hold 40 people and established the Little Sisters of the Poor. At the time of her death on Aug. 29, 1879, 2,400 members were serving internationally.

Portrait of St. Jeanne Jugan (1792–1879), foundress of the Little Sisters of the Poor, by Léon Brune 1855. Public domain
Portrait of St. Jeanne Jugan (1792–1879), foundress of the Little Sisters of the Poor, by Léon Brune 1855. Public domain

At St. Jeanne Jugan’s canonization on Oct. 11, 2009, Benedict said: “Jeanne lived the mystery of love, peacefully accepting obscurity and self-emptying until her death. Her charism is ever timely while so many elderly people are suffering from numerous forms of poverty and solitude and are sometimes also abandoned by their families.”

St. Pedro Calungsod

St. Pedro Calungsod was born in 1654 in the Philippines. In 1668, at the age of 14, he was among the young catechists chosen to accompany Spanish Jesuit missionaries — among them Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores — to the Marianas Islands to spread the Catholic faith. St. Pedro was responsible for converting many people, especially through the sacrament of baptism. On April 2, 1672, he was killed, along with San Vitores, while they were conducting a baptism. He is now recognized as a martyr.

Pope Francis and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle before a mosaic of catechist St. Pedro Calungsod in St. Peter’s Basilica on Nov. 21, 2013. Credit: Kerri Lenartowick/CNA.
Pope Francis and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle before a mosaic of catechist St. Pedro Calungsod in St. Peter’s Basilica on Nov. 21, 2013. Credit: Kerri Lenartowick/CNA.

He was canonized on Oct. 21, 2012. Of St. Pedro’s hardships, while visiting the Marianas Islands, Benedict said: “Pedro, however, displayed deep faith and charity and continued to catechize his many converts, giving witness to Christ by a life of purity and dedication to the Gospel. Uppermost was his desire to win souls for Christ, and this made him resolute in accepting martyrdom.”

St. Alphonsa

St. Alphonsa was born in Kerala, India, on Aug. 19, 1910. As a young woman, she rejected all suitors who came her way, as she was determined to enter religious life. In 1923, she suffered an accident that left her burned, disabled, and partially disfigured. She joined the Franciscan Clarist Congregation, and until her death suffered from physical ailments and problems associated with her disability. In her love for God, she embraced her sufferings until her death on July 28, 1946.

1996 stamp of India with photo of St. Alphonsa. India Post, Government of India via Wikimedia Commons
1996 stamp of India with photo of St. Alphonsa. India Post, Government of India via Wikimedia Commons

St. Alphonsa was canonized by Benedict XVI on Oct. 12, 2008. She is the first Indian woman to become a saint. In a Vatican statement released on the day of her canonization, she is described as “a victim for the love of the Lord, happy until the final moment and with a smile of innocence always on her lips.”

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