MANILA -- Even if Pope Benedict XVI was not able to visit the Philippines during his papacy, the Filipino faithful was close to the mind of the retired pope even during his final years.

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In one of his final works entitled “Last Testament” published in 2016, Benedict XVI acknowledged the important role of that Filipino faithful can play in “bringing new dynamism to the Church” and wake the West from its “exhaustion” and “forgetfulness of the faith.”

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“We are seeing new elements, such as African, South American or Filipino elements, bringing new dynamism to the Church which can reinvigorate the tired West, wake it from its exhaustion, from its forgetfulness of the faith,” Benedict XVI said.

He personally saw this energy of the Catholic faithful when he welcomed thousands of Filipino pilgrims to Saint Peter’s Square on October 21, 2012 during the canonization of Pedro Calungsod.

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Grateful for the grace of seeing one of their own named as saint, the Filipino crowd would erupt in joy and wave Philippine flags whenever Pope Benedict XVI would utter the name of the new saint or the country.

“May the example and courageous witness of Pedro Calungsod inspire the dear people of the Philippines to announce the Kingdom bravely and to win souls for God,” Benedict had said during his homily during the canonization mass.

Joseph Aloysius Ratzinger was born on April 16, 1927, a Holy Saturday, in Marktl Am Inn, a small town in Bavaria. He was 14 when he was forced to join Hitler Youth which was mandatory in Germany during World War II.

After the war, Ratzinger entered the priesthood and was ordained along with his older brother in 1951. A famous and learned theologian and expert, Ratzinger joined the Second Vatican Council which gave way to reforms in the Catholic Church. He was named Archbishop of Munich by Pope Paul VI in 1977.

He was named by Pope John Paul II as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) where he earned his reputation as a strict doctrinal watchdog or enforcer of Church teachings.

“Of course you really have to protect the faith, ‘yung orthodoxy na tinatawag natin. As a watchdog, he really had to enforce discipline. Because at that time there were so many theologists coming up that are well, suspicious, doubtful. Meaning to say ng doubtful, it seems that they are not in accord with the main line, theology of the Catholic Church. And so as a watchdog you have to enforce the law,” said Fr. Jerome Secillano, Executive Secretary of the Committee on Public Affairs of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines during an interview with ABS-CBN News.

Ratzinger headed the CDF for 24 years until the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005. As Dean of the College of Cardinals, he led the deliberations of cardinals when the Holy See became vacant and presided over the funeral mass for the late pope.

Shortly after, he was elected by his fellow cardinals to become the 265th Pope to lead the Catholic Church at the age of 78, choosing the name Benedict XVI.

For Fr. Secillano, one of the most important legacies of Pope Benedict was the creation of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, which sought new ways to bring the Gospel to the world.

Benedict XVI had lamented the “positivistic and agnostic culture” in the Western society that has become “more and more intolerant towards Christianity.”

The Pope had also sought to fight materialism, secularism, and the “dictatorship of relativism” or the belief that objective truth does not exist.

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“It’s a denial of the objective truth. One person possesses particular truth, another person possesses another truth. So when Pope Benedict mentioned the problem of ‘dictatorship of relativism,’ this shows that Pope Benedict is very knowledgeable of what is happening in the world… Kaya kailangan paigtingin ang new evangelization, so new ardor, new methodologies, and creative approaches,” Secillano said.

On February 2013, the Pope shocked the world when he announced he was stepping down, the first time a pope did so in almost 600 years, citing declining health.

“Nakita natin dito how humble the person is, to resign from the papacy,” Secillano said.

“Sa kanya nakita natin hindi ka dapat mag-hold on to power, to position. When you feel it to yourself that you cannot anymore govern, that’s the time for you to ship out. Sa palagay ko, that is not a sign of cowardice but it’s a sign of humility. It’s accepting that I cannot anymore do it so why force myself, so why give way to others who can do it.”

It was an emotional sendoff for the Pope as he left the Papal palace with the chopper bringing him to Castel Gandolfo.

His resignation led to the conclave that saw the election of Jorge Cardinal Bergolio of Argentina as Pope Francis.

As Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI vowed to support his successor.

In a letter issued in February 2022, Benedict XVI expressed deep sorrow and asked for forgiveness for failing to confront cases of sexual abuse by priests during his time as Archbishop of Munich.

“In all my meetings, especially during my many Apostolic Journeys, with victims of sexual abuse by priests, I have seen at first hand the effects of a most grievous fault. And I have come to understand that we ourselves are drawn into this grievous fault whenever we neglect it or fail to confront it with the necessary decisiveness and responsibility, as too often happened and continues to happen,” Benedict XVI said.

“As in those meetings, once again I can only express to all the victims of sexual abuse my profound shame, my deep sorrow and my heartfelt request for forgiveness. I have had great responsibilities in the Catholic Church. All the greater is my pain for the abuses and the errors that occurred in those different places during the time of my mandate. Each individual case of sexual abuse is appalling and irreparable. The victims of sexual abuse have my deepest sympathy and I feel great sorrow for each individual case.”

In the same letter, Pope Benedict XVI expressed his readiness to face the “final judge” of his life. Though he could “have great reason for fear,” Benedict said he would be of good cheer when the time came, trusting the Lord not only as the “just judge” but also as the friend and brother who had already suffered for his shortcomings.

The grace of being a Christian and this friendship with the Lord, he added, would allow him to “pass confidently through the dark door of death.”

“Quite soon, I shall find myself before the final judge of my life. Even though, as I look back on my long life, I can have great reason for fear and trembling, I am nonetheless of good cheer, for I trust firmly that the Lord is not only the just judge, but also the friend and brother who himself has already suffered for my shortcomings, and is thus also my advocate, my “Paraclete,” he said.

“In light of the hour of judgement, the grace of being a Christian becomes all the more clear to me. It grants me knowledge, and indeed friendship, with the judge of my life, and thus allows me to pass confidently through the dark door of death. In this regard, I am constantly reminded of what John tells us at the beginning of the Apocalypse: he sees the Son of Man in all his grandeur and falls at his feet as though dead. Yet He, placing his right hand on him, says to him: “Do not be afraid! It is I…” (cf. Rev 1:12-17).”

Even as he lived his final years quietly at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in Vatican City, Pope Benedict XVI’s place in history was already assured, his person and works having left a giant imprint on the Church.

“We have to thank Pope Benedict for shepherding the Church, especially after the death of John Paul II who many Filipinos and people around the world were accustomed to having as a Pope,” Secillano said.

“I think steered the Church to make the people understand the importance of truth and then of course make the people believe that somehow the Church is there for them, to minister to them, to take care of them. So in these aspects, I think we have to give our hats off to Pope Benedict.”

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