Former Pope Benedict XVI mourned in the Illinois Valley: ‘I wish we had him a bit longer’

Pope died Saturday at age 95

Pope Benedict XVI arrives in St. Peter's square in May at the Vatican for a general audience as his then-butler Paolo Gabriele (bottom) and his personal secretary Georg Gaenswein sit in the car with him. Pope Benedict XVI's ex-butler Paolo Gabriele and another Vatican lay employee, Claudio Sciarpelletti, are scheduled to go on trial Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012, in the embarrassing theft of papal documents that exposed alleged corruption at the Holy See's highest levels.

As a seminarian in Rome, Paul Carlson never met or shook hands with then-Pope Benedict XVI – “My elbows were never sharp enough to get to the front” – but the pontiff nonetheless made a lasting impression.

The Rev. Paul Carlson, now pastor of Holy Family Church in Oglesby, came away from those papal audiences impressed with the pontiff’s scholarly remarks and taken with the pope’s tireless personal habits.

“In the evenings, we would take a break in our studies, go down to St. Peter’s Square and see the lights on inside the papal apartments,” Carlson recalled. “It was always encouraging to see that the pope had not gone to bed – that he was hard at work late at night.

“I wish we had him a bit longer.”

Catholics across the Illinois Valley are mourning the former pontiff (2005-13), who died Saturday at age 95 – and only two months short of the 10th anniversary of his abdication.

Though Benedict’s decision to relinquish the papacy will dwarf all his other accomplishments, he was remembered locally as distinguished author and theologian who left his mark on the church during his brief pontificate.

“His legacy is a remarkable testament of the teaching and preaching of the truth of Jesus Christ,” Peoria Bishop Louis Tylka said in a statement, urging prayers of thanksgiving for Benedict’s legacy as well as his repose.

“We are grateful for his witness of faith, placing his life completely in the hands of God. Trusting that he now enjoys the reward of his good labor and the gift of eternal life won by Christ, we commend his soul to our merciful and loving Father.”

Under Benedict, the church conducted a sweeping update of the liturgy in English – the peace response was switched from “And also with you” to “And with your spirit” – and Benedict elevated more than a dozen U.S. churches to basilicas, including Holy Hill near Milwaukee.

The former pontiff canonized dozens of saints including several who ministered in North America. These included Andre Bessette, Marianne Cope, Damien of Molokai and Kateri Tekakwitha.

Peter Suarez, of Peru, recalled Benedict launched a groundbreaking outreach effort with other Christian denominations, such as the Anglican Communion, which includes the Episcopal Church in the United States.

“He was a unifying pope,” Suarez said. “We’ll remember him as a pope of unity and truth.”

Benedict also encouraged the celebration of Mass in Latin. Many parishioners in La Salle took note and embraced the traditional rite – “It has been a great blessing to our family,” Suarez said – and the Rev. William Gardner celebrates a weekly Latin Mass at Shrine of the Queen of the Holy Rosary.

“I wish to express my gratitude for Pope Benedict’s support of the traditional Latin Mass,” Gardner said, “and I pray with Bishop Tylka that he may now rest in peace.”

Benedict ascended the throne of Peter with many challenges ahead. The former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected just days before his 78th birthday and with a tough act to follow. His predecessor, Pope St. John Paul II, had reigned for 27 eventful years and was being called “John Paul the Great” well before his canonization nine years later.

At the time of John Paul’s death, Ratzinger was contemplating retirement and had no designs on the papacy. At the conclave, he recoiled as the votes poured in to make him pope and admitted praying, “Please God, not me.”

Nevertheless, Benedict drew impressive crowds to his papal audiences even if, as Carlson put it, “he was not the papal rock star that John Paul II was.” Word quickly circulated in Rome that the humble pontiff always kept his composure despite the pressures of the job.

“Popes get angry too, but Benedict was known for never losing his temper,” Carlson recalled. “When meetings got tense, he would go quiet and choose his words very carefully.”