By Ivy Chai
KUCHING – To pay homage to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the Archdiocese of Kuching in addition to providing a Book of Condolence for the Catholic faithful to sign, also celebrated a Memorial Mass at the St Joseph’s Cathedral on 5 January 2023, in solidarity with the Pope’s funeral Mass in St Peter’s Square, Rome.
The requiem Mass was presided over by Kuching Archbishop Simon Poh, concelebrated by Archbishops Emeriti Peter Chung and John Ha, Msgr William Sabang, together with eight other Diocesan, Jesuit, Salesian and CDD Congregation priests.
In his homily, Archbishop Simon touched briefly on Pope Benedict’s life and said: “In the year 2005, Pope Benedict XVI published his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love). He began this by citing (1 John 4:16) “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”
The Pope also wrote, “Love is the light — and in the end, the only light — that can always illuminate a world grown dim and give us the courage needed to keep living and working. Love is possible, and we are able to practice it because we are created in the image of God.”
“He put ‘God’s love’ at the very heart of his papacy,” added Archbishop Simon.
On a personal level, the prelate described with fond memories, his two encounters with the Pope Emeritus. First was when he attended the World Youth Day in Cologne in 2005 and then the World Youth Day in Sydney in 2008.
“Today we come to honour and pray for a humble servant of the Lord who taught us humility of heart and above all, a person of deep faith and love of Jesus — our God who came to live among us in Jesus of Nazareth. Pope Benedict XVI has “fought the good fight, finished the race and kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7-8) and returned to the Lord.
“May Jesus, his Lord and Master receive this faithful and humble servant who had lived his whole life, who had loved Christ and the Church deeply, working for the praise and glory of God and for the good of God’s Holy Church. Eternal rest grant unto your servant, Pope Benedict XVI and may he rest in peace,” Archbishop Simon concluded.
The Readings for the Memorial Mass mirrored the ones chosen by Vatican for the funeral Mass for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in Rome as they “testify to Pope Benedict XVI’s life and faith in the Lord Jesus, right up to the last moments of his life”.
