As reported by Archbishop Georg Gänswein, the last words of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI were “Lord, I love you.” These final words uttered by Benedict were an authentic testimony to the Christian theology of love that was a constant theme in his Magisterium. In his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, for example, he...
From February 11, 2013 — the day Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation — to the present, disparate claims and theories about the thoughts and opinions of the former pontiff have been ever-present. The speculation began with theories about Benedict’s resignation, such as the idea that he was pressured by curial adversaries to...
We, the admirers of Pope Benedict XVI, will always assert that, rather than “God’s Rottweiler,” our beloved Holy Father was a shy and gentle intellectual, who administered doctrinal discipline with the precept that correction is one of the Spiritual Works of Mercy. As St. Paul advises, one should not “disdain the discipline of...
As we continue to celebrate and reflect upon Pope Benedict’s life and legacy, I thought I would share five quotes that surprised me and which have had a profound impact on my life and my understanding of the faith. Each quote is brief. Following each one, I will provide its original context and...
A reflection on the readings for January 1, 2023, the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. A familiar moment from the life of St. John Paul II invites us to reflect on the divine motherhood of Mary, who is our mother, too: It was to this monastery that, after...
Today, my heart is heavy. It is heavy, because one person close to my heart has died – and along with him, a piece of my life story. Besides my blood relatives and God the Father, this man was the next closest thing to a father I had. A spiritual father. Someone whom...
The death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI this morning is very sad for all of us who admired him and the tremendous impact he has had upon the Church for the past 60 years. His legacy will continue to influence Catholic theology and the renewal and reform of the Church in the decades...
At the beginning of this New Year, I wish to offer heartfelt greetings of peace to all Christian communities, international leaders, and people of good will throughout the world. For this (…) World Day of Peace I have chosen the theme: If You Want to Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation. Respect for creation is...
Please join with us as we continue to pray for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, whose health, we learned earlier today, has taken a turn for the worse. I have not seen any recent updates. The Vatican Press office confirmed this morning: Answering questions put to him by journalists, the Director of the Holy...
Dear readers, Merry Christmas! I hope you had a peaceful and restful Christmas Day on Sunday. This week, posting on Where Peter Is will be light, but I’ll try to point you to interesting content nonetheless. I just watched this YouTube video hosted by Dom Dalmasso of the Logos Project podcast. In it,...
A few days ago, Fr. Casey Cole, OFM, tweeted that, “If the story of Christmas doesn’t shake you, you might be missing the point.” He linked to a video that conveyed the familiar scold that, instead of focusing on gifts and warm and fuzzy messages, we should remember that the Christmas story tells...
After years of ending the Christmas season and recognizing that I hadn’t listened to any carols, watched any classic Christmas movies, or otherwise engaged the holiday spirit at all (aside from ministry-related matters, obviously), I have approached Christmas a bit more intentionally this year. My go-to thus far has been perhaps the most...
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