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    January 03, 2023

    Remembering Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

    I write to share a few brief reflections on the life of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who passed away on Saturday, Dec. 31 at the age of 95. His body will lie in state at the Vatican through Wednesday and a funeral Mass led by Pope Francis will take place on Thursday.

    We mourn the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict, who served with solemn fidelity as the spiritual leader of 1.3 billion Catholics around the world. As Father Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, he also served as priest, a scholar and professor, archbishop, cardinal and doctrinal prefect.

    Theologians with varying viewpoints on a range of complex theological questions would find common ground on the assertion that Pope Emeritus was a towering intellect with a penchant for research and writing. With profound appreciation for his erudite teaching on the complementarity of faith and reason, I offer a few excerpts here from his voluminous life of inquiry, reflection, writing and prayer. I am deeply grateful for the life-long service of Pope Emeritus Benedict, and look forward to learning more about his contributions to the life of the mind, heart and soul. Requiescat in pace.

    “Knowledge of faith is not contrary to reason. In the irresistible desire for truth, only a harmonious relationship between faith and reason can show the correct path to God and to self-fulfillment.”

    “A correct relationship between science and faith is also base on this fruitful interaction between comprehension and belief. Scientific research leads to the knowledge of new truths regarding humankind and the cosmos.”

    “The true good of humankind, accessible through faith, indicates the direction the path of discovery must follow. Investigations into the secrets of our planet and the universe are also important for this reason, in the knowledge humanity is placed at the peak of creation, not to exploit it senselessly, but rather to protect it and render it inhabitable.”

    “Faith does not enter into conflict with science but co-operates with it, offering fundamental criteria to ensure it promotes universal good, and asking only that science desist from those initiatives that, in opposition to God’s original plan, may produce effects which turn against our shared humanity.”

    Sincerely,
    Linda M. LeMura, Ph.D.
    President

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