KENYA: Theology of Pope Benedict XIV “Was about the Beauty of God and of Creation,” says Apostolic Nuncio
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
At the requiem Mass of the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XIV held in Kenya on Thursday, January 5, the Apostolic Nuncio in Kenya has described the late Pontiff as an intelligent man whose theology was about the beauty of God and of creation.
Speaking to hundreds of congregants during his homily, the representative of the Holy Father Archbishop Hubertus van Megen said that Pope Benedict XIV having been brought up on a deeply religious family “preserved the hand of God in every aspect of nature and would sometimes be referred to us the green Pope.”
The Nuncio noted that in the inaugural homily of his Pontificate in April 2005, the 265th Pope said, “The external deserts in the world are growing because the internal deserts have become so vast.” In this case, “the earth’s treasures no longer serve to build God’s garden for all to live in but they have been made to serve the powers of exploitation and destruction.”
According to Archbishop van Megen, Pope Emeritus emphasized that if one wants to cultivate peace, the person must protect creation.
Born Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI who died in Rome on New Year eve, Archbishop van Megen describes, was “a keen listener, humble, witty, intelligent, daring, an introvert, provocative and always with an intellectual twist.”
“Listening to Pope was like going on an intellectual theological adventure. He would take you by the hand and lead you through the beautiful landscape of theology to ever greater heights,” The Nuncio who doubles as the Holy Father’s representative in South Sudan said in his homily.
He continued, “He (Pope Benedict XVI) would guide you to the highest mountains to have a new and overwhelming view of God and his creation and he would make you inhale the fresh air of the Holy Spirit that will make you feel dizzy at that height and at the same time ask for more.”
The Thursday Requiem Mass which was conducted in Kenya on the very day when Pope Benedict XIV was laid to rest in the crypt under the central part of St. Peter’s Basilica in the first tomb of St. John Paul II following a private ceremony, was concelebrated by some Bishops from various Dioceses in Kenya as well as the clergy, Religious and lay faithful.
Eulogizing the late Pope further, the Nuncio acknowledged that the Pontiff was an intellectual giant in his own right and what made him exceptional was the gift to explain difficult things in a simple way.
In this way Archbishop van Megen narrated, “During his time as a professor in different universities in Germany, “students could flock to his lectures – not only students who were studying theology but also from other faculties.” At the same time, “People would at times sit in the corridors or try to peep through the open windows.”
He added that the late Pope’s homilies and reflections are “without comparison” saying, “I would read and meditate upon them again and again. His teachings were rich and substantive and profound. Listening to him was a pleasure not only because of the substance being a top class theologian but also because of his use and mastery of the language: German, French and English.”
The representative of the Holy Father further disclosed that the Pontiff who become the first in 600 years to resign from office “was not a dry intellectual but in everything he said he was always thinking about how to bring forth the inner beauty of God, of creation of man and woman.”
Reflecting of Jesus message when he said, “we thank you Father Lord of heaven and earth because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants…” the Vatican diplomat underscores that Pope Emeritus’ theological thinking was a childlike approach.
“His entire theological thinking and tenure as Pope was not based on power and the position but on a deep and nearly child-like approach of wonder and awe to the world and to its creator.”
Archbishop van Megen acknowledged the Pontiff who died at age 95 as “a prophet of our times,” expounding that the mission of Pope Benedict XIV was, “To reveal the magnificence of God, to reveal the beauty of the truth, to reveal the deep sense of life.”
The Nuncio concluded by saying that during his life the late Pontiff had seen God as in a mirror but now at death, he is seeing God as he truly is, disclosing further that the Pope Emeritus last words in his death bed were “Jesus I love you.”
