ALLEN COUNTY, OH (WLIO) - As thousands pay their respects to the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, one local priest shares his memories of this holy father with Your News Now.
Father David Ross was privileged to sit with the Pope for the occasion of Ross's 35th class anniversary with his classmates in 2010. He says it was a great honor and recalls something the Pope did that has stayed with him.
Ross says, “We were able to have a meeting with the Holy Father, Benedict at the time, and I remember very vividly he always had beside him, when he was giving a papal audience a glass of apple juice which he would enjoy to wet his lips so to speak during the ceremonies and things of that nature.”
This will be the first time in the churches history that a Pope will be presiding over a previous Pope's funeral. Father Ross says there will be a simple ceremony at St. Peter's in Rome as Benedict was serving as the Bishop of Rome at the time of his passing. "The Code of Canon Law" does allow for a Pope to resign, and Father Ross feels that this may happen more as Pope Francis is said to have his resignation prepared if the time comes.
Ross adds, “And I think they're seeing now, because we do live longer these days, that when the current sitting Pope Francis says I am no longer able to serve in a good capacity as the Pope I should be able to resign and turn it over to somebody else who is able to do it.”
Former Pope Benedicts funeral is to be this Thursday.
