Former Pope Benedict XVI became "a great figure of leadership" for the Roman Catholic Church during "modern challenges," a prominent New York pastor told Newsmax on Monday.
Among those challenges Benedict faced was "the dictatorship of relativism," Rev. Gerald Murray, of Holy Family Catholic Church in Manhattan, said on "John Bachman Now."
Murray also called Benedict "a very effective Pope."
"He was a great figure of leadership in the church, both in the domain of theology and then as Pope," Murray told co-host Bianca de la Garza. "He was devoted to the sacred liturgy. He tried to promote reverence and worship. He called people to prayer and to belief.
"He defended Catholic doctrine with his brilliance and his courage," Murray continued. "Right from the start of his pontificate, he spoke about the dictatorship of relativism."
"He said that we have to affirm that absolute truth exists, that not everything is opinion and that the highest dignity from mankind is to know the truth. And he preached that Christ is the truth," Murray said.
The pastor spoke with kindness about Benedict's visit to St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan on April 19, 2008.
"I was privileged to be one of the priests there and he gave a beautiful homily. He also visited a synagogue not far from St Patrick's. He reached out often … to the Jewish people to express love and solidarity," Murray said.
"He went to Washington where … it happened to be his birthday … so President Bush actually had a big birthday cake for him, and that was really a treat," the pastor added.
Murray said Benedict was "not a public figure in the sense of someone who liked being in front of cameras and crowds."
"But he knew that was part of the job," Murray said. "He was used to the public scrutiny being on him, but in the end, what he really wanted to proclaim is — as he said when he was elected Pope — he was a humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord."
According to Murray, Benedict's funeral and burial this week will be "historic."
"This is the first time that I know of that a reigning Pope buries his predecessor. I think that's something that's going to be very striking because Pope Francis had a great affection for Pope Benedict," he told de la Garza.
Murray said he'd met Benedict a few times, "so I feel a real loss because he was a man that inspired all priests. … He was strong in faith, but humble."
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Fran Beyer ✉
Fran Beyer is a writer with Newsmax and covers national politics.
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