Catholics have been asked to endeavour to love God passionately above all things, by using their time, treasure and talent in wholehearted service of God, as long as they shall live on earth. The charge was given by Rt. Rev. Msgr. John Aniagwu, Vicar General, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos while delivering the homily during the Requiem Mass held for late Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI at Holy Cross Cathedral, Lagos. Speaking on the life of Pope Benedict XVI and how the Church is indebted to him as a huge beneficiary of what Benedict passed on to it (Church), Msgr. Aniagwu advised Catholics not to allow any opportunity to go by them to render service to God in the Church and their community. Msgr. Aniagwu said Pope Benedict loved the Church and always saw himself as a servant of God and the Church, adding that the Pope Emeritus’ love for the Church made him dedicate his entire life to the defence and promotion of the magisterium, the tested teaching of the Church. Thanking God for the many scholars of the Church, Msgr. Aniagwu said that there has never been a man as the late Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI. He added that God willing, Pope Benedict will be canonised a Saint one day.
Also speaking on the late Pope, Most Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins, Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos, said Pope Benedict XVI was a man that had lots of positive impact on the life of the Church, even before he became Pope. Archbishop Martins said Pope Benedict was one of the foremost theologians that expressed the Catholic faith in a way that is new and speaks to people of the time, expressing the doctrines of the Church in such a way that it becomes a teaching to improve the lives of people. The Archbishop said that the late Pope was a model of the principle that power and authority should be for service and nothing more, adding that he is one that believes that if anyone feels he is not able to exercise power and authority in an effective way anymore, the person should quit. He said: “That’s a lot of lesson for leaders, particularly in Africa, where people hold to power even when they are not able to do the work. So, he has been a person that has impacted not only on the Church in terms of its administration, but also in terms of society and in terms of the example that he has given.”
