2/11/13- The Diocese of Gary, Bishop Dale Melczek, issued a statement this afternoon saying,
“Pope Benedict XVI, as a priest, later bishop and cardinal, and for the last eight-years as pope, has given his life and all his strength in response to Jesus' call, “Come, follow me.”
He is a man fully committed to living his life in response to God's love. As he said in his very first encyclical, “God is love”: “We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.” His passion was always to share the love of God with others and to help others know Jesus, God Incarnate, Love Incarnate, who is our one and only Savior and who for us is the Way, the Truth, and the Light.
I last met with Pope Benedict last February 9 in his study. While he is one of the greatest intellectuals and most renowned theologians of our time, he immediately puts people at ease with his simplicity, humility, and inner sense of joy and peace. He radiates the presence of our loving Lord.
With tranquility and trust in the Lord, Pope Benedict has determined he no longer has the health and strength to exercise his very demanding Petrine ministry. Confident that God will never abandon His Church, he trusts that the Holy Spirit will guide the College of Cardinals in electing his successor.
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