Sede Vacante — I am grieved — I cannot be consoled — We pray.
We pray for the Benedict XVI. We pray for the next Successor of Saint Peter.
Tu non es Petrus. You are not Peter. 
Of all the pontificates I’ve lived through, just missing Pius XII — thus, Blessed John XXIII, Paul VI, JP I, JP II and Benedict XVI — it is that of Benedict which I have appreciated the most, for all sorts of reasons:
- The Angelus Address on 14 September 2008 in Lourdes.
- The Regensburg Address: Yikes!
- Summorum Pontificum
Do you have some personal favorite moments?
Meanwhile, we ask Saint Michael’s ferocious protection for all the Cardinals and the entire Church:
Sancte Michael Archangele, defende nos in proelio;
contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli
esto praesidium.
Imperet illi Deus, supplices deprecamur:
tuque, Princeps militiae Caelestis,
satanam aliosque spiritus malignos,
qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in mundo,
divina virtute in infernum detrude.
Amen.
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle;
be our protection against the wickedness
and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray:
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
Accompany me, Father George David Byers, S.S.L., S.T.D., as I begin life as a Catholic Priest-Hermit by choice. Holy Souls Hermitage is dedicated to the sanctification of my fellow priests, bishops, deacons & seminarians going through the purgatory of this life or the next. Prayer and sacrifice go up, of course, for both Benedict XVI and the next Successor of Saint Peter. 
Thank you for posting the prayer to St Michael. We all need to put on the armor of God and pray for the Pope and his succesor…
Pope Benedict XVI was the best Pope we’ve had since Pius XII by a longshot. He will be missed. Sumorum Pontificum not only showed the world that the Latin Mass (and by extension the old blessings in the Rituale Romanum) was never abrogated it gave hope to traditional Catholics that Tradition was slowly returning to the Church.
Aside from the awesome Summorum Pontificum I also loved Pope Benedict XVI’s books on Our Lord. I never read the secnd one but I have read and own the other two and take them off my shelf often. In an age of the Church where, lets be frank, many bishops probably do not actually really believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that the Gospels are trustworthy Pope Benedict wrote a trilogy of books that showed that he really did believe. I cannot vouch for the second book about the Passion narratives but the other two are beautiful meditations worth reading over and over again.
Pope Benedict XVI showed himself to be both a scholarly intelectual and a believer—a rare combo in any age but especially this one. While I’m saddened that he has left I hope and look towards the future. May the next Pope publicly offer the Tridentine Mass in St. Peters in the spirit of Summorum Pontificum.
My favorites include the closing of the monastery in Rome’s Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem.
[ ... the decree would be good ... ]
(and Summorum Pontificum)
Rebecca: In fact, There is no other Pope I can think of who did more to correct sheer idiocy than Benedict XVI. Good one.
I really appreciated Anglicanorum Coetibus. Though I am not an ex-Anglican myself it gave me great hope that through God all things are possible, perhaps even that someday the Church could again be one, all without giving up our principled dogmatic stands. True ecumenicism is always aimed toward reunification with Peter and Christ’s Church. Pope Benedict proved that its possible to find a way to do that. Would that the SSPX could have realized the gift Peter was trying to give to them. As Fr. Z says I hope they don’t someday soon wake up and find that they are irrelevant, as a host of good men leave the seminaries ready to offer the EF, and reverent versions of the OF and AU.
The Jesus of Nazareth books are favorites of mine as is Porta Fidei.
Speaking here as a little child about her beloved Father Benedict XVI… a little child knows when her father loves her in truth and sacrifice! I miss my father BXVI already, but i know that when I go to the foot of the Cross, I would see my father there. And in heaven forever together with Jesus whom, the Love of his life!
I remember the moment that I first began to love him, from the heart, not just as an act of the will. It was right after his election, and I was looking at a card with his picture on it, snapped moments after his election was announced. It seems to me that I was standing outside the kitchen, holding it in my hand. I looked at him, and just loved him. I framed the picture forthwith; I’m looking at it right now, on my mantelpiece.
There will never be another like him. But I hope God grants me the gift of loving the next Holy Father too, from the heart.
I love him for keeping his childhood promise to the Christ Child that he would always be good. He has. Stepping down from the papacy in favor of prayer for the Church is a continuing act of that promise.
Reflecting on Benedict the Beloved’s papacy (thank you Fr. McRae) I can’t help but also be reminded of JPII. My true love and devotion for our Church began with JPII’s Totus Tuus, ‘Be not Afraid’ and the release of the new Catechism. For Benedict the Beloved’s papacy, I think I’ll always remember and be most grateful for two things. First, the beginning of the reversal of the protestant reformation with the advent of the Anglican Ordinariates. Second, the beginning of the reversal of misinterpretation and liturgical abuse with the implementation of the New Roman Missal. Among many things, I think these will be my most beloved. That God allowed me to witness these events, I will be forever grateful. I hope they will always be cherished and their fruits continued to flourish.
Interesting that heading “You are not Peter”
The wolves are attacking the sheep. The shepherd has gone off to a monastery. Where is Peter?
Hello Michael: Saint Peter is now praying for his next Successor, as is the Benedict XVI. The former Shepherd said that he is not abandoning anyone. Of course, with yours truly being a hermit, I would tend to agree.
Our Lord Jesus Christ said that the only way to dispel certain “barriers” is with prayer and sacrifice. I imagine there is nought else for it and that has been made known to him. I loved the Ragensburg address for its clarity and truth, his encyclicals and Jesus of Nazareth. Most of all I love Summorum Pontificum (7/7/2007) as it brought me into the fullness of Catholic Faith. What a great great Pope. I feel so thankful and continue to be so thankful for his service to the Church.
Surely, Benedict the Beloved is a true Shepherd of our Church that has thwarted and shielded me from the wolves. I am forever in his debt and always at his service.
His writings are too difficult for me to pick just one… so I’m going with personal moments during his trip to the U.S. — his facial expression when the crowd in D.C. sang him “Happy Birthday” and listening to him advocate for the protection of all human life in Yankee Stadium.
To remember the happiness in his face on the boat entering Cologne on that first World Youth Day after the death of JP II. People were in the river, lining the banks. As he said on Wednesday at the last Audience; Jesus is in the boat, even if he’s sleeping.
I love that Carolyn: “Jesus is in the boat, even if he’s sleeping.”
I think that the greatest thing that Benedict XVI did was to follow in the footsteps of the popes before him, especially the ones from Blessed Pius IX on.
There have been outstanding, holy Vicars of Christ since Pius XII, especially Blessed John XXIII, Paul VI, whose Humanae Vitae was the most heroic thing done by a pontiff since the early popes were martyred. And how can one forget Blessed John Paul the Great, who will soon be a Saint and a Doctor of the Church and who is arguably the greatest pope of all time.
Fr George, there is a beautiful electronic book with photos and quotes from our beloved Benedict’s pontificate at http://www.vatican.va/bxvi/omaggio/index_en.html. Many of the quotes are linked to the speech/document from which they are taken. It’s a great compilation.
Thanks, Bernadette!