use just the bathroom, thanks to chat jim carrey, badlands, james thompson or tom faucid th andre the whole staff. the break up on tarus. ou ame is a fox news alert. i'm ashleigh strohmeyer live in new york, a spokesman for the vatican says retired pope benedict has died. earlier this week, pope francis called for prayers to the end for his quote, very ill predecessor and the vatican, said the health of pope demetrios dominican. the 16th had worsened 95 year old benedict served as the head of the catholic church and the sovereign of the vatican city state from april 2005 until his resignation, which was in february. very of 2013 benedict . the 16th shocked the world

when he became the first pope to resign and almost 600 years. he cited a quote, lack of strength of mind and body as his reason for stepping down. benedict was born in germany and grew up as the regime was gaining power. after the war. he turned to theological studies and eventually became a professor in 1951. he was ordained as a priest. as work in theology attracted the attention of the archbishop. who asked him to serve his expert assistance at the second vatican council in the sixties , and then in 1977, he was appointed archbishop of munich . three months later, he became cardinal benedict. the 16th was elected pope in 2005 following the death of his close friend, pope john paul, the second at age 78. he became the oldest newly elected pope since 1970. pope benedict the 16th

dedicated his entire adult life to the church from 1951 when he was ordained a priest until resigning his pope in 2013, greg palkot, takes a look at his life and legacy. when john paul. the second died after more than 25 years as pope, the cardinals met to elect a successor. it took them just two days to give the job to a 78 year old german, a scholarly man who didn't particularly appear to want it to it. the lord cardinals have elected me a simple, humble worker in god's vineyard. for decades, cardinal joseph ratzinger had been a key adviser to john paul , the second on questions of catholic doctrine, earning a reputation as a staunch conservative as pope benedict the 16th he battled relativism the idea that what's true for one person might not be true for someone else. benedict's

2008 visit to the united states would be remembered not only for his birthday celebration in the white house, a stop at ground zero and mass at yankee stadium. but also by the way in which he addressed the sex abuse crisis so directly exclude pedophiles from the sacred ministry. this is absolutely incompatible and who is really guilty and cannot be priest. sex abuse would haunt his papacy as the scandal unfolded in europe, and critics charged that benedict's record on abuse was mixed. other problems as well. benedict defended muslims with a speech suggesting islam could be a violent religion and sparked a global uproar when he lifted the excommunication for four renegade bishops. since one of them, richard williamson turned out to be a holocaust denier. benedict wasn't a politician of all intellectual priest having

discovered both vocations while growing up in southern germany . pope benedict never expected to be much more than a priest and a university professor. but all that changed when he became pope. benedict made several international trips including germany, australia and portugal, surprisingly well received by the crowds. benedict made the first state visit ever of a pontiff to the united kingdom in 2010 with all the pump that goes with it, including a meeting with the queen. the pope addressed dignitaries and politicians in westminster hall significant meeting in a significant location. very place where almost 500 years earlier that catholic saint thomas more was condemned to death, although he was nearly 85 by the time and it just begun to use a cane in public in march, 2012 benedict also traveled to mexico, one of the largest catholic countries in the world, and to cuba. the

church's activity has been severely curtailed in the island nation, and the pope asked that catholics at least be allowed to run their own schools there in one of the most important decisions of his papacy. ending the 16th. but john paul, the second on the fast track to sainthood. deciding that his predecessor should be declared blessed the last step before he officially becomes a saint. it was his age and frail health prompted a decision in 2013 for benedict to step down as the leader of the worldwide catholic church. move that shocked the catholic faithful around the world. benedict 16th was the first head of the roman catholic church to resign in almost 600 years. fox news. the vatican has detailed rituals to follow when a pope dies, but no such rules have been published for pope, a pope and murderous no one knows for sure what will happen now, but many charge watchers expect funeral rituals for pope marriages benedict the

16th too closely mirror those for retired bishop of rome. they believe it would take place in either st peter's basilica or the piazza. however in this case, it would be presided over by pope francis rather than the dean of college of cardinals since benedict is a former head of state the funeral what would also presumably take on the greater romp with the attendance of official delegations from all across the world. joining us now is jonathan morris, theologian and fox news contributor. jonathan thanks for getting up to talk about this just right now, i want your initial thoughts on the passing of benedict. you know, i have all these mixed feelings. actually it's on the one hand. it's a huge public figure historical figure who has passed it who has passed. on the other hand, i had the blessing of being there in the vatican for nine years and being with pope benedict even before he was the pope when he

was cardinal ratzinger, and so that's the feelings also of any of a friend. somebody who not that i was best friends with him, but he was such a warm and close person that anybody who was with him in a in a private setting felt like he knew you so well now she wasn't the john paul the second to remember john paul, a second. who was that vigorous. outgoing kind of star of the catholic church. pope benedict as greg palkot in that, uh, in that great piece that you played right before this, as he said, well, hope benedict became pope. really reluctantly. he was the intellectual he was the academic, but he was also this quiet, humble figure. and that's the person that i got to know. ashley let me give you let me tell you a little story. if you don't mind. i was walking with a bunch of college kids that that i had brought

over to rome. they had come from some of the best colleges from all over the united states , and we're walking through st peter's square. and it's still thousands of people and their one of the college students saw coming across. the piazza was. cardinal ratzinger, who assumed very soon to become pope as he was approaching us. one of the other college students saw this man approaching instead. uh would you mind taking a picture with us? would you mind taking a picture? he understood what you mind taking the picture a picture of us for us. another words. would you mind being the camera man and he took the camera and he started lining it up? no they said no, no, no. cardinal ratzinger. we'd like a picture with you. and he said oh, and his with his great great german accent in in english, he said. yes, of course, that was the kind of humble person that he was. you

know this is unprecedented. and i know that's the big question that everybody has. and i know you probably can't answer it for us. but what do you think we can expect next coming from the vatican? um because typically, this happens when they are actually inactive pope. yeah, i think we will, we will see is something very similar to the funeral of the death of the after the death of a reigning pontiff, so it will be a first he will lie in state. for several days there in st peter's basilica. and there will be a time for public public viewing. um and then. and there will be a funeral that will be led, presided over by pope francis. of course. that's the big difference. um when a reigning pope passes away, the dean, usually the gain of the college of cardinals would preside at that mass now it will be pope francis himself. um and then,

of course it will. it will be different because well, we are not looking forward to who is taking over next. francis will continuous pope. um and so there's not the whole lead up to the conclave, which is the election of the new pope. but my guests in about four days there will be a funeral for pope benedict funeral mass. presided over by pope francis. jonathan earlier this week when pope francis announced that retired pope benedict was very ill. what were your thoughts? did you think that it was going to lead to this and what we're seeing this morning? well first of all, i was happy that pope francis was open about that. you know, in the past, we think , for example, about pope john paul the second how frail he was, and there was this kind of veil of secrecy over the health of the pope right? and it was very obvious to unlock ear's.

john paul's second had parkinson's, for example, but it was never mentioned. you know, it was like, no, he can't get sick. but we can't talk about his his his personal health. john paul, a second was really a history good out by allowing us to see him in his frail state. and when pope francis said, please pray for pope benedict he's very sick. that meant to me that first of all that the vatican was stepping, stepping up to the plate and giving the public what i think the public deserves somebody who is so highly revered. respected and it's such a public figure some basic information about about health and such a dire situation was appropriate. so i knew that the time was was also very close. it's interesting ashleigh that they decided not to bring pope benedict emeritus benedict to the hospital in his last days. so it seems that he

was in hospice, hospice care of some sort. he was there at his residence in matra ecclesia, which is inside the vatican walls. he was surrounded by his doctors and nurse his closest collaborators, his personal assistant and there in that piece, just like in a family and he was able to pass. um and move on as he himself. talked about so glowingly he couldn't wait to be with someone with his brother, who was who was a catholic priest to pass. several years ago and to be with his family members and friends in heaven. for those of you just now joining us. i have jonathan morris on the phone. he's a theologian and fox news contributor. jonathan also lived at the vatican for nine years. i know you just told us a story about the picture in the square is, are there any

other memories that you can think of that you could or willing to share with us about him that you would want to live in his memory? absolutely you know, one of the things that pope benedict was known for was his rigor as a theologian and academic what he when? when he was made pope again. reluctantly he was not an ambitious person trying to become pulp and they're they're doing that exists. cardinals who would probably like to be pope, he was not one of them. and when he became pope, he transferred that academic rigor to teaching that the state as the pope and what you got from pope benedict. that you got from pope benedict was clarity. they're not everyone loved what? pope benedict height. but he was just teaching the catholic states and he taught it in a way that was clear. very clear. um and you know, listen. what what is the job of

a of a pope? it's actually to be clear. speak clear about the teaching of the catholic church to say if you want to be catholic, and you don't have to be if you want to be catholic, this is what the church teaches. and let me explain why? because it comes from the bible and he was such a great academic theologian to say this is where we get our faith. we're not making this stuff up. go to the bible. go to this first. look at the actions of jesus. listen to his words. this is what we teach. this is why we believe and he was clear. um, and he was willing to be also very clear about, um, very controversial things like socialism like communism, and like the dictatorship that he actually lived through, of course, as we living in germany for as a youth, he saw what those political systems did. and he said, this is why they're wrong. this is why it's why they were disrespectful of

the dignity of the human person , and he lifted that up in a way that was profound. and that nobody could wiggle their way around. jonathan morris. we appreciate you giving your insight to this, but we do want you to stick around. we're gonna come back to you here and just a little bit. if you're just now joining us right now, a spokesperson for the vatican says retired pope benedict has died. you remember earlier this week late wednesday early thursday, there was news from the vatican from pope francis. saying that his friend was quote very ill. and we did get this news. about 30 minutes ago that benedict had died. joining us now is reverend gerald gerald murray, pastor of holy family catholic church in manhattan. reverend. can you hear me? yes i can. i just want your initial thoughts on this this news this morning. that was great sorrow at losing such a wonderful figure very holy

and as jonathan morris is saying such influential, powerful thinker, man, if humility a man of great grace but someone who having served the lord for so many years now has received that final call. and we're sorry to lose him, but we commend his soul to the lord. jonathan was just talking about how benedict did not shy away from controversies, and he wasn't afraid to talk about it. talk to us about that a little bit. yes well, he was, uh theologian who understood? uh both the challenges facing believers in the 20th and early 21st centuries, but also man, a very simple faith. he grew up in a very devout household and bavaria. parents very religious , and he and his brother both became priests. his sister never married. she dedicated her life to assisting her

brother. they lived together in rome, where she, uh, took care of him and the domestic arrangements so he was a man of both gradients of electoral sophistication and brilliance yet very true believers, someone who was rock solid in his faith. and it's jonathan morris said. this caused some people to be upset because they would have preferred that. you know the rules get banned or the chief teachings get adapted or changed. and he said, no, the faith of jesus christ that has been handed down he was going to maintain, and he had done that under pope john paul, the second for many years as his principal assistant. matters of doctrine, so they had worked together to refute errors in other words, teachings that would contradict follis isn't of pope benedict cardinal ratzinger before he was poked. they worked. he worked very hard. and produce some absolutely wonderful documents and i think his

example of personal holiness showed that he was not doing something. uh simply because he was it was expected of him. no, he really believed it. you know, jonathan mentioned this a little earlier, he said to this kind of fell into his lap. and this isn't maybe exactly what he wanted. what are your thoughts on that? no that's actually very true. it's uh, it's interesting. he was a theologian. almost from the day he became a priest. in other words, he dedicated himself not to working in a parish as most free stew but rather to study and teaching, and he taught in various german universities. when he became the archbishop of munich back in 1977. that was a surprise to him. but pope paul the sticks and named him thought of his brilliance and his courage as being necessary , but he'd be promoted to bishop and then a few years later, when pope john paul, the

second was elected, he was sent that he was called to rome to work as his collaborator. not something that joseph ratzinger had ever planned for, or look forward to, but he accepted the job. and he worked in the vatican for more than 20 years under john paul, the second and then with john paul, the second became sick. then the rumors started circulating. well it looks like joseph ratzinger is the leading candidate to be his replacement. and that's exactly what happened and when he was elected pope he came out on the balcony of st peter's basilica and said that he is a humble servants in the vineyard of the lord. so that humble servant in the vineyard of the lord, that image of you know, working to promote the faith that cultivate the life of catholics and anyone else who was paying attention. that was a beautiful image, but not something that he was speaking. in fact, it's known that he had submitted his resignation to john paul, the

second as head of the congregation document, the faith. he wanted to go back to being a theologian, and, uh, he had a plan. believe it or not, he had a small house in germany , where he was going to move and he was going to start writing and study and teaching again. that never happened. uh but that's exactly the man we're dealing with someone who put aside his own interest in order to serve the church. he said. that never happened. we know that he resigned in february of 2013, but he became the head of the catholic church in april of 2005. what do we know about what he did after he resigned? well, he did live in this monastery as jonathan morrison, the moderate glazier, the mother of the church monastery, which is a small house chapel and rooms and located in the gardens right behind st peter's basilica as it's on the territory of vatican city state. and they stayed there for the rest of

his life. he did not go out and travel. he didn't leave that to the territory of vatican city state. he would occasionally make appearances with pope francis. big masses that st peter's but did not, uh, otherwise engaged in public activity. he wrote occasional articles. he did, uh, as jonathan morris also said received many visitors, and that was always touching because he had made so many friends over his life so much influence. people come to see him and he would speak to them and yeah, he continued to be, we could say active and retirement, but in a way that is very spiritual study, prayer , meditation and then, uh, personal encounters when people came to see him. and reverend. now to this next question, i know everyone who is watching

this wants to know and it's kind of up in the air how the rituals will go. a lot of people are saying that it will closely mirror those who are retired bishop of rome. how do you foresee the next couple of days playing out? it is interesting because we have no precedent for this, uh, where it's been more than 600 years since we had a pope to resign, and certainly i think what's going to happen as jonathan morris also said that pope francis will celebrate the funeral mass as a sign of appreciation for his predecessor. typically there should be a time of public. morning so that they'll be, uh , declared days of mourning and then the opportunity to pray before the remains, in other words, that the basket with his body will be brought to st peter's basilica and placed there with an honor guard. people don't come and pay their

respects and pray. and that will be interesting because even though he's not a pope, who died. he is he had been a pope who died, the former pope dies so the honors will undoubtedly includes as many cardinals throughout the world as are able to come to rome to be part of the funeral mass. and then heads of state. other representatives of governments . uh and then i think there'll be an outpouring of the faithful. people who remember of pope benedict who will want to come and be present. so i think in many ways it will be as if he were a reigning pope, who died but there will be of course, no conclave, no paper election. uh they'll simply be the burial and, uh oh, uh benedict pope emeritus, benedict had already indicated that he would like to be buried in the crypt of st peter's

meaning under beneath the basilica. and i think that's exactly what's going to happen. all right, reverend mary, we were appreciate your time this morning. i think we want you to hang on the line. just in case. we need to come back to you if you don't mind, but we do appreciate your insight to this this morning. we're gonna go back to jonathan morris, theologian and fox news contributor. we spoke to jonathan at the top of the hour. jonathan i want to know since you lived in the vatican for nine years. what do you think is happening there right now and how much preparation do you think has gone into really getting ready for this announcement after it was made clear earlier this week that he was sick. the first thing you're you're going to see that we're all going to see. i'm sure different images is hundreds. thousands of people heading to think peter's square and now after the death of the pontiff, usually people are running there. also to be to be

part of the historical moment of the possible new, you know, the election, the conclave and all the excitement around around that. in this case, people will be running and to pray. to pray close to remains of pope benedict. people from all over the world who happened to be in rome at the time, but also roman italians coming from all over to come into prey to be close to somebody who they came to know and to love. so that's the first thing hundreds , thousands of people heading to st peter's square to pray for and with pope benedict 16 program meritus opening the 16th then, um, confident at some point, we will have some prayer led by pope francis whether that's done at in st peter's square or in some other

way, but certainly francis was was very kind and very save respectful of. pope emeritus benedict 16th, even in his retirement, right. so you have someone you could you could imagine if you have. this was not a perfect example or analogy. but if you can imagine a ceo of a company that steps aside but stays within the walls of the company and in his president some way the new ceo might look down and say, oh, my goodness, looking over my shoulder. it seems that, um benedict 16th respond for his part was very respectful that he stayed in prayer and predominantly, was very quiet and not seen, but pope francis was also very kind to him and spoke very highly of him always and as we saw over the last few days encouraged everybody to pray. for pope benedict 16th in

in this in his last hours and then went and visited him on many occasions and this occasion just just a couple of days ago, so we can we can imagine francis doing something in a public way to praise for the soul of 16. and encouraging that the people of god throughout the world to do that. you know, it says at age 78. he became the oldest newly elected pope since 17 30. it's a really long time, jonathan let's talk a little bit about how he came, you know, to be the head of the catholic church. sure let me just tell you a little story about about how markets will take the helm of the catholic church. i was there in rome and had a an audience. they would they would be a private audience were meeting with him together with some other americans. and as we

sat with him, and a lot of these are college students that i was with. very bright. very, um very outspoken the whole college students and we sat around with him he was at this time was cardinal of rap sooner , so he was prefect of the congregation for the doctrine of the faith, which was but the together with the secretary of state and the most important department of the vatican, and as we're sitting around the circle, he walks in, and he didn't have a speech to give to us, probably 15 of us or so he sat down, and he said to all of these college students and to myself. i was a young priest at the time, he said, um what? what questions do you have of me? or would you like me to ask you questions, and they all laughed. and they said they said, no. we want to ask you questions, and they ask questions about very, very practical things of living out the face like how do you pray? like why does the church teach

that we can have sex before marriage like very, very practical things. and without any notes without any worry that he was going to be, um, you know, recorded or quoted he would give very simple but very profound answers. this is why this is why we believe he was so good at answering that question is this is why we believe you know when i when i am i now have a child lost the priesthood in good standing and the catholic church. pope francis gave me dispensation to be able to be merry and have a family and i have a little son now and sometimes i have to tell him no and i'm waiting for him. he's only one now. i'm waiting for him to turn to me and say, hey, dad, why and you know that answer that sometimes parents give well, because i told you so. it's not a very motivating answer, and i can tell you put benefit. 16th

never said no. because i told you so. he would say this is why we believe this is why we believe that he would go right to the root of it. he would go right to the sacred scripture and he would pull out motivation for believing. and he wasn't the great communicator of john paul. the second he wasn't the superstar that he did travel quite a bit to visit catholics and others around the world that he was mostly a teacher, a teacher of the faith, and i think that's whether you like them or not. you always knew put better. 16th was going to tell you why. and he would. he has thought deeply about the answer that you better be prepared. yeah you told us earlier when i spoke to you that benedict was big on clarity and his teachings, but when i was talking to reverend murray, he indicated that benedict said that he may have wanted to be buried in the crypt under the

vatican. i assume that the popes and retired popes they do they get to choose where they're buried. or is this something that the vatican is going to have to go back through? how does that work? how does that look? yes it's certainly not all popes have been buried within the walls of the vatican. you think of the 1st 500 years, for example of the of the history of the catholic church. many of many of those popes were actually killed. they were martyred. um so you know when christianity was illegal, and there was great persecution, so not everybody. not every pope is buried within. it was the vatican or within st peters basilica. most likely, however , and this has been the history of the modern history of the paper states. most likely emeritus, benedict 16th will be buried in st peter's basilica. there's a crypt underneath, where many many hopes are

buried. um and can whose graves can be visited them. i like people coming to visit the but you know, he was full of surprises. 16 ft surprises. remember the day when he resigned? um, i was in the airport. right? so this is an in 2013 and getting ready to go on a golf trip of all things. then we get the get a call from a producer there. fox thing is, is it possible that what was coming over the wires right now that the pope has resigned? popes don't resign. popes die in office, and i said, well, let's go back to his his writing. he actually talked about in his writings years before, of course, because he had thought about everything that he would consider resigning if she was not able to carry out the duties, responsibilities of meeting the catholic church, and that's exactly what he did. and he shocked the world. um and so

who knows? maybe there's something in britain and his will. um and last testament that she prefers to be buried, for example, in germany, but most likely, um, i see germany because that's um as uh as father murray mentioned he is from bavaria. it's great ties to germany. um and you never know. that's put it that way. you never know. you know, jonathan, did he ever give any specifics as to you know, you mentioned that he said if he couldn't leave the catholic church, um as to why he was stepping down. yeah, he gave his motivation. he said he was no longer able to mentally and physically carry out his duties . there was a lot of he really suffered. um, the management. of the job. you know, it's certainly the main responsibility of the pontiff is to teach the faith and to preserve what's called the dogma or the deposit of faith.

but she there's also a agreed amount of management. management of the vatican offices, departments of the vatican but also managing all of the leaders of the catholic church throughout the world. um, and that war on him and he decided, i think very humbly. i'm not. i'm not the right guy anymore. this is just not i'm not cut out for this right now. and the, um resigned and pope francis was elected. okay? jonathan morris, theologian and fox news contributor. jonathan thank you so much for giving us your insight. and for those of you just now joining us, his insight is its unique. he lived in the vatican for nine years again, jonathan. thank you. we're not going to go to lauren green, fox news chief religion correspondent. good morning, lauren. hey good morning, and i

want to apologize my voice a little bit under the weather. i've had laryngitis hoping getting over. no you're totally fine. we just appreciate you getting up to talk about this. your initial thoughts of the news of benedict his passing well, sadness, of course, because you know, he was a great theologian, great mind and intellect, and i know that he was not a media darling because people didn't understand who he was. certainly didn't have the personality of john paul, the second true. he became pope after he became pope. after um john paul. the second died. um but he was like john paul. right hand man, so he was almost like choosing john paul 22 afterwards, but. you know, from the media standpoint, he was not the media darling. but from my personal standpoint, i felt that he was one of these warm three cycling people and i had the privilege of playing

for him. in 2015 at the vatican . he was a pianist and you love cats, and i'm a pianist and i love cats. um but i saw him him on that day awards that no one no media has ever seen before. my mother was with me. and, um, you know, she was raised and you know, black baptist church, so no one told her she wasn't supposed to hug the pope. and he complimented her as she just grabbed him and hugged him. and i have never seen such a smile on both benedict as that day. um when there's no 90 year old black woman hugged him. and, um and it was just such a warm moment. i actually the picture of it someplace. um but that's the kind of pope i know. you know, he just i think i was hearing father jonathan talked about. you know it wasn't him. it wasn't him to be pope. in fact, he did put in resignation

before he became pope to jump all the second when he was head of the congregation, the doctrine of the faith. um you know, because he had health issues back then, um and i think. bother jonathan jonathan morgan is actually quitting that he didn't feel the business his job. he wanted to go back to germany. to write, um um, you know, i've been to reagan's group where his brother lived where he died with just a beautiful, bucolic kind of place where the roman settled. there's still 2000 year old stoves back there. so there's this wonderful history that that that area so i'm. i agree because he didn't get the life that he thought he wanted. but he also but but i'm joyful because he um, trust in god and let god lead him. but as time goes on, the media will look back on the life of benedict

the 16th and realized what an incredible mind he was an incredible person. he was um, and they'll rewrite history when they actually have a little time to really research and understand who he really was. lauren green, fox news, chief religion correspondent. thank you, lauren. we appreciate it. absolutely thank you so much problem. joining us now once again is reverend gerald e. murray pastor of holy family catholic church in manhattan. reverend you just heard lauren talking about the warmth that she felt as well as her mother at the vatican, she said as she as she called it. he was not a media darling, but she said she did feel the warmth from him. do you think that is common with really all the popes that we have seen, they have to put on a certain type of phase for the world, but behind closed doors they are, you know, they do have that that warmth to them.

lawrence absolutely right. i had a very similar experience. i was able to, uh bring my parents to meet pope benedict at the vatican. they were in rome as part of a pilgrimage and our group was given the privilege of meeting in the vatican and one of the beautiful rooms in the apostolic palace, as it's called, and he was very warm. my mom's told him about a retired professor that she was very friendly with dr alice von hildebrand. and the pope perked up because he knew her. she was a renowned academic here in america, but originally from europe and so they talked. you know about this wonderful dr von hildebrand. that was the way he was both in public. and in private. i remember as a young priest. i was in rome and got to meet him at his office. is that the congregation of the doctrine of the faith there? i was a young priest that was accompanying a couple of laypeople who had an

appointment with him. he couldn't have been nicer. he really was a humble man. as regards, though his figure he was someone who you know, had the millet e of speaking the truth with confidence. he believed firmly that jesus christ was the eternal son of god that he had founded the church to be the herald of that message of who jesus was and why he came to earth. and he spoke, you know, plainly, confidently and lovingly, and, uh, not everyone was happy with everything, he said. that's not to be best to be expected. but on the other hand, he didn't shy away. but it didn't make him into. you know, a person who was angry with others or had a kind of attitude problem if you don't agree with me, i don't want to see you know. it was funny at the beginning of the pontificate. it i wanted his former colleagues of famous professor hans kohn, who was very much a rebel priest he had broken with catholic tradition in many ways. cardinal

ratzinger had written documents critiquing the different writings of professor khan anyway. pope benedict as the new pope so well, i want to invite on skunk to come to the vatican and we'll have to sit down and have a beer and talk. that's the kind of guy he was. he was willing to engage with. people disagree with him, but he did so again with that spirit of deep faith and to be an true love for the church and for christ. so you know, reverend, you were talking about what comes next earlier when we spoke, but i want to know what the message is going to be with the catholic church at sunday mass tomorrow morning. is it going to look any different? what's going to be the message that's given throughout the world here in the united states all over the world with this news? it certainly will be an occasion for public morning sunday, january 1st is also a great

feast day on the catholic calendar. it's the feast of mary, the holy mother of god. so on the octave of the eighth day after the birth of christ church turns her prayers and thanksgiving to god for mary and her great faith enter fulfillment of her mission in life to bring christ into the world. but now we will think of another state servants. uh someone who like mary said yes to the will of god and then did it in an exemplary way. um there's going to be, uh, reflections. i'm sure from the pulpit, the preachers will talk about the legacy of this wonderful hope and but it will be unusual because certainly we , uh, began on new year's day with resolutions and prayers for the coming year. and now that will include, you know, thinking, looking back and saying are we begin our new year, but someone is missing someone that was well loved and had done such a wonderful job

and then in his retirement continued to pray for the church. we pray for his soul. we pray that he be given eternal rest. um i think we're going to see you know, in my parish we have to masses in the morning on sundays. i think we're going to see some new faces coming into church people who will be here. tourists, perhaps in new york. who would want to pray for the soul of pope benedict and really give thanks to god, because, you know, isn't that really what life is all about recognizing blessings. and then turning to the one who gave us those blessings and thanking him. and you know, i keep going back to this because i know it's a big question and everybody's mind because we're not exactly 100% sure how it's going to look in the next couple of days at the vatican and when it comes to his final resting place, um, but some are saying that it would be presided over by pope francis rather than the dean of the college of cardinals. why is that? well you know, it's a

that's a question mark that we will. we'll find out pretty soon i've already seen believe it or not that the vatican has already said the body will be brought on monday into st peter's basilica for public veneration, public prayers. they have not announced the schedule for the funeral mass. but uh, pope francis, as you may know, our listeners maybe are aware has been using a wheelchair in the past few months because of his aggravated need and back problems. so he lately pope francis has not been the principal celebrant at masses in st peter's. he's had a cardinal celebrating mass and he was praying with him. we call it consulate grating on the side. so that remains to be seen what he will decide, but certainly he will be given the owners of these days of mourning and prayer in the basilica and again. i think this is going to be an

outpouring of love. and uh we'll see the college of cardinals from out throughout the world flying into rome, uh , in order to be part of that funeral cortege and that prayer at mass. and then the faithful coming in because you know he was. people may recall that popes have what we call wednesday audiences where anybody who's in rome and get a ticket. there's no charge and you can go either st peter's basilica square or into the pole, the sticks hall of big meeting room that can hold thousands of people. and he would regularly have huge crowds. i think people connected with him in a way that was so beautiful. he was the pope from far away. he was from germany. he was not a native italian, but the italians embraced him with great love. and uh, i think we're going to see that outpouring of affection. um and you know what? what happens, typically enroll them around this time he for many tourists who take advantage of the

christmas new year holiday, so i think many people are going to be able to say well now, or holiday is going to be dedicated to prayer for this wonderful pope, who has died. you know, reverend, that's interesting. you bring up pope francis and his knee that has been bothering him. the last time i saw him in really a large scale audience was easter sunday when i covered his easter sunday message in his mass, so he was having difficulty getting around. i think they actually carted him around through the crowds. so i just wonder what that would look like to since he is having issues with that, um, but when you were talking about people visiting for the holidays for christmas for new year's, um if somebody's watching this right now, and they're wondering you know how how would i even go about this? what would it look like? detail what it would look like for someone to visit the vatican. it's such a, um, an interesting time in history. really? yes well, the vatican

is open to anyone now, part of the reality that we live in the post 9 11 world is that you have to go through metal detectors. what used to be. you could just walk into st peter's square and then go up the main steps and go right into st peter's, but now you have to get online and then go through metal detectors and then be brought into the basilica. uh let's we're going to have to see how they're going to handle that for the crowds that want to come to the vatican, because security is very important. uh and this, you know, excellent cooperation between vatican city state and the italian authorities. so i'm sure they're going to do everything possible to minimize wait times . but if someone does want to go to rome and to pay his respects. uh you simply have to show up, get online and go in now. the question is, if the funeral masses held, will it be held outdoors? on the steps. they have set up an altar on the steps in front of st

peter's basilica in and so many people could fit into think peter's square and the adjoining streets leading up to it. that remains to be seen. if it is a funeral mass is held inside then, of course, that will be restricted to those who are able to get tickets, but certainly even if the masses inside, people will be able to go into the square, there are big jumbotron set up. you can participate. in the mask by praying and watching the mess on tv, so i anticipate a big outpouring of love and affection that will be manifested in crowds coming and you know, the crowds are coming out of curiosity seekers, but truly as people grateful to god for having given us pope benedict and want to pray for his soul, and thank god that we did have such a wonderful leader leading the catholic church from 2005 to 2013. yeah. all right, reverend. thank you so much for all of your insight this morning, which really appreciate you getting up to

talk about this, um, this day in history, have a good day. thank you. mhm benedict, the 16th dedicated his entire adult life to the church from 1951 when he was ordained a priest until resigning as pope in 2013 , greg palkot takes a look at his life and legacy. when john paul. the second died after more than 25 years as pope, the cardinals met to elect a successor. it took them just two days to give the job to a 78 year old german, a scholarly man who didn't particularly appear to want it. no, it's the lord cardinals have elected me a simple, humble worker in god's vineyard. for decades, cardinal joseph ratzinger had been a key adviser to john paul , the second on questions of catholic doctrine, earning a reputation as a staunch conservative as pope benedict the 16th he battled relativism the idea that what's true for one person might not be true

for someone else. pope benedict's 2008 visit to the united states would be remembered not only for his birthday celebration in the white house, a stop at ground zero and mass at yankee stadium. but also by the way in which he addressed the sex abuse crisis so directly exclude pedophiles from the sacred ministry. this is absolutely incompatible and who is really guilty and cannot be priest. sex abuse would haunt his papacy as the scandal unfolded in europe, and critics charged that benedict's record on abuse was mixed, and there were other problems as well. benedict defended muslims with a speech suggesting islam could be a violent religion and sparked a global uproar when he lifted the excommunication for four renegade bishops. since one of them richard williamson turned out to be a holocaust

denier. benedict wasn't a politician of all intellectual priest having discovered both vocations while growing up in southern germany. pope benedict never expected to be much more than a priest and a university professor. but all that changed when he became pope. benedict made several international trips including germany, australia and portugal, surprisingly well received by the crowds. benedict made the first state visit ever of a pontiff to the united kingdom in 2010 with all the pump that goes with it, including a meeting with the queen. the pope addressed dignitaries and politicians in westminster hall significant meeting in a significant location. very place where almost 500 years earlier, catholic saint thomas more was condemned to death, although he was nearly 85 at the time, and it just begun to use a cane in public in march, 2012 benedict also traveled to

mexico, one of the largest catholic countries in the world, and to cuba. the church's activity has been severely curtailed in the island nation, and the pope asked that catholics at least be allowed to run their own schools there in one of the most important decisions of his papacy. pick the 16th. but john paul, the second on the fast track to sainthood. deciding that his predecessor should be declared blessed the last step before he officially becomes a saint. it was his age and frail health prompted a decision in 2013 for benedict to step down as the leader of the worldwide catholic church. moved and shocked the catholic faithful around the world. benedict 16th was the first head of the roman catholic church to resign in almost 600 years. fox news. joining us now is bishop robert barron with the diocese of winona rochester, minnesota, is also the founder of word on fire. bishop thank you for

getting up with us. i want to talk about this because i find this very interesting. uh, benedict had a very good reach on young people. he was actually the first pope on twitter and within his a month of him getting on twitter. he had 2.5 million followers in eight languages. talk to us about his reach to the youth of our world today. it might seem a little paradoxical because he was a very high level german professor. at the same time, he always had a very lucid way of communicating even in his high academic work. he didn't write in a sort of turgid way, he wrote in a in an accessible way , but not entirely surprised by that. and also you know, he was the pope and catholics respond to the pope. they respond to the office. and, uh, you know, he's seen as the successor of peter. he's bigger of christ. but in a way, i think any pope is going to respond. people respond to the successor of peter, but he was always

elusive, clear communicator and i think people senses great sincerity to that would help to explain this popularity. why do you think he was so well liked by young people, because that seems to be the message that's echoed all over. well a couple of things one is i think the personality that i think charity of came through secondly, very much like john paul, the second young people like direction. you know, um he was against the dictatorship of relativism. we heard you know my truth your truth, but there's no the truth. and i think young people responded that when they when an elder says, here's the way you know you should live your life. he was a great values that should govern your life. i think they find that attractive. you know when we talk about people from all over the world, especially right now, since it's the holiday season, it's new year's eve, and people are going to be visiting the vatican, hoping to really get a piece of this

history. um what do you think that's going to look like for the vatican and their preparations? i mean, i'm sure they've been they've been prepared for this. oh yeah, i think so. we've known for some time that has been quite sick and what's what's unprecedented, of course, is the death and funeral of a of a x pope. so we have an investment several centuries. but my understanding is they're going to have the you know the ceremony that would usually be attended upon the death of the pope. but leave kind of new territory that we're moving into, and not quite sure what to expect. okay bishop barron. thank you so much for being with us this morning to talk about this. we do appreciate it. god bless you. thanks. you too. joining us now is courtney walsh. fox news? rome producer courtney your initial thoughts on this news this morning. well you know, we have been expecting this for days. so it's not a complete surprise. however we were told yesterday that the pope's condition were stable and that while he was

having trouble speaking, which has been too for a while he was in there were cautiously optimistic. so when we got this message on her phone at nine, you know that the pope had passed away this morning. 9 34 . we were quite surprised, but again, this is sort of uncharted territories in many ways, because we've never really had a pope emeritus, funeral and so forth. and in fact, i'm in a car right now. heading to a press conference, the matteo bruni, who is the papal spokesman, and we're going to get some of the details about exactly how things going to go in the next couple of days. we do know that the body will be, uh at saint peter's for the laying in state , and that will be from january 2nd so that the faithful can go and greet them. and this is quite, um, in an important event. remember with pope john paul the second during, um, that particular event of lines just accuse going all the way to the other side of the tiber

river. now you know, the vatican is on one side of the tiber and then town of runners on the other side. and it was incredible. so we'll see how this is. this is a very kind of unique situation. so um we'll find out more details shortly. i know and a lot of people are really awaiting those details since, as you said, it is uncharted territory, but i want to talk about you might or may not know about this, um, the covid policies because i know during the easter ceremony in 2022, it seems like most, if not all, of the covid policies had been lifted. but as you know, there have been, you know places throughout the world who have reinstated some of those policies. do you know anything about how that's going to look? well you know, in rome, i can say that there's been a huge information of the numbers like a huge increase in the number of people with covid. but again, most people are vaccinated. just some people. i know people are saying that nothing worse than a flu. i believe that things will be with everyone will be

encouraged to wear masks. but i don't expect any particular. um um, restrictions at this point because it's not sort of considered the dean to health emergency. italy however, has in the past couple of days instituted a policy of testing people from china, and the main reason is also to find out what kind of variants are out there because we're not getting any official news from the chinese government and surprisingly over almost passed and in some cases over half of the people tested positive for covid. so there's a lot of concern about that, um, in italy, of course, especially in the beginning, italy has really been at the center of this whole covid typical, so they're taking extreme steps. i'm sure that people will be wearing masks. i wear one all the time in any kind of public place as a for the past week. um but i don't think that will restrict the movement of pilgrims. i don't think that would be a problem for people flying in. i think that will be all like all green

lighted. and then final question. do you think today at this meeting you're headed to right now that it's really going to lay out the groundwork of what we can expect for the next week or so. do you know they have been working on this for a while and just a message that we got, and by the way, there is a link on youtube where you can follow this. i think it would be probably mostly the time but i'm sure matteo boost. bruni will also give some indication in english about exactly what all the aspects will be. fortunately it's being streamed because it was a scramble. we were informed at 11 15 that the press conference will be at 11 45 which is in us time. 5 15 5 45. fortunately they moved it for noon. so it should be starting any minute but we will probably get the full layout and he may have even made some, um you know his he may have decided himself what he wanted, and i'm expecting knowing benedict that he is knowing how things are now at the vatican.

we're not going to get sort of a full blown, um, people funeral. i don't know that, but , um this is my sort of inkling , knowing how things are now and also this effort. courtney i gotta let you go. i hate to cut in like that, but we've got a hard out coming. um courtney walsh, fox news room producer. thank you so much. we ♪ o say can you see ♪ ♪ by the dawn's early light ♪ ♪ what so proudly we hailed♪ ♪ at the twilight's last gleaming♪ ♪ whose broad stripes and bright stars ♪