RALEIGH, NC - December 31, 2022 -- Bishop Luis Raphael Zarama of the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh released this statement following the death of Pope Benedict XVI:

The Church mourns the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. He leaves a lasting legacy as a teacher and theologian and as an example of humility.

What he taught us in his first papal encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, he also taught us in how he lived his life -- that while God’s love is big and sometimes incomprehensible, it is best returned and shared in small ways by accepting and giving of one’s self to the other.

We commend his soul in our prayers to the Lord. May God grant him eternal rest.

† Luis Rafael Zarama, J.C.L.

(Catholic 540-AM Divine Mercy Radio is a volunteer operated, Catholic radio apostolate that operates independently within the Diocese of Raleigh).