Archbishop Burke: German Catholics should be proud

St. Louis, Mo., Apr 21, 2005 / 22:00 pm

As the world watches to see what the first moves of Pope Benedict XVI will be, St. Louis’ Archbishop Raymond Burke is already convinced that the new Pope is worthy of his praise.

In a statement released Tuesday, the archbishop called the new Pope “a compassionate, brilliant and clear teacher of the faith. He has been a true blessing to the Church. Now, he will be even more so.”

“Pope Benedict XVI”, he said, “is an outstanding man of the Church. During my years of service of the Holy See, I was privileged to witness his extraordinary gifts as a pastor of souls. All of us have come to know his deep love of Christ and the Church through his faithful and highly qualified service of our late Holy Father in safeguarding and teaching the doctrine of the faith, which is the solid foundation of our life in the Church on earth and gives us certain hope of the fullness of life one day in the Church in Heaven.”

Archbishop Burke also noted the role of German-Catholics in the history of the Church in St. Louis, saying, “Our gratitude for the gift of Pope Benedict XVI is also gratitude for German Catholics who have so richly blessed the Church in Saint Louis and have played such a significant part in the history of the Church in the Archdiocese of Saint Louis.”

“Our brothers and sisters in the Church of German heritage”, he wrote, “are rightly proud to have one of their own chosen to serve in the office of Saint Peter. We all congratulate you and share you joy.”