Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s last words before his death on Saturday were, “Lord, I love you,” according to his longtime secretary.
Archbishop George Gensoin quoted a nurse who was assisting the 95-year-old and heard the words shortly before he died on New Year’s Eve.
Genswein said the nurse called out that Benedict made a short statement around 3 a.m. before he died later that morning.
“Lord, I love you,” Benedict XVI said, in an undertone but in a very distinctive way, in Italian, Genswein told the Vatican’s official media on Sunday.
I wasn’t there at that moment, but the nurse recounted it a little later.
“These were his last words that could be understood, because after that he could no longer express himself.”
Jenswein, a German bishop, lived in the Vatican monastery where Benedict resided after retiring from the position in 2013.
The Vatican reported that Pope Francis paid his respects immediately after Gaenswein called to inform him that Benedict had died shortly after 9:30 am.
Francis prayed for Benedict’s passage to heaven and appreciated his eight-year service as head of the Catholic Church.
“Today we entrust our blessed mother, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, to accompany him on his journey from this world to God,” he said.
Rome Prefecture Bruno Fratasci, an interior ministry official, told Italian state television that Benedict’s coffin will be seen for three days from Monday, and the number of mourners is expected to be at least 25,000-30,000 that day.
His body lay on a burgundy tombstone in the monastery church where he lived in retirement.
with wire
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