‘He offered his life to God for his flock’

AN edited version of the homily read, in Italian, by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger during the funeral Mass of Pope John Paul.

"Follow me." The Risen Lord says these words to Peter. They are his last words to this disciple, chosen to shepherd his flock.

"Follow me" this lapidary saying of Christ can be taken as the key to understanding the message which comes to us from the life of our late beloved Pope John Paul II. Today we bury his remains in the earth as a seed of immortality our hearts are full of sadness, yet at the same time of joyful hope and profound gratitude.