Upon hearing of the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Bishop Gregory Parkes posted a message on social media to share his heartfelt condolences.

“With sadness, we mourn the loss of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, and with gratitude give thanks for his many years of service and ministry to the Church.  He was a humble servant who faithfully accepted and fulfilled God’s will for his life. His theological intellect and spiritual wisdom will certainly be missed. May this humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord now rest in the peace of God’s loving and merciful arms,” wrote Bishop Parkes on Facebook. 

Back when Bishop Parkes was a seminarian attending Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, he would see the former pope, who was still Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, walking around the Vatican.

“At that time, he had not yet been elected Pope, St. John Paul II, was Pope. But Cardinal Ratzinger was a very public figure in Rome. Some of my recollections are simply walking through St. Peter's Square and I would see him walking from his office at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, maybe to his apartment, or to lunch.”

In 1999, Bishop Parkes was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Orlando and in 2012, it was Pope Benedict XVI who selected him to become a bishop to serve in the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee.

“Several months after I was named Bishop of Pensacola-Tallahassee, I traveled to Rome with the other bishops of Florida for our ad limina visit and I was able to meet the Holy Father to thank him for that appointment, and to assure him of my fidelity and support of him,” added Bishop Parkes.“He

Bishop Parkes admired the former pontiff’s intellectual talents.

was a man of great intellect and used that to develop theological thought and to make many contributions to the Church and then, ultimately, he was appointed the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. This is the office at the Vatican that handles all doctrinal issues. If there's any question about the authenticity of a teaching regarding our faith, or somebody who's proposing something new, it has to be vetted through that office. So, he helped guard and protect the faith. That's what he did before he was elected Pope by his brother Cardinals,” added Bishop Parkes.

Many agree the former pope will be remembered for his love of the Lord and humility.

“I think history will look at him as a man who put his gifts and talents at the service of the Church, certainly before he was Pope, but even during his pontificate. He had a relatively short pontificate when you think about it. It was less than 10 years. But then again, he was elected pope at an advanced age. He accepted it with humility. In addition to being a very intelligent man, he was a very spiritual man and a very pastoral man. He brought that to his leadership. The first encyclical or major writing that he wrote was entitled God is Love. It wasn't a deep theological treatise of some kind, but rather, he reflected on God as being love and our call to love one another. I think those are some things that he'll be remembered for,” added Bishop Parkes.

Portions of this article were excerpts from an interview that aired on Spirit FM 90.5.

At a Mass on January 4, 2023, for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Bishop Gregory Parkes shared personal, heartfelt and even humorous memories of the former pope and his legacy to the Church and the world.