QUEENS (WABC) — Thousands of Catholics are making their way to Rome – including Cardinal Timothy Dolan – to attend the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
For Cardinal Dolan, this is not just a duty, but a personal pilgrimage to pay his last respects.
“I can’t claim to be in his inner circle… he is the one who appointed me Archbishop of New York,” he said.
Five years after Pope Benedict’s trip to New York – and after eight years as pope, he became the first pope in 600 years to resign due to health problems.
Cardinal Dolan recalls that even though he left the papacy, his contribution to the church remained profound even as he approached death.
“Everybody knew about his presence,” he said.
The Vatican estimates that 60,000 people will attend the funeral of Pope Emeritus in St. Peter’s Square on Thursday. Many more will be watching online and on TV around the world.
Eyewitness News reporter Mike Marza is heading to the Vatican for Pope Benedict’s funeral. You can see his reports this week on Eyewitness News.
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