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Catholic converts: ‘Benedict XVI led me into the Catholic Church’

Pope emeritus Benedict XVI. / Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk.

Washington D.C., Jan 2, 2023 / 11:00 am (CNA).

In the days after news spread that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was nearing the end of his life, a number of Catholic converts shared that they came to faith through the writing and teachings of the late pope.

Sohrab Ahmari, a founder and editor of Compact, wrote in a New York Times op-ed that his conversion from Islam to Catholicism was “in large part inspired by Benedict’s writings.”

In an interview with EWTN, Ahmari said that Benedict was the person most responsible for his conversion:

Tod Worner, managing editor of the Word on Fire Institute’s “Evangelization & Culture,” wrote in his blog that he read his way into the Catholic Church, thanks to Pope Benedict XVI.

“After years of being a Protestant who dismissed the Church and disdained the papacy, I was shocked by the beauty, clarity, and wisdom offered by this old priest from Bavaria. The moment I tried to be fair to him, I began to be fond of him. And my fondness has never ceased.

“To be sure, Pope Francis is our pope. And I love him for it. But Pope Benedict XVI? He will always be my pope — the pope who brought me into the Church,” Worner wrote.

Troy Guy, author of “Evangelical Catholic,” shared his conversion story on Twitter when news broke that Benedict was gravely ill:

Here are a few of the many testimonials posted on social media from those who said Benedict helped lead them to the Catholic Church and from those who found their way back to the faith thanks to the late pope:


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3 Comments

  1. Wow. I’m not a convert, except in the sense that I had to shed the totally erroneous impression of BXVI that I had absorbed from the MSM before I could appreciate him. RIP.

  2. So many great tributes to the man I knew I would never meet in person, but I prayed I could meet after this life. Like so many others, I owe my faith to God’s graces thru this man’s writings. My wife,being raised a Baptist, so dearly loved his Jesus of Nazareth books, that she has grown in the faith far beyond me. I pray now that he will intercede for us in our hopes for the Church. He can now finally be free of the struggles of our Church, and really help it thru our prayers.

  3. Thank you Lord for changing this heart of stone 30 year Catholic and giving me a heart of flesh for your purposes and glory. I never would have left it it wasn’t for your predestined grace and mercy. I thank you for the painful circumstances at the time, but I see your plan very clearly. To God be the glory forever!!

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  1. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Requiescat In Pace – Big Pulpit
  2. Catholic converts: ‘Benedict XVI led me into the Catholic Church’ – Catholic World Report – The Old Roman

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