On Monday, December 9, 2023 the Catholic Church in Jordan lifted up prayers for the repose of the soul of Pope Benedict XVI.

This  was reported during the Holy Mass celebrated by Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Jordan Bishop Jamal Daibes, which was concelebrated by Chargé d’Affaires of the Apostolic Nunciature in Jordan Msgr. Mauro Lalli, Melkite Greek Catholic Archbishop of Jordan Joseph Jbara, Emeritus Patriarch Fouad Twal, parish priest of the Maronite Church in Jordan Fr. Joseph Sweid, parish priest of the Chaldean Church Zeid Habbabah, parish priest of the Catholic Syriac Church Fr. Tha'ir Abba, and a number of priests.

The Holy Mass, held at the Our Lady of Nazareth Church in Amman, was attended by a number of civil and diplomatic figures, and a group of believers from various parishes during which the Fountain of Love choir band sang hymns.

After reading verses from the Holy Bible on the “Good Shepherd” (John 10: 1-16), Msgr. Mauro Lalli said in his homily that the name of Pope Benedict XVI will remain great and engraved in the long history of the Popes of the Catholic Church.

He said: "Pope Benedict was distinguished by his profound theological and humanitarian thought which he showed in his preaching, teachings, and formal education which are nowadays contained in volumes called 'The Complete Collection.'  It can be said that during the eight years of his pontificate from April 19-2005-February 28, 2013, he issued three important encyclicals, namely 'God is Love', 'In Hope We Were Saved', and 'Charity in Truth'."

He added, "During  his historic trip to the Holy Land in 2009, with his first stop in Amman, as well as his meeting with Muslim clerics and members of the diplomatic corps at the King Hussein Ibn Talal Mosque on Saturday, May 9, 2009, Pope Benedict thanked His Majesty King Abdullah II, members of the Royal Hashemite Family, and the Jordanian Government, saying: "Numerous initiatives to promote inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue and exchanges are appreciated by the people of the Hashemite Kingdom and they are widely respected by the international community… and these (initiatives) are greatly reverberated in numerous initiatives of cooperation among Jordanians, and for all of this I express my sincere admiration……Muslims and Christians, precisely because of the burden of our common history so often marked by misunderstanding, must today strive to be known and recognized as worshipers of God faithful to prayer, eager to uphold and live by the Almighty’s decrees, merciful and compassionate, consistent in bearing witness to all that is true and good, and ever mindful of the common origin and dignity of all human persons, who remain at the apex of God’s creative design for the world and for history."

Stressing that his last words before his death were: ‘Lord, I love you!’ Msgr. Lalli quoted Pope Francis words addressed to Pope Benedict saying, “We feel in our hearts so much gratitude: Gratitude to God for having given him to the Church and to the world; gratitude to him, for all the good he accomplished, and especially for his witness of faith and prayer, especially in these last years of his retired life… only God knows the value and strength of his intercession, of his sacrifices offered for the good of the Church.Thank you, our dear Pope Emeritus Benedict, may your soul rest in eternal peace, and may your memory remain forever. Amen."