In November of 1983 the small Commission of which I was a member had just finished our work on The Book of Divine Worship. As is the case with the Ordinariates, the Pastoral Provision came under the authority of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, working in conjunction with the Congregation for Divine Worship. Cardinal Ratzinger had greeted us as we began our deliberations, but we saw no more of him during the time of our meetings. When we finished our work, however, we were told that the Cardinal Prefect would like to invite us to a dinner to celebrate our accomplishment.
We were given the name of a very nice restaurant on the Via della Conciliazione, only a block or two from where we had been meeting. We were told to be there at such-and-such a time, and we would be taken to a private dining room upstairs.
The Commission was comprised of a small group (perhaps a dozen or so), and when we entered the room we were individually greeted by Cardinal Ratzinger. I had the good fortune to have been befriended by the chairman of our Commission, who had always seen that I was given time to speak at our meetings, and he often showed little kindnesses during our deliberations. For this final dinner, he made sure I was seated next to the Cardinal Prefect.
Could I have imagined at that time that I was sitting and conversing with the future Pope? Not in a million years! It was dramatic enough to have had that time with him as a Cardinal. Subsequently I was able briefly to meet him again at one of the General Audiences, and I could not help but remember the time and conversation we had shared so many years before.
And now, at the venerable age of ninety-five, our beloved Pope Benedict has entered into that eternal life for which he had been preparing his whole earthly life. We pray for him, as we know he is praying for us. How blest we are to have lived during his time as our Holy Father.