Pope Benedict Eulogized At Rockville Centre Mass

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, NY — A day after Pope Benedict XVI's funeral in Rome, he was honored at St. Agnes Cathedral on Friday.

Bishop William Murphy, the retired head of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, said in the homily, "The world needed Pope Benedict XVI. It need not to forget him now."

Several hundred parishioners packed the cathedral to pay their respects to the former pope, Newsday said.

"Today, we pray for the soul of this great pope and give thanks for how the Holy Spirit led
him and inspired us," Diocese of Rockville Centre Bishop John O. Barres said in a statement after Benedict's death on Dec. 31.

Pope Benedict XVI retired from the papacy in 2013, making him the first pope to step down in nearly 600 years.