The last words of Benedict XVI on his deathbed were: "Lord, I love you". A good bequest, a good memory. His spiritual testament was then published: a long list of thanks and a request for forgiveness: "I thank my parents, who gave me life in a difficult time. They profoundly marked his life and made it easier for him to take the first step in following his vocation, the call that God made to him - as he himself recounted - slowly.

A humble heart is a grateful heart: "I thank God for the many friends, men and women, whom He has always placed at my side; for the collaborators at every stage of my journey; for the teachers and students He has given me. With gratitude I entrust them all to His goodness". Not a shadow of rancor, despite the setbacks he had had in his life and in his pontificate.

A free heart, in love; a poet's soul, romantic, so German: "I thank God for all the beauty I have been able to experience in all the stages of my journey, but especially in Rome and in Italy, which has become my second homeland"; a German in Italy, like Goethe. And he added a plea "to all those whom I have hurt in any way, I ask for your heartfelt forgiveness". He did not want to leave a score to settle and thus freed his conscience. He was being a perfect self-portrait.

Finally, a message to all those who knew him, near and far: "I humbly ask: pray for me, so that the Lord, in spite of all my sins and inadequacies, may receive me into the eternal dwelling place. To all those entrusted to my care, my prayers go out from my heart, day by day". Let us hope that, through the mercy of the Father and the merits of Jesus Christ, he reached that eternal love, in which he dived as a theologian.
Such was his end, in which he portrayed himself perfectly. After the funeral, Pope Francis presided over the last commendation and farewell. Then the coffin was transferred to the Vatican grottoes, to be buried in the tomb previously inhabited by St. John XXIII and St. John Paul II. Right in front of St. Peter's, in good company. A new stage began then, also for understanding his person and his pontificate. His shy and calm smile will always be with us.

Two years have already passed since the end of this whole story of truth and love, as Benedict XVI himself would like to say. His life began with the piety of the Bavarian people and continued with the erudition of a German theologian Full Professor . All of this was profoundly marked by the experience of the Second Vatican Council. His priestly ministry was followed by his episcopal ministry and that of prefect of the then Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, "the hardest place in the Church", as Fernando Sebastian said.

Then came his service as the 364th successor of St. Peter, under the name Benedict XVI. He brought all his abilities to bear, to the very end. A new image then emerged, going from being the "grand inquisitor" to being the Pope of the word - reason and relationship - of love and hope, judging by the degree scroll of his encyclicals. His shyness began to conquer and he won in the short term. The Vatican intrigues harassed him, but he went ahead with the reform of the Church that the Council had already sponsored.

The Withdrawal was a prophetic gesture and the best definition I have found of what a ministry in the Church entails. "In conscience" and "for the good of the Church," he said. If he remained on the papal throne, the reform would die with him. That is why he had to step aside, pass the baton to the one who came after him and get out of the way. Just accompany him with his prayer and his work. Ora et labora, as his beloved St. Benedict used to say.

His successor, Pope Francis, has been able to continue with the reform in the management of abuses, in financial transparency, in the evangelizing purpose of the Roman Curia. Ecclesia semper reformanda, Ecclesia semper purificanda. When he was asked, as Roman Prefect, if he slept well, he responded by saying, after an initial block: "After making my examination of conscience and praying the night prayers, the truth is that I sleep very well, because I know that the Church belongs to Jesus Christ and not to us".

Then came chronic insomnia and he saw the need to disassociate his pontificate from his own state of health. The Church had to go on without him, accompanied by his prayer and his work. And his silence, which was not easy in troubled times. He lived like a monk, accompanying the new Pope.

Now he continues to speak mainly through his books and also with the fond memory of his shy, toothy smile. It will soon be the 100th anniversary of the birth in a small Bavarian village of that feeble child who seemed to have little future. But the Lord's plans are always surprising: He is the Lord of surprises. His life, his vocation, his teachings, his ministry are luminous, and this is the best bequest he could have left us.