Pope Benedict used his Angelus address yesterday to remember one of his predecessors — a man who, arguably, redefined the Church for modern times, Pope Paul VI.

He has been both revered (for Humanae Vitae) and reviled (for the Novus Ordo mass) but few can deny that he proved how much of an impact one man can have on the life of the church.

Benedict paid tribute from Castle Gandolfo:

29 years on from his death today, Benedict XVI recalled the figure of Paul VI, which took place August 6th 1978, on the Feast of the Transfiguration. “The solemnity of the Transfiguration, – said the pontiff – remains linked to the memory of my venerated predecessor, the Servant of God Paul VI, who in 1978 here in Castel Gandalfo, completed his earthly mission and was called into the heavenly house of the Father. His memory invites us to raise our eyes to Heaven and to faithfully serve the Lord and the Church, as he did in the difficult years of the last century”.

In keeping with tradition Benedict XVI ‘s Angelus address highlighted the Sunday Gospel and liturgy. Today he sought to underline Christ’s warning “to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, everything passes, everything can end suddenly” and that “although wealth in itself is an accumulation of goods, it must not be considered as the absolute good”. “The real treasure for which we Christians must tirelessly seek – explained the Pope – lie in the things ‘from above, there where Christ can be found at the right hand of the Father’. Saint Paul in his letter to the Colossians reminds us of this today when he says that our life ‘is hidden with Christ in God’ (3, 1-3)”.

The memory of Paul VI urges us to lift our eyes ‘on high’. Today’s feast too, of the dedication of the basilica of Saint Mary Major calls on “the Virgin… to sustain us” so that “as we bend the earth to our will we are not blinded by the short-sightedness of greed, but we continue to strive for that which is good in the eyes of good”. (Collect).

Paul VI’s successor, John Paul, left his own distinct stamp on the papacy and the Church — and Benedict, in just a couple of years, has had a considerable impact, as well.

No matter what man may do to her — whatever scandals and setbacks might befall the Church — she remains ever alive, constantly being replenished and renewed.