Catholic converts: ‘Benedict XVI led me into the Catholic Church’

Benedict Pope Benedict XVI, May 11, 2010 | Mazur/www.thepapalvisit.org.uk

In the days after news spread that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was nearing the end of his life, a number of Catholic converts shared that they came to faith through the writing and teachings of the late pope. 

Sohrab Ahmari, a founder and editor of Compact, wrote in a New York Times op-ed that his conversion from Islam to Catholicism was “in large part inspired by Benedict’s writings.”

In an interview with EWTN, Ahmari said that Benedict was the person most responsible for his conversion:

Tod Worner, managing editor of the Word on Fire Institute’s “Evangelization & Culture,” wrote in his blog that he read his way into the Catholic Church, thanks to Pope Benedict XVI.

“After years of being a Protestant who dismissed the Church and disdained the papacy, I was shocked by the beauty, clarity, and wisdom offered by this old priest from Bavaria. The moment I tried to be fair to him, I began to be fond of him. And my fondness has never ceased.

“To be sure, Pope Francis is our pope. And I love him for it. But Pope Benedict XVI? He will always be my pope — the pope who brought me into the Church,” Worner wrote.

Troy Guy, author of “Evangelical Catholic,” shared his conversion story on Twitter when news broke that Benedict was gravely ill:

Here are a few of the many testimonials posted on social media from those who said Benedict helped lead them to the Catholic Church and from those who found their way back to the faith thanks to the late pope:

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