If you read then-Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger’s homily, you’ll see that it is not a eulogy but a reflection on how John Paul II lived out the Gospel, particularly the Gospel reading chosen for his funeral Mass. A homily is primarily focused on the Gospel, although it may include topical events in order to make the Gospel reading relevant to present-day situations. A eulogy is focused on the person who died, to the exclusion of a more universal application of the Gospel to the lives of Christians. While Cardinal Ratzinger’s homily did include some biographical detail of John Paul’s life, its main focus were the Scripture readings. Indeed, at one point, Cardinal Ratzinger stated:
This is not the time to speak of the specific content of this rich pontificate. I would like only to read two passages of today’s liturgy which reflect central elements of his [John Paul II’s] message.
In other words, Cardinal Ratzinger acknowledged that he could not give a eulogy, in the traditional sense of that word, but could only give reflections on John Paul based on the readings of the funeral Mass. That is the distinction between a eulogy and a homily.
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