The death of Benedict XVI: world leaders greet him with praise

The death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, which took place this Saturday, although it did not surprise the world – he was 95 years old and his health had been fragile for some time – provoked immediate reactions from heads of state and government from all over the world. The leaders dismissed him with praise despite the criticisms that the former German pontiff had received during his lifetime for some attitudes and positions.

This was assured by the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella the country “is in mourning” for the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, whose “sweetness and wisdom have benefited” “the entire international community”.

“With dedication he continued to serve the cause of his Church in the unprecedented position of pope emeritus with humility and serenity. His figure remains unforgettable for the Italian people,” said Mattarella, 81.

Benedict XVI died this Saturday at 9:34 local time (5:34 in Argentina) at the age of 95 in the Mater Ecclesiae monastery in the Vatican, where he had resided since his historic resignation in 2013.

The Italian head of state underlined that Benedict XVI was an “intellectual and theologian, who finely interpreted the reasons for dialogue, peace and the dignity of the person as the supreme interests of religions”, before adding: “We remember his testimony and his example with gratitude”.

Even the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, expressed her “sorrow” over the death of the pope emeritus, “a giant of faith and reason” and “a great man whom history will never forget”, while the Foreign Minister , the conservative Antonio Tajani said he was “a great pope and a great theologian” who appreciated “his way of explaining the faith”.

The prime minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, this Saturday praised the late Pope Benedict XVI as a “great theologian” dedicated “to the service of others”.

“My deepest condolences to the Catholic Church on the death of His Holiness Benedict XVI,” the Spanish head of government wrote on Twitter.

The German pope emeritus, who died this Saturday at the age of 95, was “a great theologian dedicated to the service of others, of justice and of peace”, concluded Sánchez.

For its part, the Spanish Bishops’ Conference recalled in a statement the three visits that Benedict XVI made during his eight years of pontificate (2005-2013) to Spain, a country with a strong Catholic tradition.

Among these visits, two stand out, in 2010: one, the one made to Santiago de Compostela (northwestern Galicia), the final destination city of the most important Catholic pilgrimage, which reproduces the journey of the apostle Santiago, and the other to Barcelona, ​​​​to consecrate the Sagrada Familia church by the architect Antonio Gaudí, which was thus opened for worship.

French President Emmanuel Macron, for his part, sent a message of condolences to Catholics “in France and in the world” after the death of Benedict XVI, who stressed that he had worked “for a more fraternal world”.

“My thoughts go to the Catholics of France and the world, mourning the departure of His Holiness Benedict XVI, who worked with soul and intelligence for a more fraternal world,” Macron wrote on his Twitter account shortly after the news of the death. .

The British prime minister, the conservative Rishi Sunak, also recalled, underlining the “historic” visit of Benedict XVI to the United Kingdom in 2010.

“I am saddened to learn of the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI,” the conservative leader said in a message on his Twitter account.

The conservative politician added in his tweet that the German pontiff “was a great theologian, whose visit to the United Kingdom was a historic moment for both Catholics and non-Catholics across the country”.

Even the leader of the opposition Labor Party, Keir Starmer, recalled the pope emeritus in another tweet in which he noted that “his state visit in 2010 was a joyful and historic moment for Catholics in the United Kingdom”.

For his part, the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, stressed that Benedict was “one of the great theologians of the 20th century”.

messages from russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin also expressed his condolences to the Vatican on the death of the pope emeritus, the Kremlin said.

“Benedict XVI was an outstanding cleric and statesman, a staunch defender of traditional Christian values,” the Russian president said in a telegram sent to Pope Francis, cited by the Russian presidency.

Putin recalled that during the pontificate of Joseph Ratzinger “full diplomatic relations were established between Russia and the Vatican, and relations between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches developed”.

“I had the opportunity to talk to this exceptional person and I will always have the best memories of him. I would like to express my sincere condolences at this time of grief,” Putin added.

Kirill, patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, for his part highlighted in his message of condolences to Pope Francis “the indisputable prestige of Benedict XVI as an eminent theologian” who promoted “the development of inter-Christian cooperation” and “the defense of traditional morality.

According to a Russian Orthodox hierarch, during the pontificate of Benedict XVI, relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church were strengthened “in the spirit of fraternal collaboration”.

Source: agencies

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