World leaders mourned this Saturday (31) the announcement of the death of pope emeritus Benedict XVI.
Born Joseph Ratzinger, he was marked by the surprising decision, on February 11, 2013, to resign from the papacy. Since Gregory the 12th, in 1415, a pontiff had not left the leadership of the Catholic Church on his own.
The Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, defined the religious leader as a giant of faith and reason. “A man in love with God, who put his life at the service of the Church and spoke and continues to speak to the hearts and minds of people with his spiritual, cultural and intellectual depth,” she said.
In Germany, Ratzinger’s homeland, Prime Minister Olaf Scholz also mourned the death and said Benedict XVI “was a special leader of the Church”. In France, President Emmanuel Macron highlighted that Benedict XVI “worked with all his soul and intelligence for a more fraternal world”.
Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy
“Benedict XVI was a giant of faith and reason. He put his life at the service of the universal Church and spoke, and will continue to speak, to the hearts and minds of men with the spiritual, cultural and intellectual depth of his Magisterium. A man in love with the Lord. A Christian, a pastor, a theologian: a great figure in history that history will never forget.”
Olaf Scholz, Prime Minister of Germany
“As a ‘German’ pope, Benedict XVI was a special ecclesiastical leader for many, not just in this country. The world is losing a formative figure of the Catholic Church, an argumentative personality and an intelligent theologian. My thoughts are with Pope Francis. “
Markus Soeder, Bavarian Prime Minister
“We mourn the death of our Bavarian Pope. With him, society loses a compelling representative of the Catholic Church as well as one of the most influential theologians of the 20th century. In turbulent and challenging times, he was the religious leader of the Catholic faithful. Many people in his homeland will remember him with gratitude not only as Pope Benedict XVI, but also as a humble shepherd.”
Emmanuel Macron, President of France
“My thoughts go out to Catholics in France and around the world, mourning the departure of His Holiness Benedict XVI, who worked with all his soul and intelligence for a more fraternal world.”
Andrzej Duda, President of Poland
“Today the world lost one of the greatest theologians of the 20th and 21st centuries, a close collaborator of Saint John Paul II. His life, work and pastoral ministry are an indication among so many tortuous and deceptive paths of today.”
Rishi Sunak, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
“I am saddened to hear of the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. He was a great theologian whose visit to the UK in 2010 was a historic moment for Catholics and non-Catholics across our country.”
Justin Welb, Archbishop of Canterbury and leader of the Anglican Church
“Pope Benedict XVI was one of the greatest theologians of his day – committed to the faith of the Church and steadfast in its defense. In all things, not least in his writings and preaching, he looked to Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible God . It was quite clear that Christ was the root of his thinking and the basis of his prayer.”
Dom Odilo Scherer, Brazilian Cardinal
“Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has passed away. May he rest in peace in the Lord and receive the reward for his service to God, the Church and humanity. Let us pray in suffrage for him.”
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