Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI: Biden, other world leaders react to former pontiff’s death

World and religious leaders reacted with sadness and tributes poured in following the announcement of the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on Saturday.

>> Read more trending news

Benedict, born Joseph Ratzinger in 1927, was the first pope in nearly 600 years to resign.

Pope Francis praised his predecessor’s “kindness” in his first public comments since Benedict’s death, The Associated Press reported.

Francis thanked Benedict, who resigned in 2013, for “his testimony of faith and prayer, especially in these final years of retired life.”

During a New Year’s Eve vigil, the pontiff said that only God knew “of his sacrifices offered for the good of the church.”

Update 12:21 p.m. EST Dec. 31: Joe Biden, the second Catholic president in U.S. history, called Benedict “a renowned theologian, with a lifetime of devotion to the Church, guided by his principles and faith.” 

Biden met with Benedict during a 2011 visit to the Vatican in Rome when he was vice president, USA Today reported.

“Jill and I join Catholics around the world, and so many others, in mourning the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI,” Biden said in a statement. “May his focus on the ministry of charity continue to be an inspiration to us all,” Biden said Saturday.

Britain’s King Charles III said he was filled with “deep sadness,” adding that he fondly recalled meeting with Benedict during a 2009 visit to the Vatican.

“I also recall his constant efforts to promote peace and goodwill to all people, and to strengthen the relationship between the global Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church,” Charles said in a message to Pope Francis.

Original report: Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, said that “in his life and ministry, Pope Benedict XVI directed people to Christ.”

“I join with Pope Francis and all the Catholic Church in mourning his death,” Welby tweeted. “May he rest in Christ’s peace and rise in glory with all the Saints.”

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called Benedict “a great theologian.”

“I am saddened to learn of the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI,” Sunak tweeted. “He was a great theologian whose UK visit in 2010 was an historic moment for both Catholics and non-Catholics throughout our country.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called Benedict as “a prominent religious figure and statesman (and) a staunch defender of traditional Christian values,” The Washington Post reported.

A telegram to Pope Francis published on the Kremlin website said that full diplomatic relations were established between Russia and the Vatican “and relations between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches were developed.”

Italian President Sergio Mattarella said Benedict’s death brings grief to the entire country, USA Today reported.

“His sweetness and his wisdom had benefited our community and the entire international community,” Mattarella said, adding that Benedict “continued to serve the cause of his Church in his unique role of pope emeritus with humility and serenity.″

Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s prime minister, said in a statement that Benedict was “a giant of faith and reason.”

“A man in love with the Lord who put his life at the service of the Universal Church and has spoken, and will continue to speak, to the hearts and minds of people with the spiritual, cultural and intellectual depth of his Magisterium,” Meloni said. “A Christian, a pastor, a theologian: a great man whom history will not forget.”

French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that his “thoughts go out to Catholics in France and around the world.”

Benedict “worked with all his soul and intelligence for a more fraternal world,” Macron said.

In Norway, Bernt Ivar Eidsvig, the nation’s Catholic bishop, called Benedict “the last great theologian of the past 100 years,” according to the AP.

“He masters all the theological subjects,” Eidsvig told Norwegian broadcaster NRK. “I cannot think of anyone else who does.”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called Benedict a “formative figure of the Catholic Church.”

Benedict, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, became the first German pope since Victor II was elected in 1055.

Scholz tweeted Saturday that Benedict “was a special church leader for many, not just in this country.”

“The world is losing a formative figure of the Catholic Church, a combative personality and a wise theologian,” Scholz wrote.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte tweeted that “the Roman Catholic Church and all Catholics worldwide lose an important spiritual and intellectual leader. We remember him with respect.”

Archbishop Timothy Costelloe of Australia called Benedict “a major figure in the Church.”

“From his time as an expert adviser at the Second Vatican Council onwards, there was no question that Joseph Ratzinger was a major figure within the Church around the world,” Costelloe, the president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Association, said in a statement. “His papacy will be remembered as one of rich teaching, including his encyclicals on love, hope and truth, as well as his book series Jesus of Nazareth, and for important reforms in areas like liturgy and in the handling of child sexual abuse.”

The American Jewish Committee said in a statement Saturday that “Benedict continued the path of reconciliation and friendship with world Jewry blazed by his predecessor, John Paul II.”

The organization noted that Benedict had “paid homage in Auschwitz” to the victims of the Holocaust and had made an official visit to Israel.

ExpandAutoplay

1 of 26

©2022 Cox Media Group