PARIS, FRANCE – Tributes have poured in after former pope Benedict XVI died aged 95 on Saturday, almost a decade after he became the first pontiff to resign in six centuries.
Here are some of the tributes:
– ‘Soul and intelligence’ –
France’s President Emmanuel Macron said the ex-pope “strove with soul and intelligence for a more brotherly world”.
– ‘Formative figure’ –
Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz hailed the German former pontiff as a “special church leader” who helped shape the Catholic church.
“The world has lost a formative figure of the Catholic Church, an argumentative personality and a clever theologian,” he said.
– ‘Giant of faith’ –
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hailed the former leader of the Catholic Church as a “giant of faith and reason”.
She described him as “a Christian, a pastor, a theologian, a great figure in history, that history will never forget”.
– ‘Spiritual depth’ –
Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki bid farewell to “one of the greatest theologians of our time”.
“Throughout his life, he showed the spiritual and intellectual depth of Christianity. He leaves behind a great legacy,” he said.
– ‘Defender of traditional Christian values’-
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said he was “an eminent religious and state figure, a convinced defender of traditional Christian values”.
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill said former pope Benedict XVI was as an “outstanding theologian”.
– ‘Great theologian’ –
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Benedict was “a great theologian whose UK visit in 2010 was an historic moment for both Catholics and non-Catholics throughout our country.”
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the Anglican world’s highest-ranking cleric, described him as “one of the greatest theologians of his age”.
