Further tributes to Benedict XVI

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Tributes to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI have been pouring in from around the world since he died on Saturday, 31st December.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak issued a statement on Twitter recollecting the late Pope's visit to the UK in 2010. He wrote: 'He was a great theologian... The visit was an historic historic moment for both Catholics and non-Catholics throughout our country. 'My thoughts are with Catholic people in the UK and around the world today.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also recalled the Papal visit to Scotland. She wrote on Twitter: "Sad to hear of the death of Pope Benedict. His visit to Glasgow in 2010 was a very special moment in the life of our nation. My condolences to all those in the Catholic faith in Scotland and beyond - and to everyone across the world mourning him today.".

French President Macron wrote: "My thoughts are with the Catholics of France and the world, bereaved by the departure of his holiness Benedict XVI, who strove with soul and intelligence for a more brotherly world."

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his "sincere condolences" on the death of former pope Benedict XVI. He hailed the late pope as an "outstanding theologian, intellectual and promoter of universal values."

US President Joe Biden said in a statement: "Jill and I join Catholics around the world, and so many others, in mourning the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. I had the privilege of spending time with Pope Benedict at the Vatican in 2011 and will always remember his generosity and welcome as well as our meaningful conversation. He will be remembered as a renowned theologian, with a lifetime of devotion to the Church, guided by his principles and faith. As he remarked during his 2008 visit to the White House, "the need for global solidarity is as urgent as ever, if all people are to live in a way worthy of their dignity." May his focus on the ministry of charity continue to be an inspiration to us all."

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, speaker of the House of Commons, tweeted: "On behalf of the UK House of Commons, I wish to convey my heartfelt condolences and sorrow on receiving the news of the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict."

Poland's Minister of Foreign Affairs Zbigniew Rau tweeted: "I was saddened to learn of the death of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI.During the pontificate of John Paul II, he visited Poland many times, to which he returned during his pilgrimage in 2006. He admired and respected the faith of Poles."

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: "I am saddened to hear of the death of former Pope Benedict XVI today, and I know many Catholics in London will be mourning his loss. May he rest in peace."

King Charles said in a statement: "I received the news of the death of your predecessor Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI with deep sadness. I remember with fondness my meeting with His Holiness during my visit to the Vatican in 2009. His visit to the United Kingdom in 2010 was important in strengthening the relations between the Holy See and the United Kingdom."

Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, said: "In all things, not least in his writing and his preaching, he looked to Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible God. It was abundantly clear that Christ was the root of his thought and the basis of his prayer. What a beautiful statement. Let us pray for the repose of his soul today. Eternal rest, grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him."

Catholic Union director Nigel Parker, commented: "Catholics in this country join others around the world in mourning the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. He was a man of great intellect, steadfastness and humility. We give thanks for the great gift of his service to the Church and pray that he may enjoy rest and peace eternal.

"None of us will forget his visit to Britain in 2010 and the closeness he showed to Catholics in this country. The first State Visit from a Pope to this Island was an historic moment in itself, but his words were equally powerful. His Westminster Hall address set a gold standard for how people of faith should participate in public life and why this engagement is so important.

"As Pope Benedict said in that ancient hall, 'religion is not a problem for legislators to solve, but a vital contribution to the national conversation'. Those words, and his extraordinary life of faith and service, will stand as an inspiration long into the future. May he rest in peace and rise in glory."

Fr Tim Mulroy SSC, Society Leader of the Columban Missionary Society, said in a statement on 31 December 2022:

"At the close of 2022, we look back in gratitude not only on the year gone by, but also on the life of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI who has now completed his pilgrim journey on this Earth.

We give thanks for his life of dedicated service to the Gospel. As pastor and teacher, he united his towering intellect with a profound love for the Church and its mission. Having prayerfully and patiently borne various crosses throughout his long life, we trust that he now shares in the joy of Christ's resurrection. We can be confident, therefore, that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI will continue to watch over the Church and our troubled world during 2023 and throughout the ages that lie ahead."

Archbishop of Dublin Rt Rev Dermot Farrell said: "This morning, the last morning of the year, our heavenly Father brought Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI home to the house in which-as the Lord Jesus himself assures us-there are many rooms (see John 14:2). We pray for Pope Benedict's eternal rest, and give thanks for all that God wrought through his ecclesial service as Pope, as pastor, as theologian, and as teacher of our shared faith in Jesus, the Light of the World (see John 8:12). We mourn the loss of a person who gave hope and direction to the Church, in particularly difficult times. Pope Benedict made the voice of the Gospel heard, both in season and out of season (2 Tim 4:2). His episcopal motto, Cooperatores Veritatis-Co-workers of the Truth (see 3 John 1:8)- captured his lifetime of service, during which he humbly placed his many gifts at the service of the Church, the people of God on our common pilgrimage home to our Father. That radical humility was given its most actualisation in his courageous decision to resign from the office of Pontiff in 2013, was a prophetic testimony to his profound freedom as a human being and as a person in Christ (see Gal 5:1).

The prowess and clarity of his theological thinking, his power of judgement, and his personal interaction with many people set Pope Benedict apart. Many of his writings are characterised by a depth of content and the simplicity of language which only comes from a profound appreciation of the mysteries of the faith. As he himself said in his classic work, Introduction to Christianity, "I come from theology and I knew that my strength, if I have one, is to announce the faith in a positive form. That is why I wanted above all to teach from the fullness of Sacred Scripture and Tradition," and still, "there is a need for renewal, and I have tried to guide the Church forward on the basis of a modern interpretation of the faith."

In this moment of mourning, we remember his Pastoral Letter to the Catholics of Ireland (19th March 2010) on clerical sexual abuse, especially of minors. This letter, at such a painful time for the Church in our land had value not only for Ireland but for the Universal Church. Over a decade later, there is still need to do as he did in the wake of a parallel controversy in the Archdiocese of Munich, he asked for forgiveness from those affected. The Church may not shy away from the questions that remain unanswered.

Of Christmas he would say, "Christmas calls us to enter into the very silence of God. ... To become silent means to develop a sensitivity to the interior, a sensitivity to our conscience, a sensitivity to the Eternal in us, the capacity to listen for God."

May the Lord who called his servant, Pope Benedict XVI, to himself, give him the quiet peace which he sought all his life. May he grant him eternal rest."

Archbishop of Liverpool, the Most Reverend Malcolm McMahon OP said: "Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is in my thoughts and prayers as I remember a gracious, kind and gentle man who was courteous and welcoming to all he met. Qualities which shone through his Papal ministry and in his years of prayerful support for the Church following his retirement in 2013. He was a great theologian who opened the words of scripture to many.

His visit in 2010 will be remembered for the joy he brought to the Church and the support which he gave to people throughout our country.

May the Lord now reward his servant for his faithful ministry among us."

Catholic Bishops of Canada said in a statement: "Today, the Bishops of Canada join the People of God and Pope Francis in mourning the loss of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and thank God for his life of humble and dedicated service. Benedict XVI leaves behind a great legacy of teaching that will continue to inspire us, both through the three encyclicals he wrote and through the many public speeches he delivered throughout the world as Supreme Pontiff. Pope Benedict XVI, "Cardinal Ratzinger", served as a faithful and sure guide of Catholic doctrine in his various offices with the Holy See.

As Pope, he challenged us "to dare to love" - to make "your whole existence a joyful enterprise of giving yourselves to God and to your brothers and sisters, in imitation of the One who conquered hatred and death forever with love (cf. Rev 5:13)", and to find peace. comfort and inspiration in the love that Christ has for each one of us.

As Canadians, we are especially grateful for his efforts to heal the wounds of our past. Benedict XVI was the first pope to meet victims of abuse by members of the clergy. He publicly acknowledged the scourge of abuse by these clergy, apologized for it, and strengthened Church processes to respond to allegations, including facilitating the prosecution or suspension from the clerical state those found responsible for abuse.

Pope Benedict XVI also invited a Canadian delegation, made up of representatives of Indigenous communities, as well as Catholic dioceses and religious communities across Canada, to a private meeting in April 2009 to discuss their experience of residential schools. During this meeting, the Pope listened to their stories and expressed his regret and sadness for the sorrow suffered by many Indigenous people in the residential school system.

A few years later, he canonized North America's first Indigenous saint, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, also known as the "Lily of the Mohawks."

As we pray for the eternal rest of his soul, we pray that the love and hope that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI found in the Risen Lord may continue to inspire and comfort us in the trials and tribulations of our own earthly lives. May peace be granted to him as he rests forever in communion with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit."

Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Arturo Sosa, SJ said: "Today we join with the whole Church and especially with Pope Francis in a prayer of gratitude as we remember, with admiration, the personal integrity of Joseph Ratzinger and the magisterial depth of Benedict XVI. We bid him farewell, confident that the Lord will be gracious in receiving him in the dwelling long prepared for those who give their lives to him with generosity."

The LGBT+ Catholics Westminster Pastoral Council issued the following statement: "The LGBT+ Catholics Westminster Pastoral Council prays for the repose of the soul of the Pope-Emeritus, Benedict XVI, that he may rest in peace and rise in glory.

One of the 20th century's greatest theologians across all Christian traditions, Benedict was also a sensitive and vulnerable human being. As such, he was often unable or afraid to relate his profound theological principles to issues of the day, not least in the areas of gender and sexuality. As Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger sought to curtail the development of Masses welcoming LGBT+ Catholics, parents and families, in Westminster Diocese, rejecting a more welcoming approach to LGBT+ Catholics, parents and families, such as we now see in the current papal ministry. Nevertheless, he was also clear that the Church's teaching in these areas were capable of personal discernment and dissent, lower as they were within the Church's hierarchy of doctrinal truths.

His passing marks a turning point in the lives of LGBT+ Catholics around the world. We pray that the pastoral approach of Pope Francis will continue to bring hope and joy to all LGBT + people and those marginalised in any way. Our work at Farm Street and in Westminster Diocese shines a light on the loving, welcoming and affirming aspects of our Catholic faith."

World Council of Churches (WCC) Acting general secretary Rev Prof Dr Ioan Sauca stated: "On behalf of the World Council of Churches, I express our deepest condolences on the passing of late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. He was the first pope to have come from a country, Germany, with a roughly equal balance between Protestants and Catholics, and one that had been at the very centre of the 16th century Reformation."

Benedict was also the first pope to have belonged to a committee of the World Council of Churches, as one of the Catholic members of its Faith and Order Commission.

Within a short time of Benedict becoming pope, longstanding grievances that had prevented meetings of the Catholic-Orthodox dialogue commission were swept aside.

By 2007, the commission had drawn up the "Ravenna Declaration" as a first step towards overcoming the thousand-year disagreement on the role of the papacy.

Intriguingly, several key individuals in this process had all been members of the WCC's Faith and Order Commission.

"He demonstrated courage as much in his leadership, his writings, and his pronouncements," said Sauca.

Sauca added: "In the one ecumenical movement he constantly affirmed as irreversible the deep involvement of the Roman Catholic Church in ecumenism, especially in responding to the challenging issues for the church in the world."

The Dalai Lama

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has written to the Apostolic Nunciature in New Delhi:

"I pray for our spiritual brother," he wrote, "and offer my condolences to the members of the Catholic Church.

"When I had the opportunity to meet Pope Benedict I found there was much we agreed about in relation to human values, religious harmony and the environment. During his papacy, he worked hard to promote these issues. He lived a meaningful life.

"I have been engaged in dialogue with members of the Catholic community for several decades and have learnt much about their experience. I believe these exchanges have contributed to a better religious understanding between us.

"At a time when we are seeing tension in several parts of the world, we can take a lesson from the life of Pope Benedict and do what we can to contribute to religious harmony and global peace."