US President mourns Pope Benedict XVI's death, praises his 'devotion to Church'
Jan 01, 2023
Washington [US], January 1 : United States President Joe Biden mourned the passing of former Pope Benedict XVI and praised his "devotion to the Church".
"Jill and I join Catholics and others around the world in mourning the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. He'll be remembered as a renowned theologian, with a lifetime of devotion to the Church, guided by his principles and faith. May he continue to be an inspiration to all," Biden tweeted.
Former Pope Benedict passed away at his Vatican residence on Saturday aged 95.
"With sorrow, I inform you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away today at 9:34 in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican. Further information will be provided as soon as possible," Vatican News tweeted.
World leaders mourned the passing of former Pope Benedict, praising his "devotion to the Church".
United Kingdom's King Charles III recalled his meeting with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and said he fondly remembers meeting with the former pontiff during a visit to the Vatican in 2009, Al Jazeera reported.
"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 on Saturday.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also paid tribute to former Pope Benedict.
"As a "German" #Papst was #BenediktXVI . for many not only in this country a special church leader. The world loses a formative figure of the Catholic Church, a controversial personality and a clever theologian. My thoughts are with Pope Francis," he tweeted.
Polish President Andrzej Duda said that Benedict's teaching was a "signpost among the many winding and deceptive paths of the contemporary world".
Taking to Twitter, Duda said, "Pope Benedict XVI has gone to Father's House. Today the world has lost one of the greatest theologians of the 20th and 21st centuries, a close collaborator of St. John Paul II. His life, works and pastoral ministry are a signpost among many winding and deceptive roads of the present day. RIP," according to the rough translation by Google.
