Tributes are being paid to Pope Benedict XVI, who died aged 95 on 31 December 2022. Religious and political leaders speak of him as a great theologian and a great figure of history. The Vatican has announced that his funeral will be on Thursday 5 Jan at 0930 in St Peter’s Square. Read our explainer on his life and work here.
Pope Francis, speaking at the end of the year service of thanksgiving at St Peter’s Basilica:
“Speaking of kindness, at this moment, my thought naturally goes to dear pope emeritus Benedict XVI who left us this morning. We are moved as we recall him as such a noble person, so kind. And we feel such gratitude in our hearts: gratitude to God for having given him to the church and to the world; gratitude to him for all the good he accomplished, and above all, for his witness of faith and prayer, especially in these last years of his recollected life. Only God knows the value and the power of his intercession, of the sacrifices he offered for the good of the church.”
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, President of the Bishops’ Conference:
I am deeply saddened to learn of the death of Pope Benedict. He will be remembered as one of the great theologians of the 20th century. I remember with particular affection the remarkable Papal Visit to these lands in 2010. We saw his courtesy, his gentleness, the perceptiveness of his mind and the openness of his welcome to everybody that he met. He was through and through a gentleman, through and through a scholar, through and through a pastor, through and through a man of God – close to the Lord and always his humble servant. Pope Benedict is very much in my heart and in my prayers. I give thanks to God for his ministry and leadership.
The Jesuits in Britain would like to pay tribute to the memory of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. As Pope, he led the global Church through a delicate period, drawing on his faith and his vast theological expertise to provide spiritual sustenance and stability during turbulent times. His historic State visit to Britain in 2010 strengthened the faith of many Catholics here and cemented friendly and fruitful relations between the UK and the Holy See. The Jesuits have a special, affective bond to the Pope, expressed in a vow of obedience to him in regard to missions. We pray for him in death as in life. Pope Benedict was unfailingly generous in his understanding of our vocation of service to the Church, and for this we will always be grateful. May he rest in peace.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby:
Today I join with the church throughout the world, and especially with the Holy Father, Pope Francis, and all in the Catholic Church, in mourning the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. In Pope Benedict’s long life and ministry of service to Christ in His Church he saw many profound changes in the church and in the world. He lived through the Nazi regime in Germany and served briefly in the Second World War. As a younger theologian and priest he witnessed first-hand the discussions of the Second Vatican Council. As a professor and then as an Archbishop he lived in a divided Germany but saw too the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of his homeland. Pope Benedict was one of the greatest theologians of his age – committed to the faith of the Church and stalwart in its defence. 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. In 2013 Pope Benedict took the courageous and humble step to resign the papacy, the first Pope to do so since the fifteenth century. In making this choice freely he acknowledged the human frailty that affects us all. In his retirement in Rome he has led a life of prayer and now he has gone to the eternal rest granted by the Father. In his life and ministry Pope Benedict strove to direct people to Christ. May he now rest in Christ’s peace, and rise in glory with all the Saints.
World Council of Churches acting general secretary Rev Prof Dr Ioan Sauca:
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. 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.
Markus Soeder, governor of Bavaria, Pope Benedict’s homeland
We mourn our Bavarian Pope. The death of Benedict XVI touches me as much as it does many people. With him, society loses a powerful representative of the Catholic Church and one of the most influential theologians of the 20th century. Many people in his homeland will remember him not only as a Pope, but also as a humble pastor. He gave many people strength and direction. At the same time, however, he had to face up to the responsibility for difficult phases in his work. Personally, I like to think back to the many moving encounters with Benedict XVI. We will not forget his multi-day visit to Bavaria as the new Pope, who expressed his love for the country and its people. He always carried his homeland in his heart.
Italian President Sergio Mattarella
The death of the pope emeritus is a cause for grief for the entire country. He continued to serve the cause of his Church in his unique role of pope emeritus with humility and serenity.″ The President praised the “gentleness” and “wisdom” of the deceased, which was influential for the entire international community, and said Benedict had “interpreted with finesse the reasons of dialogue, of peace, of the dignity of the person, as well as the supreme interests of religions.
Italian Prime Minister Georgio Melani:
Benedict XVI 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. … A Christian, a pastor, a theologian: a great figure that history will never forget.
The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak:
I am saddened to learn of the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. He was a great theologian whose UK visit in 2010 was an 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.
President of Ireland Michael D Higgins
It is with sadness that Catholics around the world will have learned of the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. At this time of the return of war on our continent and in so many areas of the world, he will be remembered for his untiring efforts to find a common path in promoting peace and goodwill throughout the world, including a steadfast interest in peace in Northern Ireland. He will be remembered too for the value he attached to intellectual work and for the personal commitment he gave to such within the Roman Catholic Church, this work being respected by both supporters and critics. Of particular importance was that during his tenure, Pope Benedict sought to highlight both the common purpose of the world’s major religions and his injunctions as to how our individual responsibilities as citizens require the highest standards of ethics in our actions. May I extend my condolences to his family, to Pope Francis, to Archbishop Eamon Martin, to his friends and colleagues, and to all members of the Catholic faith both in Ireland and across the world.
French President Emmanuel Macron:
My thoughts go out to Catholics in France and around the world, bereaved by the departure of His Holiness Benedict XVI, who worked with soul and intelligence for a more fraternal world.
