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Commemoration of Benedict XVI
(in Prague)
Photo: IMAGO/Ondrej Deml / IMAGO/CTK Photo
He was a gift to the world and the Church, Pope Francis said of the former Pope Benedict XVI, noble and kind.
"We feel in our hearts a great gratitude, gratitude to God who gave him to the Church and to the world," Francis said at a thanksgiving service on New Year's Eve in Rome.
Now Benedict lies in state in his bedroom in the monastery in the Vatican Gardens.
"He fell asleep, as they say," says one of those present in the room of the dpa news agency on the phone.
Benedict also seems very peaceful now.
Outside, outside the Vatican walls, there is a lot of New Year's Eve activity in Rome and also on St. Peter's Square.
Church and world bid farewell to Benedict XVI.
Cardinal Reinhard Marx recognized him as a "identification figure".
"We are sad, but also grateful for this great and long life," the cardinal continued, "for this great testimony of life".
»He analyzed the world very precisely with its weaknesses and also saw the church with its failures.«
criticism from abuse victims
Representatives of worldly perspectives are likely to see things differently.
In recent years, the Catholic Church has repeatedly been criticized for child abuse and its handling of these allegations.
Benedikt himself was also confronted with it, it was about allegations from Bavaria that related to the years of his tenure.
This was also noticeable among the members, in 2022 apparently more people left the church than ever before.
In the Bavarian state capital, especially at the beginning of the year, many people turned their backs on the Catholic Church.
From the point of view of the "Eckiger Tisch" initiative, the victims of abuse will not get along well with Pope Benedict XVI.
remember.
"He will remain in bad memory for the thousands of victims of abuse in his church around the world as the long-standing person responsible for the system to which they fell victim," said the spokesman for the affected initiative, Matthias Katsch - and expressed clear criticism of the deceased Bavarian Pope Emeritus.
The reform initiative »We are Church« spoke of a difficult legacy that Benedict left behind for the church – and also of Ratzinger's personal guilt: »He was not prepared to admit personal guilt.
In doing so he has done great damage to the office of bishop and papal.«
CDU leader Friedrich Merz also paid tribute to the former pope, but he does not mention the crises during Benedict's term of office and the numerous exits from the church: "Pope Benedict was able to trigger a new turn towards the Catholic Church across all generations, especially in his home country Germany," wrote Merz on twitter.
»We bow in sadness and gratitude to the lifework of the Holy Father Pope #BenedictXVI.«
The former pope as a historical figure
Nevertheless, Benedict remains a historical person outside the walls of the Catholic Church.
»The role of Pope Benedict in modern church history was unique, his work especially in Bavaria profound.
His traces will be recognizable for a long time, and he himself will not be forgotten,” said Charlotte Knobloch, President of the Jewish Community in Munich and Upper Bavaria.
She praised Benedict's resignation as pontiff in 2013 as "a step whose historical significance must be acknowledged".
Former Chancellor Angela Merkel has the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
as "one of the most controversial and important religious thinkers of our time".
»Benedict XVI
was the first German in the papal office for centuries.
Relations with orthodox Christians were just as important to him as dialogue with Jews and Muslims.” She looks back on her encounters in Rome and in Germany with gratitude.
The British King Charles III.
I received the news of the death of the Pope Emeritus with "great sadness," Charles wrote in a letter of condolence to Pope Francis.
Benedict XVI
I have also worked to strengthen the relationship between the Anglican world communion and the Catholic Church, the monarch said.
Probably the most powerful Catholic in the world also expressed his condolences.
US President Joe Biden – a devout Catholic and regular churchgoer – took the opportunity to recall a personal encounter with the pontiff.
Biden was privileged to spend time with Pope Benedict at the Vatican in 2011 and will always remember his generosity and meaningful conversation, Biden wrote in a statement.
"May his focus on the ministry of charity continue to be an inspiration to us all."
Letters of condolence also come from Russia.
President Vladimir Putin has sent his condolences to Pope Francis on the death of the former pope.
»Benedict XVI
was a prominent religious and statesman, a staunch defender of traditional Christian values,” reads the condolence letter released by the Kremlin.
Condolence books in Berlin and Limburg
On the death of former Pope Benedict XVI.
A book of condolences will be available from Monday in the Apostolic Nunciature in Berlin, in the Limburg Cathedral (Hesse) and at the seat of the German Bishops' Conference in Bonn.
Read here how things will continue after the death of the former Pope in Rome.
ani/AFP/dpa/Reuters
