Messages of condolence from all over the world for the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI are multiplying.
He was 95 years old.
Sergio Mattarella.
"The death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is a mourning for Italy. His gentleness and wisdom have benefited our community and the entire international community. With dedication he continued to serve the cause of his Church in the unprecedented role of Pope emeritus with humility and serenity. His figure remains unforgettable for the Italian people. An intellectual and theologian, he interpreted with subtlety the reasons for dialogue, peace, the dignity of the person, as the supreme interests of religions. With gratitude we look to his testimony and to his example".
The President of the Republic says so
Giorgia Meloni.
"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 and spoke, and will continue to speak, to the hearts and minds of men with spiritual depth, cultural and intellectual aspect of his Magisterium. A Christian, a pastor, a theologian: a great figure in history that history will never forget".
The Prime Minister declares it.
"I expressed to the Holy Father Francis - he adds - the participation of the Government and my own in his pain and that of the entire ecclesial community".
Olaf Scholz, the world loses "an exceptional figure"
of the Catholic Church.
So the German chancellor
Emmanuel Macron
, "My thoughts are with the Catholics of France and the world, mourning the departure of His Holiness Benedict XVI, who worked with soul and intelligence for a more fraternal world," the French head of state tweeted
Rishi Sunak
, the British prime minister, said today he was "saddened" by the death of the "great theologian" Benedict XVI.
George Napolitano
.
Memories and ties of esteem and respectful friendship bound me to his Holiness Benedict XVI, developed in particular in the years he spent as President of the Italian Republic.
Although coming from distant and different intellectual and human experiences - wrote the former President of the Republic - I was then able to develop a sharing of anxieties and intentions with the Pontiff and a habit of reflecting on the future of Italy and Europe.
It was for me an experience of relevant spiritual, cultural and human intensity, marked by the positive interaction of different worlds and also helped by the common love for music.
Father Federico Lombardi
, the legacy he leaves us is that characteristic of a theologian called to the see of Peter, who confirmed his brothers in the faith with teaching, sacramental service and witness of life". Thus concludes a long editorial of the Jesuit magazine, Civiltà Cattolica
Robert Sarah
, "Creator God of Heaven and Earth, we ask you to welcome into your eternity our dear Pope Benedict. His soul rests in peace. 'I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.' This is the tweet that the African cardinal, one of Benedict XVI's closest collaborators
Ignazio La Russa
, "Your Holiness, the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI fills everyone with great sadness: a spiritual guide of remarkable charisma and an example of profound faith, a firm and at the same time meek pastor, a fine scholar and author of numerous essays, he represented a a point of reference well beyond the duration of your pontificate, said the president of the Senate
Lorenzo Fontana
, "I express my deep condolences for the passing of Benedict XVI. A great man, theologian and Pope. I join, in this sad moment, the prayers of the entire Catholic community".
Thus the president of the Chamber of Deputies
Eugenia Roccella
was among the first to see the most insidious danger to social rights in human manipulation.
And at the crossroads of history he bet on the awakening of a West threatened from without and even more from within, by a nihilistic drift.
Alessandra Locatelli
, "each of us is the fruit of a thought of God. Each of us is wanted, each is loved, each is necessary".
The Minister for Disabilities writes it in a post on Facebook
Anna Maria Bernini
, your thoughts will continue to light the way for all those who have found a beacon in Pope Benedict XVI.
With great emotion and sincere regret we lose one of the most authoritative spiritual and intellectual guides in the history of the contemporary Church".
Giuseppe Valditara
, "great pain for the loss of an important spiritual guide: Benedict XVI, a courageous Pope and refined theologian".
This is what the Minister of Education and Merit writes on Twitter
Attilio Fontana
, "Lombardy joins in condolences and prayers for the death of Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI. Rest in peace".
Thus the Lombard governor
Giovanni Toti,
"farewell to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the one who refounded reason in the journey of faith. Liguria remembers his trip in May 2008 between Savona and Genoa and for the whole world he will remain an example of wisdom and devotion to Church. A great theologian, a pope we will never forget".
Thus the president of the Liguria Region
Eugenio Giani,
"in addition to his great theological studies, Joseph Ratzinger will go down in history as the first Pope who, after six centuries, had the courage to resign during his mandate, we will remember him for this".
Thus the president of the Tuscany Region
Luca Zaia
, "He is a Pope who will always remain in our thoughts. A Pontiff who has had an important commitment, taking on the legacy and affection of the people of Pope John Paul II, who was an icon, in a pontificate that lasted over 26 years".
Thus the president of the Veneto Region
Roberto Gualtieri
, "Enormous condolences for the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, a great theologian who with his magisterium has been able to accompany the Church in the contemporary world. The city of Rome clings to the pain of the faithful from all over the world".
The mayor of Rome writes it on Twitter
The condolences of Italian Buddhists
: "Unione Buddhista Italiana joins the pain of the Italian and universal Catholic Church for the departure of Pope Benedict XVI. We remember him as a man of deep thought and theological research, attentive to interreligious dialogue. His stature as a fine scholar was accompanied by his meekness. His renunciation of the papal throne was a gesture that struck the whole world and the community of believers in any faith".