From Rome to Moscow, Presidents and Church leaders pay respects to Benedict XVI

In this file photo taken on April 19, 2008 Pope Benedict XVI waves to youths at the end of a rally at St Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, New York. (Image source: AFP)

Leaders from Italy, elsewhere in Europe and the Russian Orthodox Church paid tribute to Benedict XVI on Saturday, citing his traditional morals and his dedication to the Catholic Church.

Patriarch Kirill, the Russian Orthodox leader who met with Benedict several times during his papacy, cited the pope emeritus’ “unquestionable authority as an eminent theologian,” which Kirill said “allowed him to make a significant contribution to the development of inter-Christian cooperation, to the witness of Christ in a secularized world and to the defense of traditional morals.”

Kirill said in a statement published on the website of the Moscow Patriarchy on Saturday that Benedict had been an admirer and friend of Eastern Christianity.

In Italy, President Sergio Mattarella said Benedict XVI would be “unforgettable” for the Italian people. “His sweetness and wisdom have benefited our community and the entire international community,” Mattarella said in a statement.

He called the late pope an intellectual and theologian who “interpreted with finesse the reasons of dialogue, peace, dignity of the person as supreme interests for religions.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her personal mourning for Benedict and that of the Italian government. She called him a “giant of faith and religion,” and, in a statement, stressed Benedict’s service to the church and the “spiritual, cultural and intellectual depth of his teaching.”

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Union’s executive arm — who, like Benedict, is from Germany — expressed sympathy to all Catholics over the former pope’s death.

“Pope Benedict’s passing saddens me,” she said on Twitter. “He had set a strong signal through his resignation,” she wrote, adding, “Once his physical strength waned, he continued to serve through the power of his prayers.”

Within Germany, the response was more nuanced. Tributes to his service to the church were mixed with acknowledgments of criticism of his handling of sexual abuse cases as an archbishop.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Elisabetta Povoledo, Gaia Pianigiani and Anatoly Kurmanaev