America that writes, December 31st. Committed pope, leader and defender of the Catholic Church, Benedict XVI was described after his death this Saturday, at the age of 95, by Catholic leaders and governments of America, who recalled his stay in the region and expressed their condolences to the Vatican.
The Argentine Bishops’ Conference thanked him “for his service to the universal Church, with a generous dedication and until the end of his life, with his robust faith, his unshakeable hope and his exemplary charity”.
Paraguayan Cardinal Adalberto Martínez Flores shared that they were united in prayer for his “eternal rest.”
The Peruvian Bishops’ Conference (CEP) highlighted that “he was one of the most eminent theologians of the 20th century” and “the first pontiff to use social networks to reach all the faithful, which marked a milestone in the history of the Church” . .
“I wish we could remember Pope Benedict not as the pope who resigned, but as the pope who loved the Church (…) I think the greatest thing about Pope Benedict is that he loved the Church at all stages of the his life,” said the archbishop of Panama, Monsignor José Domingo Ulloa.
The 95-year-old German Joseph Ratzinger resigned from the pontificate in February 2013 and has since lived in the Mater Ecclesiae convent in Vatican City.
A COMMITTED POPE
The US president, Joe Biden, described him as “a being guided by his principles and his faith”, and maintained that he will always remember “his generosity and hospitality”, in a “meaningful conversation” they had in a meeting .
At the same time, his secretary of state, Antony Blinken, expressed that he was “a holy man, a witness to the faith” and an “advocator for vulnerable people, including refugees, internally displaced persons and migrants”.
The president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, leader of the Brazilian far right and who will leave office tomorrow, said that Benedict XVI lived “dedicated to the truth” and, “in defense of the Gospel, fearlessly criticized the errors of the liberation theology’, which seeks to confuse Christianity with erroneous concepts of Marxism”.
For his part, the future Brazilian leader, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, appreciated his “commitment to Christian faith and teachings”.
The Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs underlined that the “spiritual and intellectual legacy” of the pope emeritus will remain in the hearts and minds of all humanity”.
The Venezuelan government joined in the mourning, which praised the work of Benedict XVI for the defense of the humblest and most disadvantaged classes.
Furthermore, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, described him as a “spiritual guide for millions of people around the world and one of the leading academic theologians of our time”.
Benedict XVI leaves “a fruitful legacy and demonstrated in his life that faith, reason and justice can go hand in hand. May he rest in peace”, wrote the President of Paraguay Mario Abdo Benítez.
In turn, the Guatemalan Executive defined the death of Benedict XVI as “irreparable” and sent its solidarity to the “Catholic people”.
On the other hand, former Bolivian president Carlos Mesa remembered him as “a notable and committed religious leader” who experienced “one of the most complex stages for the Catholic Church” and whose decision to resign changed the course of institution.
“I express my deepest condolences on the occasion of the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who honored us with his presence in Cuba during the apostolic journey he made in 2012,” said Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez.
Meanwhile, Costa Rica has decreed four days of national mourning which, according to the Presidential House, obey a courtesy of who was the highest religious authority of the Costa Rican state.
Furthermore, the government of Colombia expressed its “sincere condolences” and praised Benedict as “an outstanding humanist and defender of social justice”, who will be remembered for having dedicated his life to the “renewal of the Church”.
Finally, the Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, recognized Joseph Ratzinger as “an outstanding scholar and outstanding theologian”.
Pope Francis will celebrate the funeral of Benedict XVI on January 5 in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.
