Mourning for Pope Emeritus: “One of the most important religious thinkers”

The death of Benedict XVI causes sympathy and mourning among German Catholics. Top politicians praised him as a controversial and important thinker. But there are also critical voices.

The news of the death of Benedict XVI. causes great sympathy in Germany. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said: “His faith, his intellect, his wisdom and his human modesty have always impressed me deeply.” As a compatriot, he had a very special meaning for the Germans. “The unity of Christianity and the dialogue between religions, the coexistence of religion and society were particularly important to him. He sought dialogue with Jews and Muslims and all Christian denominations worldwide,” Steinmeier continued.

With a view to the work of the deceased, the Federal President also addressed the issue of abuse. At the latest when he was prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he was “confronted with the depressing problem of worldwide sexual abuse and its systematic cover-up”. Here he was particularly responsible. Benedict knew about the great suffering of the victims and the immense damage to the credibility of the church.

Steinmeier will travel to Rome for the funeral service on January 5th. According to a spokeswoman, it will be agreed with the other constitutional bodies which other German representatives will fly to Rome.

Scholz: “Stridable personality and clever theologian”

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) emphasized in a letter of condolence that the news filled him with great sadness. His thoughts are with those who have given him support and help over the past few years. You and the believers worldwide have his sympathy, said Scholz. In a tweet he had previously emphasized that with him the world was losing “a formative figure in the Catholic Church, a combative personality and a clever theologian”.

Scholz’s predecessor, Angela Merkel, also spoke up. The Catholic Church, Germany and the world lost with Benedict XVI. one of the most controversial and important religious thinkers of this time. She thinks back with gratitude to her encounters with Benedict in Rome and in Germany.

Mourning flags at federal authorities

Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) ordered nationwide mourning flags for the highest federal authorities to mark the death. The order applies to the day of his death and the day of the official funeral ceremonies in Rome, according to Faeser.

Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) had previously announced mourning flags at all state offices in the Free State for today’s Saturday and the day of the funeral. “We mourn our Bavarian Pope. The death of Benedict XVI touches me, like many people in Bavaria and around the world,” said Söder.

Church mourns “experienced shepherd”

German Catholics also mourn the former bishop, cardinal and theologian. The chairman of the Catholic German Bishops’ Conference, Georg Bätzing, said: “We mourn the loss of a personality who gave hope and direction to the church even in difficult times.” He called Benedict XVI. an “impressive theologian” and “experienced shepherd”. Munich Cardinal Reinhard Marx said: “We mourn a faithful witness to God’s love and an important teacher of the Church, whose proclamation already shone far beyond the borders of the Archdiocese during his time as Archbishop of Munich.”

The Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) stated that the German Pope had filled many with pride, but above all with hope. For some, this hope has been fulfilled to a large extent, for others an unfulfilled longing has remained as to how their Christianity can succeed in the 21st century, according to Irme Stetter-Karp, President of the highest representative body of Catholic lay people in Germany.

Criticism of dealing with cases of abuse

During his pontificate, Benedict continued the conservative course of his predecessor, which brought him a lot of criticism. His tenure was also overshadowed by the abuse scandal that plunged the Catholic Church into a deep crisis.

At the beginning of 2022, his own handling of cases of abuse during his time as Archbishop of Munich and Freising also hit the headlines. An abuse report commissioned by the Archdiocese of Munich accused him of misconduct in four cases. In a public letter, Benedict later apologized to all victims of sexual abuse.

The reform initiative “We are Church” subsequently criticizes this as insufficient: “He was not prepared to personally admit guilt. In doing so, he caused great damage to the office of bishop and pope.” Criticism also came from the “Eckiger Tisch” victim initiative. “The thousands of victims of abuse in his church around the world will have bad memories of him as the long-standing leader of the system to which they fell victim,” said the spokesman for the initiative, Matthias Katsch, of the dpa news agency.

Reactions to the death of the Pope Emeritus

Helge Roefer, ARD Rome, daily news at 4:45 p.m., December 31, 2022

EKD Chair: Great contribution to ecumenism

The Evangelical Church in Germany recognized the contribution of Benedict XVI. for ecumenism. Joseph Ratzinger made theological contributions with great acumen and intellectual precision, explained Annette Kurschus, President of the Evangelical Church of Westphalia and Council Chair of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD). “As a cardinal and later as Pope Benedict XVI, he underlined what we had in common on ecumenical issues.”

criticism from the Jewish community

There are critical voices from the Jewish community. Rabbi Walter Homolka recalled Benedict’s sometimes conflict-ridden dialogue with Judaism. “He didn’t make it easy for us Jews with his clear claim to truth. He always conveyed a triumphant image of the church. Its splendor is based on the risen Christ as the new thing that leaves the Jewish environment of Jesus behind,” said Homolka.

He went on to say: “Benedict XVI did not believe that Jews and Christians could overcome what separated them themselves. However, no enmity should arise from the conflicting beliefs. Rather, he saw it as a force for peace. This does not make for a credible dialogue enough. But for a respectful togetherness.”