The Secretary General of the United Nations Organization (UN), António Guterres, paid tribute to the memory of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died this Saturday at the age of 95, praising his “tenacious commitment to non-violence and peace”.
“His powerful calls for solidarity with marginalized people everywhere and his calls to close the widening gap between rich and poor are more relevant than ever,” Guterres said in a statement.
The UN Secretary General joined dozens of other world leaders who have already expressed their condolences and highlighted the main contributions of Benedict XVI to the service of the Catholic Church.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died this Saturday at the age of 95, shook the Church by resigning his pontificate for health reasons on February 11, 2013, two months after completing eight years in office.
Joseph Ratzinger was born in 1927 in Marktl am Inn, in the German diocese of Passau, and was Pope from 2005 to 2013.
Ratzinger became the first German to head the Catholic Church in many centuries and a representative of the Church’s most dogmatic lineage.
The sexual abuse of minors by priests and the “Vatileaks”, in which case confidential documents of the Pope were revealed, were cases that shook his pontificate.
Benedict XVI ordered an inspection of the dioceses involved, called the abuses a “heinous crime” and apologized to the victims.
During his trip to Portugal in May 2010, Benedict XVI stated that “forgiveness is not a substitute for justice.”
Source: TSF
