Russian President Vladimir Putin saluted the memory of Benedict XVI, who died this Saturday at the age of 94, referring to being a “defender of traditional Christian values” of which he also said he wanted to be an apostle.
“Benedict XVI was an eminent religious and state figure, a staunch defender of traditional Christian values,” he wrote to Pope Francis in a message of condolence on the death of the pope emeritus, broadcast by the Kremlin.
“I will always have fond memories of him. [Bento XVI]”added the Russian head of state.
Vladimir Putin presents himself as a defender of conservative values, regularly denouncing the decline of morality in the West due, in particular, to the acceptance of LGBT communities.
Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Kirill also welcomed the memory of former Pope Benedict XVI, noting that he is a defender of traditional values.
“The unquestionable authority of Benedict XVI as an eminent theologian has enabled him to make a significant contribution to the development of inter-Christian cooperation, to the witness to Christ in a secularized world and to the defense of traditional moral values,” the patriarch said in a statement.
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.
During his trip to Portugal in May 2010, Benedict XVI stated that “forgiveness is not a substitute for justice.”
Source: TSF
