Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier condoled with Pope Francis on the death of Pope Benedict XVI on 31 December. The Federal President wrote:
We in Germany were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Pope Benedict XVI.
His faith, his intellect, his wisdom and his humility as a human being always profoundly impressed me.
As a fellow countryman, this Pope bore a very special significance for us Germans also beyond the bounds of the universal Roman Catholic Church. For many people across the world, the election of a Pope from the home of the Reformation and of an intellectual who had made the dialogue between faith and reason his life’s work sent an important signal.
The unity of Christendom, inter-faith dialogue and the coexistence of religion and society were matters particularly close to his heart. He sought dialogue with Jews and Muslims and with all Christian denominations worldwide.
High theological and philosophical concepts already combined with comprehensible language in the work of Professor Joseph Ratzinger. For this reason, many people, not only Roman Catholics, found clear orientation in his writings and addresses. He faced up to people’s searching and questioning.
At the latest as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he was confronted with the grim problem of global sexual abuse and its systematic cover-up. This placed a special responsibility upon him. Benedict was aware of the victims’ great suffering and of the huge damage done to the Church’s credibility.
Benedict decided to resign at the moment when he was sure he could no longer exercise his office with the necessary strength and energy. This was an unexpected turning point in the history of the Church.
Bound as Pope to serve the entire world, he nonetheless retained lasting ties to his Bavarian home, which deeply shaped his faith. We Germans could sense this during his visits to and speeches in Germany. Many people have unforgettable memories of his visits to World Youth Day in Cologne, and to Berlin, Eichsfeld and Freiburg.
Benedict was the first Pope to address an elected German parliament. His words on the foundations of a free state of law and democracy, on human dignity and on ecology, sparked lively debates not only in Germany and spurred the search for truth both by individuals and by society.
“Deus Caritas Est (God is Love)”: this, the title of his first encyclical, reflects Benedict’s profound conviction, which was a strength and stay to many people all over the world.
Germany mourns Pope Benedict XVI and will remember his work.