03/01/2023
Churches remember Benedict XVI as a man committed to ecumenism
Christian Churches across the world express deep sorrow at the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and remember him as a fine theologian committed to ecumenical dialogue and a very humane person.
By Lisa Zengarini
As thousands of people begin to flock to St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican to pay their final respects to Benedict XVI, tributes to the late Pope Emeritus continue to pour in from across the world, including other Christian Churches, Heads of state and government, and also from faith leaders of other religions.
Following the announcement of his passing away on 31 December, the acting general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Reverend Ioan Sauca, expressed the “deepest condolences” of all its member Churches, highlighting his significant contribution to ecumenical dialogue.
Noting that he was the first pope to have come from a country, Germany, with a roughly equal balance between Protestants and Catholics, and one that had been at the very centre of the 16th century Reformation, Rev. Sauca also remarked that Benedict XVI was the first Catholic Pontiff to have belonged to a committee of the WCC, as one of the Catholic members of its ‘Faith and Order Commission’.
