‘A formidable theologian and a true gentleman’: Tributes to Pope Benedict XVI after death aged 95

King Charles led tributes to Pope Benedict XVI yesterday after his death at 95.

In a message to Pope Francis, the King revealed his “deep sadness” over the passing of the former pope, who in 2010 became the first pontiff to visit Scotland in 28 years. He praised his “constant efforts to promote peace and goodwill to all people” as religious leaders joined the King in expressing condolences and paying tribute.

He said: “I remember with fondness my meeting with His Holiness during my visit to the Vatican in 2009. His visit to the United Kingdom in 2010 was important in strengthening the relations between the Holy See and the UK.”

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Leo Cushley, Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, worked with the former pope at the Vatican, accompanying him during his famous trip to Scotland. After arriving in Edinburgh on September 16, 2010, Pope Benedict met the Queen and Prince Philip before ending the day with an open-air mass in Bellahouston Park, Glasgow attended by 70,000 people.

Cushley – who was part of the diplomatic service of the Holy See, the government of the Roman Catholic Church – recalled: “It was a lovely, happy occasion. I was very proud of the way my country welcomed Pope Benedict in their midst. He was a considerable and formidable theologian but he did it effortlessly. I found him to be shy and to be a true gentleman.”

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— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) December 31, 2022

Pope Benedict’s was the first papal visit to Scotland since Pope John Paul II celebrated mass in front of 300,000 people at the same venue in June 1982.

Born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, he was drawn into public life as Archbishop of Munich, then Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome, and finally as pope.

He spent his eight-year pontificate tweaking the legacy of his predecessor. One of his first actions was to demand the retirement of Marcial Maciel, the leader of a Mexican Catholic group, who was accused of abusing at least 60 children.

Benedict’s biographers praised his ability to engage in dialogue with groups outside of the Church. He also developed a path for integrating married Anglican clergy into the Catholic Church and began the financial reforms that have since been continued by Pope Francis. In 2013, he cited his age as he became the first pontiff to resign in nearly 600 years. His thinking, encyclicals on faith and biographies of Jesus of Nazareth could mean he is one day declared a Doctor of the Church.

Rt Rev Dr Iain Greenshields, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, said: “I express my condolences to the Catholic Church in Scotland. We recall his visit to Scotland in September 2010 and the welcome that he received.”

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The leader of Scotland’s largest Catholic community, Archbishop William Nolan of the Archdiocese of Glasgow, said: “The death of Pope Benedict will bring sorrow to Catholics around the world but here in Scotland the memories of him are particularly fond. He will be remembered as a great theologian and teacher whose wisdom and humility were evident to all.”

Alistair Dutton, director of the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund, said: “We remember Pope Benedict’s long and fruitful life and pray for the repose of his soul. May he rest in peace.”

Bishop Hugh Gilbert, president of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, said the death of the retired pope meant the loss of one of the leading Catholic figures of recent times.

He said Pope Benedict’s “gentle and prayerful intelligence disarmed his critics. He was often misunderstood, even caricatured. He was a resolutely contemporary confessor of the faith, deeply and critically engaged with modern thought, a lucid and unacademic preacher and pastorally sensitive.”