Stuttgart / Rome (dpa / lsw) - Baden-Württemberg's Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) paid tribute to the deceased Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. as an important German-speaking theologian. "He was a committed fighter for church unity and a persistent defender of what he considered essential to be the essence of Catholicism," the head of government said in a statement on Saturday.
As important as the size of the church was to Benedict, he attached little importance to his person. "In 2011 in Freiburg, that's exactly how I experienced him: personally unpretentious, gentle and modest," says Kretschmann. The dialogue between the religions was important to him despite all the conviction of his own position. He expressed his respect for the 2013 declared resignation for reasons of age, which will shape the papal office permanently.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. died on Saturday morning in the Mater Ecclesiae monastery in the Vatican, the spokesman for the Holy See, Matteo Bruni, announced. The state of health of the native of Bavaria had recently deteriorated. Joseph Ratzinger was elected Pope on April 19, 2005, succeeding John Paul II. Benedict was the first German pope in about 480 years.
