Act Daily News
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President Joe Biden mourned the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, saying in a press release Saturday that the late pontiff “will be remembered as a renowned theologian, with a lifetime of devotion to the Church, guided by his principles and faith.”
Benedict died Saturday on the age of 95 in a Vatican monastery, in keeping with a press release from the Vatican. He was the primary pope in nearly 600 years to resign his place, moderately than maintain workplace for all times, doing so in 2013.
Biden, the second Catholic to function president of the United States, mirrored on his assembly with Benedict on the Vatican in 2011, recalling the late pontiff’s “generosity and welcome as well as our meaningful conversation.”
“As he remarked during his 2008 visit to the White House, ‘the need for global solidarity is as urgent as ever, if all people are to live in a way worthy of their dignity.’ May his focus on the ministry of charity continue to be an inspiration to us all,” Biden mentioned Saturday.
Benedict’s funeral will likely be held on Thursday in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City at 9:30 a.m. native time, the Vatican assertion mentioned. The funeral will likely be led by Pope Francis.
Benedict was a polarizing determine, hailed by conservatives who admired his erudite writings and cautious theology. But he confronted criticism, notably within the postmodern West, for his staunch insistence on constancy to church doctrine and his willingness to silence dissent. He additionally got here beneath fireplace for his dealing with of the sexual abuse disaster that engulfed the Catholic Church throughout his years as a senior cleric.
Benedict met with three sitting US presidents – along with future President Biden – throughout his time as chief of the Catholic Church.
“It was like going back to theology class,” Biden advised America, a Jesuit publication, in 2015 of his assembly with Benedict. “And by the way, he wasn’t judgmental. He was open. I came away enlivened from the discussion.”
In photos: The lifetime of Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict met together with his first sitting president in 2007 when George W. Bush traveled to the Vatican. Benedict made his solely papal go to to the United States the next yr. Bush took the uncommon step of assembly the pope when his airplane arrived at Joint Base Andrews exterior Washington, DC, and he later welcomed Benedict to the White House with an arrival ceremony on the South Lawn the place 1000’s gathered and sang “Happy Birthday” to the pope, who turned 81 that day.
Later that yr, Bush visited Benedict on the Vatican, the place the 2 males strolled by the Vatican Gardens and met privately for roughly half-hour.
In 2009, President Barack Obama met with Benedict for half-hour on the Vatican. Officials on the time mentioned their assembly included discussions on addressing poverty and the Middle East, in addition to points reminiscent of abortion and stem cell analysis.
Abortion additionally gave the impression to be a subject of dialogue throughout Biden’s assembly with Benedict. In his 2015 interview with America, Biden mentioned the 2 males spoke about Catholic doctrine and the then-vice president’s view that he shouldn’t impose his personal beliefs on different individuals, together with on points reminiscent of abortion.
Benedict talked about Biden’s abortion stance after he grew to become president in 2021.
“It’s true, he’s Catholic and observant. And personally, he is against abortion,” Benedict mentioned in an interview with The Tablet, a Catholic publication. “But as president, he tends to present himself in continuity with the line of the Democratic Party … and on gender policy, we still don’t really understand what his position is.”
Biden additionally spoke of Benedict at a White House occasion this summer season, calling him a “great theologian, a very conservative theologian.” The president shared that Benedict had requested him for recommendation once they met.
“‘Well, one piece of advice,’ I said, ‘I’d go easy on the nuns. They’re more popular than you are,’” Biden recounted to laughter.