Anglicans in Portugal express “regret” over the death of Pope Emeritus
NoIn a note signed by Bishop Jorge Pina Cabral, the Executive Commission of the Lusitanian Church of the Anglican Communion considers that, “in the development of his pontificate, and in times of accelerated cultural changes, Benedict XVI contributed, as a great theologian, to the deepening of the openness between faith and the world of culture and art, calling for dialogue and cooperation, as a way of communicating the unique Truth present in the person of Jesus Christ to the modern world”.
“His resignation from the pontificate expressed an act of profound humility before God and the world and opened the door to a new phase in the life of the Church which he has always loved and known how to serve”, adds the note from Anglican officials in Portugal.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died on Saturday aged 95, shook the Church by resigning from the pontificate for health reasons on February 11, 2013, two months short of completing eight years in office.
Joseph Ratzinger, who was pope from 2005 to 2013, was born in 1927 in Marktl am Inn, in the German diocese of Passau, becoming the first German to head the Catholic Church in many centuries.
Benedict XVI’s funeral took place today in St. Peter’s Square, in a celebration presided over by Pope Francis.
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