• Presidents Buhari, Steinmeier, Mattarella, CAN, Others Pay Tributes

The Vatican has said that Pope Francis will celebrate the funeral Mass for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Square on Thursday, January 5, 2023.

According to the Vatican, it would be an unprecedented event in which a current pope would celebrate the funeral for a former one.

Francis was elected after Benedict XVI resigned in 2013.

Benedict XVI was the first pope to resign in 600 years, and his lasting mark on papacy would be his resignation

Meanwhile, world leaders have continued to mourn him.

President Muhammadu Buhari commiserated with Pope Francis, the Catholic Church in Nigeria and around the world, as well as all Christian faithful, who mourn the passing of Pope Emeritus, who, he said, would be remembered as a true servant of God.

The President admired his selfless leadership and dedication to advance inter-faith dialogue and peace, saying: “the late Pontiff will be remembered as “a true servant of God, who used the benevolent gifts of the Almighty upon his life to serve the church and humanity in humility, reverence and piety, living in word and deed the virtues of a true Christian disciple.”

President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, praised the late Pope’s dedication to dialogue between Christian denominations and other religions.

Steinmeier said: “The election of a pope from the motherland of the Reformation and an intellectual, who had made the dialogue between faith and reason his life’s task, was an important signal for many people around the world.”

He said that the German-born pontiff “particularly cared about the unity of Christendom and the dialog of religions, the connection between religion and society.”

On his part, Italian President, Sergio Mattarella said the death is a cause for grief for the entire country.

Mattarella said: “His sweetness and wisdom had benefitted our community and the entire international community.”

He added: “Benedict continued to serve the cause of his church in his unique role with humility and serenity.″

The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins, described the late Pope, as a man who laid his life for the Catholic Church worldwide. Martins said that the church would miss him because of his prayers and his intellectual strength.

Martins said: ” One thing we know is that Pope Benedict prepared for this day. We pray that his soul will rest in peace. He worked for the unity of the church in many ways, and he was very concerned about the faith in Europe. We are going to miss him …”

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) also expressed sadness over his death, describing him as a great theologian, whose life epitomised the balance of faith, reason and works in ways that positively influenced both Catholics and non-Catholics throughout the world.

In a statement, yesterday, in Abuja, President, CAN, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, observed that the late Pope had devoted his soul and intelligence to God for a more fraternal world, and had died in the Mater Ecclesiae monastery, a house dedicated to prayer and self-sacrifice within the walls of the Vatican Gardens.

The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, described Pope Benedict as “One of the great theologians of the 20th Century.”

“I remember with particular affection the remarkable Papal Visit to these lands in 2010. We saw his courtesy, his gentleness, the perceptiveness of his mind and the openness of his welcome to everybody that he met,” Nichols said

Also, the Spiritual Head of the Anglican Church and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, stated that “in his life and ministry, Pope Benedict XVI directed people to Christ.”

Welby wrote on Twitter: “I join with Pope Francis and all the Catholic Church in mourning his death. May he rest in Christ’s peace and rise in glory with all the saints.”