"This is a great honour for Germany. I
think he will be a worthy successor to Pope John Paul II. I
congratulate him on behalf of the government and all Germans." -
German Chancellor Gerhard
Schroeder"His
Holiness brings a wealth of experience to this exalted office.
The United Nations and the Holy See share a strong commitment to
peace, social justice, human dignity, religious freedom and
mutual respect among the world's religions. The
Secretary-General looks forward to the contributions His
Holiness Pope Benedict XVI will make in strengthening those
values." - UN Secretary-General Kofi
Annan
"I want to offer congratulations
to Pope Benedict XVI, a man of great wisdom, and knowledge. He's
a man who serves the Lord. And we remember well a sermon at the
pope's funeral in Rome -- how his words touched our hearts and
the hearts of millions. We join our fellow citizens and millions
around the world who pray for continued strength and wisdom as
His Holiness leads the Catholic Church." -
US President George
Bush
I send Pope Benedict XVI my
warmest congratulations and sincere good wishes for the high
mission that has just been entrusted on the head of the Catholic
Church -
French President Jacques Chirac
"I ... state the willingness of the government of Spain to sustain
the historic relations between Spain and the Holy See and to
cooperate with Your Holiness during your mandate. I take this
opportunity, Your Holiness, to send you the testimony of my
highest consideration and esteem." -
Jose Luis Rodriguez
Zapatero, Spanish Prime Minister
"May your acceptance of this
tremendous burden of service bear fruit in our world. May God
give you strength for these new cares." -
Irish President Mary Mcaleese
"Today ushers in a new era for
the Catholic Church. I'm confident that Pope Benedict XVI is
blessed with the same compassion and vision that made Pope John
Paul II one of the world's most revered and respected voices." -
Bill Frist, US Senate Majority
Leader
"The Queen of England and the
Duke of Edinburgh have sent a private message with their best
wishes." - Buckingham Palace
"We want to congratulate him and
tell him we're on his side. We want to build and keep growing
this magnificent, extraordinary relationship that has been built
between our country and the Vatican. We do this because, without
a doubt ... the previous pope and this one surely will be
leaders that bring peace, harmony and tranquility to the world,
who intensely promote human values and the defense of human
rights." - Vicente Fox, President
of Mexico
"I certainly express the feelings
of all Italians, and am particularly delighted, when I present
Your Holiness with the warm and respectful homage of the Italian
government." - Silvio Berlusconi,
Italian Prime Minister
"We welcome the new Pope and
wish him every success in the daunting challenges that lie
ahead.
...We hope that he will continue along the path of Pope John
XXIII and Pope John Paul II in working to enhance relations with
the Jewish people and the State of Israel."
- Chief Rabbi Dr Jonathan Sacks
"Cardinal Ratzinger already has
shown a profound commitment to advancing Catholic-Jewish
relations and we look forward to continuing our close working
relationship with the Church."
- Rabbi David Rosen, American Jewish Committee
"We congratulate His
Holiness and wish him every success. We hope the strong and
historic relations between Palestine and the Vatican will be as
strong as ever and that the Vatican's support for a just peace
in the Holy Land will continue."
- Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas
"I offer heartfelt
congratulations on Your election to the ancient Roman office. I
wish You God's help in the high service of leading the Roman
Catholic church. Our churches, which have authority and
influence, should unite their efforts to spread Christian values
to modern humankind. The secular world is losing its spiritual
way and needs our joint testimony as never before.
- Patriarch Alexiy II, head of Russian Orthodox Church
This is a man who will make
fidelity to the Church's teachings central to his papacy, but I
don't think he will hammer people over the head. I think he will
invite people to accept the Lord and accept the Church, and I
just think this is wonderful news." -
Fr. David O'Connell,
president of Catholic University of America
"I
found him to be a very humble man. ... I found him to be very
pastoral. I found him to be very concerned and caring,
supportive, but also a man who, with a deep sense of humility,
was committed to the mission of the gospel and furtherment of
the common good.
Certainly as we deal with the conflicts issues, there needs to
be a guiding light from our own tradition. I think Cardinal
Ratzinger, in a very difficult, complex time where there are
challenges of traditional moral values that are very commonplace
in our world, he really has been a kind of a rock of Gibraltar,
so to speak, really solid foundation as we look to the future."
- Bishop William Skylstad, president of the USCCB.
" We wish Pope Benedict XVI
every blessing in the immense responsibilities he is about to
assume on behalf of Roman Catholics round the world. I look
forward to meeting him and working together to build on the
legacy of his predecessor, as we seek to promote shared
understanding between our churches in the service of the Gospel
and the goal of Christian unity." -
Dr Rowan Williams, Church of England
"This is a moment of very great
joy for the whole Church. Catholics from all around the world
thank God for the gift of a new Pope Benedict XVI.
- Javier Echevarria, Opus Dei Prelate, Spain
"The selection of Cardinal
Ratzinger as the successor to John Paul II indicates clearly
that the College of Cardinals wanted to continue the direction
and the tremendous accomplishment of the past 27 years. Like
John Paul II, Benedict XVI is both a strong leader and a
brilliant theologian.
Both were intimately involved in the work of the Second Vatican
Council, and firmly committed to the renewal it brought about.
And, of course, Cardinal Ratzinger was one of John Paul's
earliest appointments, and has served in the key post of Prefect
of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith since 1981.
The cardinals could not have picked a person who was closer to
John Paul II, personally and doctrinally, than the man who is
now Pope Benedict XVI."
- Carl Anderson,
Supreme Knight, Knights of Columbus
"We thankfully recognize the
staunch pro-life commitment of Cardinal Ratzinger during the
whole of his episcopacy and we are confident that as Pope
Benedict XVI, he will continue his strong defense of the
Church's teaching on the sanctity of human life"
-
Father Thomas Euteneuer, President of Human Life
International
"Priests
for Life is delighted at the election of Pope Benedict XVI. For
decades, he has been a strong voice in favor of life, clearly
articulating the Church's teachings. In particular, he has
explained how the Church must be the conscience of the state. We
look forward to working together with and under the leadership
of the new Pope to advance the Culture of Life."
- Father Frank Pavone. National director of Priests for Life
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