Pope Francis has paid tribute to his "dearest" predecessor Benedict XVI, who died earlier today at the age of 95.
"With emotion we remember a person so noble, so kind," he said at a New Year's Eve service in St Peter's Basilica, offering thanks "for all the good he has done" and underlining "his sacrifices offered for the good of the church".
"We feel in our heart such gratitude, gratitude to God for having gifted him to the church and the world," he said.
In a statement this morning, President Michael D Higgins paid tribute to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, saying that the former pope "sought to highlight both the common purpose of the world's major religions and his injunctions as to how our individual responsibilities as citizens require the highest standards of ethics in our actions".
President Higgins wrote: "It is with sadness that Catholics around the world will have learned of the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
"At this time of the return of war on our continent and in so many areas of the world, he will be remembered for his untiring efforts to find a common path in promoting peace and goodwill throughout the world, including a steadfast interest in peace in Northern Ireland.
"He will be remembered too for the value he attached to intellectual work and for the personal commitment he gave to such within the Roman Catholic Church, this work being respected by both supporters and critics.
"Of particular importance was that during his tenure, Pope Benedict sought to highlight both the common purpose of the world’s major religions and his injunctions as to how our individual responsibilities as citizens require the highest standards of ethics in our actions.
"May I extend my condolences to his family, to Pope Francis, to Archbishop Eamon Martin, to his friends and colleagues, and to all members of the Catholic faith both in Ireland and across the world."
Primate of All Ireland Archbishop Eamon Martin described Benedict as "an amazing teacher" and "one of the greatest theologians."
Archbishop Martin was appointed as a bishop by the former pope a number of weeks before he stepped down from the papacy.
The Primate of All Ireland, Archbishop Eamon Martin, signing a Book of Condolence at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh this afternoon following the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict @RTENews pic.twitter.com/SfoCeSUMS1
— Fergal O'Brien (@FergalOBrien_) December 31, 2022
Speaking at St Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh today, he offered his sympathies to the family and friends of Pope Benedict.
"On behalf of the Irish Bishops’ Conference, and the faithful across Ireland, I extend sympathy to Pope Francis, to the family members and carers of the Pope Emeritus, and to all those in his native Germany and around the globe who loved him and will mourn his loss."
Archbishop said Pope Benedict offered up "a lifetime of very generous dedication and service to the gospel and to the church."
In a social media post, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he was saddened by Benedict's passing.
"Today my thoughts are with Archbishop Eamon Martin and with all those in Ireland who will find the news of his passing as both saddening but also difficult," Mr Varadkar said.
"Leading the Catholic Church for almost a decade, the son of a police officer and a cook, the first German elected as Pope in 1,000 years, he was ultimately a 'humble worker in vineyard of the Lord.’"
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said "Pope Emeritus Benedict will hold a special place in the collective memory of Catholics the world over, as the first Pope in almost 600 years to retire.
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"He showed great strength of character and humility in leaving the papacy at a time when by his own analysis, his declining health meant he could not provide the leadership he felt the church required at the time.
"He will be remembered for his commitment to global peace including in Northern Ireland and particularly for those of the Catholic faith as a respected theologian and scholar."
The President of the Methodist Church in Ireland has extended his sympathy following the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
"Pope Benedict had a profound influence on the life of the church. His life was deeply rooted in God, and in his teaching he encouraged all to a closer relationship with Jesus in their everyday lives.
"He was a man of prayer and an insightful theologian. We pray for comfort for all who mourn his loss".
US President Joe Biden, a devout Catholic, praised Benedict's "devotion to the Church."
In a statement, President Biden, only the second Catholic to serve as US president, said the late pope "will be remembered as a renowned theologian, with a lifetime of devotion to the Church, guided by his principles and faith".
In the UK, King Charles III said: "I remember with fondness my meeting with His Holiness during my visit to the Vatican in 2009. His visit to the United Kingdom in 2010 was important in strengthening the relations between the Holy See and the United Kingdom.
"I also recall his constant efforts to promote peace and goodwill to all people, and to strengthen the relationship between the global Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church".
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted: "I am saddened to learn of the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
"He was a great theologian whose UK visit in 2010 was an historic moment for both Catholics and non-Catholics throughout our country.
"My thoughts are with Catholic people in the UK and around the world today."
UN chief Antonio Guterres praised the late pope for his "commitment to non-violence and peace."
"I offer my deepest condolences to Catholics and others around the world who were inspired by his life of prayer and tenacious commitment to non-violence and peace," the secretary-general said in a statement.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz paid tribute to the Pope Emeritus as a "special church leader" who helped shape the Catholic church.
"As a 'German' pope, Benedict XVI was a special church leader for many, not only this country," Mr Scholz wrote on Twitter.
"The world has lost a formative figure of the Catholic Church, an argumentative personality and a clever theologian."
In a separate statement, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier described Benedict as someone who "has made dialogue between faith and reason his life's work".
French President Emmanuel Macron praised the Emeritus Pope for his work towards a "more brotherly world".
"My thoughts are with the Catholics of France and the world, bereaved by the departure of his holiness Benedict XVI, who strove with soul and intelligence for a more brotherly world," he wrote on Twitter.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hailed Benedict XVI as a "giant of faith and reason".
She said she had told Pope Francis that she and her government shared his pain at the passing of "a Christian, a pastor, a theologian, a great figure in history, that history will never forget".
Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed the late pope as a "defender of traditional Christian values".
"Benedict XVI was an eminent religious and state figure, a convinced defender of traditional Christian values," he wrote in a message of condolence to Pope Francis, released by the Kremlin.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his "sincere condolences" on the death of former pope Benedict XVI.
He hailed him as an "outstanding theologian, intellectual and promoter of universal values".
Polish President Andrzej Duda described Benedict as a close collaborator of St John Paul II.
"Pope Benedict XVI has gone to our Father's House. Today the world has lost one of the greatest theologians of the 20th and 21st centuries. His life, works and pastoral ministry are a signpost among many winding and deceptive roads of modern times. RIP," he said.
Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland Eamon Martin paid tribute to the former pope, writing: "In his lifetime, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was an outstanding teacher and academic whose impressive intellectual ability, combined with clarity of expression, made of him one of the greatest theologians of our era.
"For all his intellectual abilities, he always ensured that the faith was not reduced to academic hair splitting; religion, he emphasised, is not a lofty concept or an ethical ideal; it is rather, an encounter with a person, Jesus Christ.
"His personal writings on Jesus of Nazareth bear witness to his life's work to share the good news of salvation that comes through Christ. In many respects he was similar to the early bishops and doctors of the church, combining great clarity of doctrine with pastoral realism."
Members of the public can express their sympathy following the death of Emeritus Pope Benedict through books of condolences set up by the Irish Catholic Bishops.
They are available on their social media platforms - Facebook, Twitter and Instagram - and on the website Catholicbishops.ie.
The head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales hailed Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI as "one of the great theologians of the 20th Century".
Cardinal Vincent Nichols praised Benedict's "landmark" trip in 2010 when he became the second pope in history to visit the UK.
"He was through and through a gentleman, through and through a scholar, through and through a pastor, through and through a man of God - close to the Lord and always his humble servant."
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby hailed Benedict as "one of the greatest theologians of his age".
In a statement, he said Benedict was "committed to the faith of the Church and stalwart in its defence".
He added: "In all things, not least in his writing and his preaching, he looked to Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible God. It was abundantly clear that Christ was the root of his thought and the basis of his prayer.
