Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has extended condolences to the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, on the death of His Holiness Pope Francis. The Federal President writes:

On behalf of the Federal Republic of Germany, I extend my profound condolences to you, to the members of the College of Cardinals and to all members of the Catholic Church.

Particularly the Catholics in Germany, but also – in the spirit of ecumenical solidarity – many Protestant Christians in our country, join me in mourning an important Pope and the direct successor of the German-born Benedict XVI.

In Pope Francis, the world has lost a shining beacon of hope, a credible advocate of humanity and a convincing Christian. His modesty, his spontaneity and his humour, but above all his tangibly profound faith, touched people all over the world, giving them support, strength and guidance.  

For so very many people, Pope Francis was a credible witness to the Christian message for whom prime importance attached to the practical application of faith.

From the very first days of his tenure as Bishop of Rome, he showed that the poor and the marginalised, the displaced and refugees could be sure of his particular attention, his particular care, indeed his particular love. Many who had believed themselves forgotten felt that he, the Pope, heard, saw and understood them.

Pope Francis always regarded his office as one of service to all Christians, indeed all people of good will. He shaped his papacy as an offer of dialogue, as an opportunity to build bridges, as an invitation to work together for a better and fairer world.

Pope Francis was a man of peace. And he was deeply convinced that the peace that is so sorely missed and longed for in so many parts of the world can grow and become established only where people of differing convictions, differing faiths and differing lifestyles come together with respect, appreciation and a desire for reconciliation.

Rooted in his Christian faith, Pope Francis’s work for peace was inextricably linked with his concern for the preservation of Creation and for a just economic order. His major Encyclicals, in particular Laudato si’ and Fratelli tutti, are impressive testimonials to these political and social concerns deriving from faith-led responsibility. 

We can all be thankful for Pope Francis and his blessed work.