Germany mourns Pope Benedict XVI

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has led the nation's tributes to German-born Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI who died in Rome on Saturday, aged 95.

Benedict, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, became the first German pope in centuries when he was elected in 2005.

He was also the first pontiff in centuries to resign, citing his frail health, while his eight-year reign was marred by the fallout from the global sex abuse scandal that rocked the Catholic Church.

Following his death, officials ordered flags to fly at half-mast across Benedict's birth state of Bavaria and hundreds of people mourned his passing at a church in his home village.

German leaders pay respects

Scholz hailed Benedict as a "German" pope, who he said was a "special church leader for many, not only this country."

"The world has lost a formative figure of the Catholic Church, an argumentative personality and a clever theologian," the chancellor wrote on Twitter.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier hailed Benedict's role as an interfaith mediator:

"The unity of Christianity and the dialogue of religions, the coexistence of religion and society were particularly close to his heart. He sought dialogue with Jews and Muslims as well as all Christian denominations worldwide," he said.

However, he also pointed to Benedict's responsibility in the systematic cover-up of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.

"Benedict knew about the great suffering of the victims and the immense damage to the credibility of the church," Steinmeier noted.

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel recalled Benedict's "historic'' resignation in 2013, adding that the decision, due to his failing health, "sent a reminder that even the pope had to grapple with the burdens of age."

The head of the German Bishops' Conference, Bishop Georg Bätzing, said Germans were "mourning a personality who imparted hope and direction to the church even in difficult times."

He said the German Catholic Church was particularly grateful to Benedict as "he was born in our country, here was his home, here he helped shape Church life as a theological teacher and a bishop."

Markus Söder, state premier of Benedict's home region Bavaria, said Benedict's passing marked the loss of one of the world's most influential theologians who had ruled the Catholic Church during "turbulent and challenging times."

Moving service at Benedict's birth village

Many Catholics traveled to the Bavarian town of Marktl am Inn, where Benedict was born, to pay their last respects.

Around 200 mourners gathered at St. Oswald's church, where a service was held in his honor later Saturday.

They included 68-year-old Dane Cupic, from nearby Austria, who told AFP news agency it was "very important" to be at the church service "to say goodbye."

Local resident Karl Michael Nuck, 55, recalled Benedict blessing his daughter:

"He was not pope yet but a cardinal. He took quite a few minutes even though it had not been planned, that was a very nice thing," he told AFP.

Nuck also defended Benedict's record on the historic abuse scandal, saying it was "a bit one-sided" to blame him alone for the Church's failure to stop abusive priests.

With a population of around 2,800, Marktl am Inn is synonymous with Benedict. 

The house where the former pontiff was born in 1927 stands adjacent to the town hall, which itself is just a few steps away from St. Oswald where Benedict was baptized.

Candles were placed at the foot of the Benedict column which stands by the town hall, while a black ribbon hangs down from the Vatican flags at his birth house and at the church.

Other mourners gathered for a similar service at the Collegiate Church of Altötting, a nearby town to Marktl.

Altötting is famous for its statue of the Virgin Mary, who is said to have miraculous healing powers.

Benedict visited several times, even as a child with his parents, to pray to the "black Madonna," as locals call her affectionately.

mm/wd (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)

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