President Biden, Pope Francis and other world leaders react to Pope Benedict XVI's death

World leaders remembered Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI after the former pontiff died Saturday at 95.

Pope Francis will celebrate a funeral Mass Thursday for Benedict in St. Peter's Square, the Vatican said, and it's expected officials from around the world will attend.

Pope Francis thanked Benedict Saturday for “his testimony of faith and prayer, especially in these final years of retired life.” Speaking during a New Year’s Eve vigil, Francis said only God knew “of his sacrifices offered for the good of the church.”

Joe Biden, the United States’ second Catholic president, called Benedict "a renowned theologian, with a lifetime of devotion to the church, guided by his principles and faith." Biden met with Benedict on a 2011 visit to the Vatican in Rome when he was vice president.

"Jill and I join Catholics around the world, and so many others, in mourning the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI... May his focus on the ministry of charity continue to be an inspiration to us all," Biden said Saturday.

King Charles, Nancy Pelosi remember Benedict

Britain’s King Charles III said he received the news of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s death “with deep sadness,” adding that he fondly remembers meeting with the former pontiff during a visit to the Vatican in 2009.

“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,” Charles said in a message to Pope Francis Saturday.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised Benedict as “a global leader whose devotion, scholarship and hopeful message stirred the hearts of people of all faiths.”

The California Democrat, who is Catholic, said in a statement: “Spiritually, I am always moved by Pope Benedict’s powerful encyclical, ‘God is Love,’ where he quotes St. Augustine highlighting our moral duty as public servants to fight for justice.”

Pelosi said she hoped it would be a comfort to Pope Francis and the Vatican that “so many pray for Pope Benedict during this sad time.”

Italy, Germany, Russia react to Benedict's death

Italian President Sergio Mattarella said Benedict's death is a cause for grief for the entire country.

“His sweetness and his wisdom had benefited our community and the entire international community,” he said.

Mattarella noted that Benedict “continued to serve the cause of his church in his unique role of pope emeritus with humility and serenity.″

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier lauded Benedict's commitment to dialogue between Christian denominations and with other religions.

"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 in a message to Pope Francis.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin described Pope Benedict XVI as “a prominent religious figure and statesman (and) a staunch defender of traditional Christian values.”

Other world leaders honor Benedict

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed his condolences on the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. The foreign ministry said Kishida referred to the great contributions Pope Benedict made toward world peace. He said Japan was greatly moved by a message Benedict sent after the 2011 tsunami and Fukushima nuclear disaster spiritually uplifting the people of Japan.

Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Twitter that Benedict’s teaching was a “guide post among the many winding and deceptive paths of the contemporary world. “

Duda’s office said he plans to attend Benedict's funeral.

Ireland’s president also paid tribute to the late Pope Benedict XVI. President Michael D. Higgins said in a statement that “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.”

When was Benedict the pope?

As pope, Benedict was the faith leader of more than 1 billion Roman Catholics around the world and wielded global political influence.

Benedict succeeded Pope John Paul II in 2005 and led the church through a tumultuous period marked by sex abuse scandals and leaks to the press about the Vatican’s troubled finances before his unprecedented resignation on Feb. 11, 2013.

Citing declining health, the German-born pope became the first to resign from the position in nearly 600 years.

Benedict, like any world leader, also had his critics. Many said Benedict did little to address sex abuse cover-ups within the church.

“In our view, Pope Benedict XVI, much like John Paul II, was more concerned about the church’s deteriorating image and financial flow to the hierarchy versus grasping the concept of genuine apologies followed by true amends to victims of abuse,” read a statement from the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. “Any celebration that marks the life of abuse enablers like Pope Benedict must end."

Contributing: The Associated Press, USA TODAY reporter Rebecca Morin

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden, Pope Francis and world leaders react to Pope Benedict's death