Polish President Andrzej Duda arrived in Rome on Wednesday evening.
His top foreign policy aide, Jakub Kumoch, told reporters ahead of the funeral that Pope Benedict XVI was an important figure for many Poles, in large part because the former pontiff was one of the closest associates of the late Polish-born Pope John Paul II and his successor.
Kumoch said that Benedict "was a great theologian of the 20th and 21st centuries" and "for a whole generation of Poles, a whole generation of Catholics, he is associated with the wisdom of the Church and the theological depth that accompanied him throughout his life."
Kumoch earlier told the media that the Polish president viewed Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI "as a prominent moral authority and one of the outstanding churchmen of our time.”
Government spokesman Piotr Müller announced on Tuesday that Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki would join the Polish president in paying respects to the late former pontiff during funeral ceremonies at the Vatican.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died on New Year's Eve at the age of 95. He will be laid to rest in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Thursday in a funeral led by Pope Francis.
The Polish president and prime minister have shared messages to pay tribute to the deceased pope.
After the Vatican announced Benedict’s passing on December 31, the Polish head of state said in a tweet that Benedict was "one of the pre-eminent theologians of the 20th and 21st centuries."
Duda added that Benedict's "life, works and priestly service are a signpost among the many winding and deceptive roads of the contemporary world."
Meanwhile, the Polish prime minister said in a social media post that Benedict had worked closely with his predecessor, the late Polish-born Pope John Paul II, and had a "special" affinity to Poland.
The Polish prime minister also said that "the spiritual and intellectual legacy of Benedict XVI will remain important to us forever.”
(gs)
Source: IAR, PAP
