by Melani Manel Perera

This is what the spokesman for the Archdiocese of Colombo said following the pope's resignation. The clergyman stressed Benedict XVI's endurance in the face of scandals and crisis affecting the Church during his pontificate.

Colombo (AsiaNews) - For Fr Benedict Joseph, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Colombo, Benedict XVI is "a saintly man and a friend of Sri Lanka who on several occasions came out against the cruelty of war and the dangers of terrorism". He spoke to AsiaNews on the pope's decision on 11 February to give up the Petrine Ministry.

"We in Sri Lanka have great respect for him and feel close to him as a spiritual leader and as a friend," the clergyman said.

For Fr Joseph, "Benedict XVI was unique in many ways. He was a great thinker, a great theologian, a saintly pope who had to face many situations."

"His pontificate was not without conflicts and crises, but he had the endurance and ability to meet them with serenity."

"It is said that in earlier times pilgrims would find their way to the Eternal City to see the pope. The current pope had something to communicate to the people of God. He really knew the heartbeat of the young and used social media to connect."

Between 1983 and 2009, Sri Lanka was the scene of a bloody civil war that pitted government forces against rebels from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which sought to establish an independent state in the predominantly Tamil north and eastern parts of the country.

• sri
• lanka
• pope
• benedict
• xvi
• resignation