Russian Orthodox Patriarch on Pope Benedict

March 5, 2013: The wave of emotion that followed the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI to the papacy does not seem to stop and Testimonies of esteem and affection keeps coming for the Pope, from many religious leaders.
These days very special for you - wrote the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill in a message to the Pope Emeritus - I would like to express my sentiments of respect and fraternal love in Christ. Your decision to leave the chair of the bishop of Rome, has found an echo in the vibrant heart of millions of Catholics. We have always felt close to you, especially with your uncompromising attitude in matters of faith and unswerving loyalty to the living tradition of the Church. In an era where the ideology of "anything goes" and moral relativism seeks to eradicate from the heart of man the ethical values, you have courageously raised your voice to defend the ideals of the Gospel and the dignity of man, added the Patriarch.
He fondly recalled his encounters with Cardinal Ratzinger. Similarly, the primate of the Orthodox remembered that, during the pontificate," the relations between our Churches, which have a great responsibility to witness to the world Christ crucified and risen, have experienced a positive pulse. I Hope that the good and trusting relationships which have been established between Orthodox and Catholics will continue to develop under your successor. '