During his reign, Benedict advocated to return the Catholic church to fundamental Christian values to counter the increased secularization of many Western Countries. In his writings, the pontiff claimed the central problem of the 21st century was relativism, which denies moral and objective truths.

Dignitaries and religious leaders have been paying tribute to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died Saturday in a monastery in the Vatican at the age of 95.

Benedict, who was the first pontiff in almost 600 years to resign his position, rather than hold office for life, passed away on Saturday, according to a statement from the Vatican.