A leading Scottish archbishop has recalled the “honour” of working closely with Pope Benedict XVI.
Leo Cushley was speaking after the Vatican confirmed the former pope’s death on Saturday, aged 95.
Mr Cushley, who has been Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh since 2013, accompanied him on international trips in his capacity as the head of the English language section of the Vatican Secretariat of State between 2009 and 2013.
That included trips to Malta, Cyprus and the UK in 2010.
In 2012, he took on an additional ceremonial position at the Vatican where he assisted Benedict when he received visits from prominent dignitaries.
The archbishop said the 2010 papal visit to the UK was a personal highlight.
Benedict met the Queen at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh before travelling to Glasgow for an open air Mass at Bellahouston Park.
It was the first papal visit to Scotland since Pope John Paul II in June 1982.
Archbishop of Edinburgh and St Andrews Leo Cushley (David Cheskin/PA)
Benedict also had lunch with the archbishop at the official residence of the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh.
Mr Cushley told BBC Scotland: “I had never seen anything like it. I don’t think the Pope had seen anything like it either as he was welcomed there.
“It was a wonderful day.”
He said the former pope’s visit captured the attention of many people in Scotland.
He added: “It was a lovely, happy occasion where not only the Catholics of Scotland welcomed their pope, the Bishop of Rome, many other people did that too.
Pilgrims in Bellahouston park, Glasgow, ahead of an open-air mass by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010.
“I could not have imagined it any better and, the way it worked out, I was very proud of the way my country welcomed Pope Benedict in their midst.”
He also recalled the “real kindness” of Benedict as he greeted school children in Edinburgh.
Mr Cushley added: “I had the honour of working with him closely towards the end of his time as pope, and I got to see this for myself.
“He was a good priest and a meticulous scholar. He was also quietly kind and available to people.
“His scholarship and his writing will be remembered in time to come, as will his humility and humanity.
“He will be deeply missed.”
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article