Klaus expresses regret over pontiff’s decision to step down

President Václav Klaus says he regrets the decision of Pope Benedict XVI to step down. In a statement, the Czech head of state said he and the pontiff had been close in their outlooks and that the latter had, unlike others, not ridden the cheap bandwagon of “progressivism”. Mr. Klaus said Pope Benedict had been aware of the dangers arising from the loss of traditional values and the breakup of institutions such as the family and the nation state, as well as headlong European integration.

Author: Ian Willoughby