Benedict salutes John Paul II on latter's 100th birthday (Vatican News)

In a letter to the Catholic bishops of Poland, Pope-emeritus Benedict has saluted the memory of Pope John Paul II, on his 100th birthday. The retired Pontiff praised his predecessor especially for the “joyful renewal” of the Church he led, implementing the vision of Vatican II. Rejecting the notion that Pope John Paul II was a “moral rigorist,” Benedict said that the Polish Pontiff stressed “the essential importance of divine mercy.”