But there is one poignant irony: having penned encyclicals on the Christian virtues of hope and charity, his papacy did not last long enough to complete a planned one on the subject of faith itself which is so dear to his heart.

ECONOMIST: Benedict's departure

President Vladimir Putin extolled the virtues of the Church in a Christian message to the nation.

BBC: Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas

He wasn't a hidden person, he wasn't smuggling an agenda, he was conservative and Christian and made these things clear through the virtues and values he praised and the things he criticized.

WSJ: So God Made a Fawner

The message of the Judaeo-Christian religious heritage, for instance, is that doing evil to others is a sin, extolling the virtues of mercy, forgiveness, charity, love, and pacifism.

FORBES: The Ten Golden Rules on Living the Good Life