His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua has sent a message of condolence to Pope Francis regarding the death of Benedict XVI, who died on Dec 31 at the age of 95.
The message reads: "Queen Suthida and I are deeply saddened by the demise of His Holiness Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the highly venerated and widely admired Pontiff.
The people of Thailand can indeed rest assured for certain that we, our country and people, always had a place in his prayers. I myself was proud, then acting on behalf of my august father, His late Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, to receive the late Pontiff's emissary bringing his blessing and good wishes on the 60th Anniversary of His late Majesty's Accession to the Throne in 2006.
"His late Holiness' compassion, deep faith and spirituality have always been the subject of gratitude and devotion of not only the Catholic community in Thailand, but also across the world. May I respectfully extend, on behalf of the people of Thailand, our heartfelt sympathy and condolences for this very great loss.''