Then you should get out more. When Bill cLinton dies, the current and surviving presidents will all go to his funeral and talk about what a great man and President he was.
It doesn't mean anything.
When a priest retires, the bishop sends him a letter thanking him for his service. It's a formality.
The rest of the behavior and actions in the article are sickening, but to make hay of a formality letter is to stretch when there is no need for it.
SD