Former Pope Benedict XVI dies at 95

“It is with sadness that I inform you that Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away today at 9:34 am in the Mater Ecclesiae monastery in the Vatican,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement.

His body will be exposed from Monday morning in the solemn setting of St. Peter's Basilica, to allow the faithful to pay their respects.

The German pope emeritus, whose birth name was Joseph Ratzinger, had led a quiet life in a former convent within the Vatican grounds since his decision to resign in February 2013.

His health had been declining for a long time, but the Vatican revealed on Wednesday that his situation had worsened, while Francis asked Catholics around the world to pray for him.

While there is no rulebook for former popes, Benedict's funeral is expected to be at the Vatican, with Francis presiding.

In 2005, the body of John Paul II, the last pope to die, was laid to rest before a funeral mass in St. Peter's Square attended by a million people, including heads of state.

Scandals and infighting

Bento had almost completely withdrawn from public life. His health was considered unstable and the few photos that emerged of him showed this fragility.

In 2013, he cited his declining physical and mental health in his decision to become the first pope since 1415 to give up his role as head of the worldwide Catholic Church. Benedict XVI was a brilliant theologian, but his papacy was beset by Vatican infighting and a scandal over child sexual abuse by clergy that rocked the Catholic Church around the world, in which he was criticized for a lack of leadership.

“Deep remorse”

The abuse scandal overshadowed his final months after a damning report to the German church in January 2022 accused him of failing to personally stop four predatory priests in the 1980s while archbishop of Munich.

He has denied wrongdoing and the Vatican has strongly defended his record of being the first pope to apologize for the scandals, expressing his own “deep remorse” and meeting with victims.

Born on April 16, 1927, in Marktl am Inn, Bavaria, Benedict XVI was 78 when he succeeded the popular John Paul II in April 2005. He was the first German pope of the modern era.

(AFP)

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