Former Pope Benedict XVI is said to have died at the age of 95, more than a decade after stepping down as leader of the Catholic Church due to “advanced age” and failing health. The Vatican issued a formal announcement of his death:
“I regret to inform you that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died today at 9:34 a.m. at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican. More information will be provided as soon as possible.”
The Vatican also announced that Pope Benedict’s ashes would be interred in St. Peter’s Basilica for “the welcoming of the faithful” on January 2, 2023. The Supreme Pontiff is said to have spent his final years in the Vatican’s Mater Ecclesiae convent, to which his successor, Pope Francis, paid frequent visits.
Prior to Benedict’s death, Pope Francis revealed that his predecessor is “extremely ill” and asked for prayers during a public audience at the Vatican on Wednesday:
“I’d like to ask you all to say a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict, who keeps the Church going in his quiet. He is gravely ill. We pray that the Lord will comfort and sustain him in his witness of love for the Church until the end.”
Meanwhile, Pope Benedict’s health has “deteriorated” “due to the passage of time,” according to Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni
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According to Reuters, one of Benedict’s final photographs was taken on December 1 when he met the recipients of a theological award named after him. During the ceremony, he allegedly sat and appeared weak.
Individuals who saw Benedict in his final days, according to the newspaper, said his intellect was brilliant despite his frail body. Pope Benedict presided over the Catholic Church for nearly eight years before retiring in 2013. He was the first Pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415.
The resignation of Pope Benedict
Prior to his election as Pope on April 19, 2005, Benedict XVI was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the then-head of the Vatican’s doctrinal office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).
He succeeded Pope John Paul II as the first German pope in 1000 years. Several issues tainted his reign, most notably the 2012 “Vatileaks,” abuse allegations against several priests, and Benedict’s apparent lack of action on the subject.
Despite the controversy, Pope Benedict established himself as a strong voice for the Catholic Church and served as Pope for eight years. He shocked the Catholic Church, however, by resigning on February 11, 2013, at the age of 85. At the time, the Supreme Pontiff claimed that his retirement was due to “old age,” claiming that he no longer had the stamina to lead the world’s estimated 1.2 billion Catholics:
“I have to admit my inability to complete the mission assigned to me.”
Benedict was named Pope Emeritus, promising to remain “hidden from the public eye” while focusing on private prayer. He is said to have spent his retirement reading, playing the piano, writing letters and essays, and entertaining people at his monastery.
Pope Benedict’s papal communications secretary, Father Federico Lombardi, stated at the time of his resignation that the church needed a leader with greater physical and spiritual vitality to face the challenges:
“The church requires someone with greater physical and spiritual vitality to address the issues and challenges of church administration in this ever-changing contemporary world.”
After Gregory XII’s resignation in 1415, Benedict became the first Pope in 600 years to resign. On February 28, 2013, he formally resigned as Pope of the Catholic Church.
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