The first pope to resign in centuries, former Pope Benedict XVI, passes away at age 95.
The Vatican stated that because of his advanced age, Pope Emeritus Benedict’s health has deteriorated “in the recent hours” and that his condition was being closely watched by medical professionals.
Former Pope Benedict XVI made history by stepping down as the first pope in about 600 years.
After less than eight years in office, Francis resigned as Pope in 2013, becoming the first pope to do so since Gregory XII in 1415.
At the Mater Ecclesiae monastery inside the Vatican’s gates, Benedict spent his final years.
Pope Francis, who succeeded him, claimed to have frequently visited him there.
The Vatican said in a statement on Saturday morning (December 31, 2022): “With sorrow I inform you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away today at 9:34 in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican.
“Further information will be provided as soon as possible.”
At the conclusion of his general audience on Wednesday morning, Pope Francis, the man who succeeded him as head of the Catholic Church, urged the faithful to pray for him.
After the audience, Pope Francis went to see Benedict at the Mater Ecclesiae convent in Vatican City.
After stepping down as Pope in 2013, Benedict had resided in The Vatican, a distinct state that lies within the borders of the Italian capital Rome.
After devoting his post-papacy life to prayer and meditation, he had grown more fragile in recent years.
Prior to Benedict’s election as the Holy Father, popes presided over the Catholic Church until their demise for hundreds of years.
The Holy See claimed that although the previous pontiff had been ailing for some time, his condition had gotten worse as he aged.
Pope Francis requested that his final audience of the year on Wednesday at the Vatican “perform a particular prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict,” who he claimed was in critical condition.
Benedict was one of the oldest popes ever elected when he took office at the age of 78 in 2005. He was born Joseph Ratzinger in Germany.
During a large portion of his pontificate, the Catholic Church was the subject of accusations, legal actions, and official reports investigating decades of priestly child abuse.
The former Pope said earlier this year that mistakes had been made in the handling of abuse allegations while he served as the archbishop of Munich from 1977 to 1982.
As “God’s Rottweiler,”
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican’s doctrinal watchdog, was directed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger before he was elected pope in 2005.
Because of his rigidly conservative theological stances, he held the influential position for 24 years and acquired the moniker “God’s Rottweiler.”
The Catholic Archbishop of Westminster stated before his passing that Benedict would be recognized as “one of the great theologians of the 20th century.”
Having met Benedict several times, Cardinal Vincent Nichols told Times Radio that he “was always extremely kind.”
“He was referred to as “God’s Rottweiler” when he first arrived in this country in 2011, but by the time he left, I believe he had become everyone’s great uncle.
He had a genuine tenderness about him, and it hadn’t changed since I last saw him in September of last year. He was really frail but also highly intelligent, sharp, and on the ball.
credit: Skynews / BBC
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