Pope Benedict xvi death latest: Former Pope dies aged 95 in the Vatican
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Pope Francis asks for prayers for 'very sick' predecessor Pope Benedict XVI
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Former Pope Benedict, who in 2013 became the first pontiff in 600 years to step down, has died aged 95.
He passed away in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican where he had lived since his resignation, a spokesman for the Holy See said on Saturday.
“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,” the spokesman said in a written statement.
Earlier this week, Pope Francis disclosed during his weekly general audience that his predecessor was “very sick”, and asked for people to pray for him.
For nearly 25 years, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict was the powerful head of the Vatican’s doctrinal office, then known as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).
The Vatican said the former Pope’s body will lie in state from Monday.
Pope Francis to celebrate funeral in St Peter’s Square on Thursday
Pope Francis will celebrate Benedict’s funeral in St Peter’s Square on Thursday, the Vatican has said.
Earlier in the week Pope Francis called for prayers for his predecessor.
He made the surprise appeal at the end of his general audience.
Matt Mathers31 December 2022 11:17
Sunak: My thoughts are with Catholic people in UK
UK prime minister Rishi Sunak said he was “saddened” to learn of Benedict’s death and sent his best wishes to Catholics in the UK and around the world.
“I am saddened to learn of the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI,” Mr Sunak said in a tweet.
“He was a great theologian whose UK visit in 2010 was an historic moment for both Catholics and non-Catholics throughout our country.
“My thoughts are with Catholic people in the UK and around the world today. “
Matt Mathers31 December 2022 11:02
Having two popes in the Vatican was not always easy
Pope Emeritus Benedict was rarely seen after his retirement, but he was heard – leading to calls for the rules around a pontiff who has resigned to be clarified, writes Philip Pullella.
Read Philip’s full piece here:
Matt Mathers31 December 2022 10:52
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI: Former pontiff once dubbed ‘God’s rottweiler’ whose resignation was historic
The man born Joseph Ratzinger spent many decades as a key figure in the Catholic Church, writes Paul Vallely, but his choice to end his eight years as pope and become Pope Emeritus will live longest in the memory.
Read the full obituary here:
Matt Mathers31 December 2022 10:42
Who was Benedict?
Here are some facts about 95-year-old Benedict and his papacy.
- Benedict, the first German pope in 1,000 years, was elected on April 19, 2005 to succeed the widely popular Pope John Paul II, who reigned for 27 years. Cardinals chose him from among their number seeking continuity and what one called "a safe pair of hands". For nearly 25 years, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he was the powerful head of the Vatican’s doctrinal office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).
- An uncompromising theological conservative, Ratzinger left Germany and his post as archbishop of Munich in 1982 to head the CDF. His disciplining of Latin American priests who promoted Marxist-influenced Liberation Theology bestowed him with the sobriquet "God’s Rottweiler".
- A weak administrator who admitted a "lack of resolve in governing and decision taking," his eight-year papacy was marked by missteps and a leaks scandal. He antagonised Muslims by appearing to suggest that Islam was inherently violent. He angered Jews by rehabilitating a Holocaust denier and prompted international dismay by saying the use of condoms in the fight against AIDS only worsened the problem. The 2012 "Vatileaks" scandal helped unravel his papacy. Paolo Gabriele, Benedict’s butler, leaked secret documents that revealed corruption and feuding within the Vatican. Benedict said he stood down because bad health prevented him from bearing the full weight of the papacy.
- Child abuse scandals hounded most of his papacy but he is credited with jump starting the process to discipline or defrock predator priests after a more lax attitude under John Paul II. He ordered an inquiry into abuse in Ireland, which led to the resignation of several bishops. He disciplined the late Father Marcial Maciel, founder of the Catholic order the Legionaries of Christ and one of the Church’s most notorious predators. The Vatican under Pope John Paul II had failed to take action against Maciel despite overwhelming evidence of his crimes.
- In 2022, an independent report in Benedict’s native Germany alleged that he had failed to take action in four cases when he was Archbishop of Munich between 1977 and 1982. The frail former pope acknowledged in an emotional personal letter that errors had occurred and asked for forgiveness. His lawyers argued in a detailed rebuttal that he was not directly to blame.
- Although he promised to keep a low profile after his retirement, Benedict wrote, gave interviews and, unwittingly or not, became a lightning rod for conservatives who opposed Pope Francis. Some loyalists failed to accept that he had resigned the papacy willingly and continued to consider him "my pope". The "two popes" confusion was compounded because he chose to continue wearing white and be known as "pope emeritus". The resulting polarisation led to calls from both conservatives and liberals for changes in Church law to regulate the functions and status of former popes.
- Benedict produced more than 60 books between 1963, when he was a priest, and 2013, when he resigned. "In reality I am more of a professor, a person who reflects and meditates on spiritual questions," Benedict said after his resignation.
- He played piano and had a preference for Mozart and Bach. As a classicist, he frowned on rock and roll as an "expression of base passions" and once called popular music a "cult of banality". Pope Francis, by contrast, also loves classical music but appreciates Italian pop songs from the early 1960s and also likes tango music from his native Argentina.
Matt Mathers31 December 2022 10:32
London mayor ‘saddened’ to hear of Benedicts’s death
London mayor Sadiq Khan said he was “saddened” to hear of former Pope Benedict’s death.
“I know many Catholics in London will be mourning his loss,” he wrote in a tweet.
“May he rest in peace.”
Matt Mathers31 December 2022 10:22
Head of Catholic Church in England and Wales pays tribute to ‘great theologian'
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, said Benedict was "one of the great theologians of the 20th century".
In a statement, he said: "I am deeply saddened to learn of the death of Pope Benedict. He will be remembered as one of the great theologians of the 20th century.
"I remember with particular affection the remarkable Papal Visit to these lands in 2010. We saw his courtesy, his gentleness, the perceptiveness of his mind and the openness of his welcome to everybody that he met."
"He was through and through a gentleman, through and through a scholar, through and through a pastor, through and through a man of God - close to the Lord and always his humble servant."
"Pope Benedict is very much in my heart and in my prayers. I give thanks to God for his ministry and leadership."
Matt Mathers31 December 2022 10:19
Pope Benedict XVI has died aged 95
As we’ve been reporting, former Pope Benedict XVI has died aged 95.
My colleague Holly Bancroft has the story:
Matt Mathers31 December 2022 10:17
Former Pope Benedict has died aged 95
Former Pope Benedict XVI has died aged 95, the Vatican has announced. A statement from Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni on Saturday morning said that: “With pain I inform that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died today at 9:34 in the Mater Ecclesia Monastery in the Vatican. Further information will be released as soon as possible.”
The Vatican said Benedict’s remains would be on public display in St. Peter’s Basilica starting Monday for the faithful to pay their final respects.
Sam Rkaina31 December 2022 10:08
Pope Francis asks for prayers for ‘very sick’ Benedict XVI
Francis made the surprise appeal at the end of his general audience. The Vatican later said the health of the pope emeritus had “worsened” in recent hours and that Francis had gone to see him after the audience. It added that Benedict’s condition is “under control” and he is receiving “constant” medical care.
In 2013, Benedict became the first pope in some 600 years to resign, citing his “deteriorating” health. Since then he has lived in a convent on Vatican grounds and has become increasingly frail in recent years. Although, it has been said that Benedict’s mind has remained sharp.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain30 December 2022 23:29
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