Former Pope Benedict XVI dies age 95; was first pope to resign
Associated Press, CNN
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Benedict XVI, the Pope Emeritus, has died in Vatican City at the age of 95 following a period of ill health.
Benedict, who was the first pontiff in almost 600 years to resign his position, rather than hold office for life, passed away on Saturday, according to a statement from the Vatican.
News of his death came days after Pope Francis asked the faithful to pray for Benedict, saying he was “very sick.”
“I want to ask you all for a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict who sustains the Church in his silence. He is very sick. We ask the Lord to console and sustain him in this witness of love for the Church to the very end,” Francis said at his general audience on Wednesday.
At the end of the general audience, Pope Francis went to the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in Vatican City to visit Benedict, the Vatican said. There had “been a deterioration due to the advancement of his age” over the previous few hours, a Vatican spokesman said on Wednesday, adding that doctors were monitoring the situation.
His health had been in decline for some time.
Benedict stunned the Catholic faithful and religious experts around the world on February 11, 2013, when he announced plans to step down from his position as Pope, citing his “advanced age.”
Full obituaries:
The death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is beihg marked in the holy city of Jerusalem and elsewhere in the world.
Church bells rang out continuously throughout the labyrinthine alleys of Jerusalem’s old city and across Israel and the Palestinian territories as news broke of the former pope’s death. Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa planned an official commemoration mass on Sunday and issued a statement of mourning.
More on the the latest on the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI:
Bookended by globally popular and charismatic popes — St. John Paul II and Pope Francis — Benedict cut a different figure. Friends and biographers described him as quiet and scholarly, more at home among theological tomes than adoring crowds.
In typical fashion, Benedict announced his unexpected resignation in Latin. He was 85 at the time and cited his advanced age as ill-suited for the demands of running the Catholic Church.
The German-born Benedict saw himself, and the church, as a bulwark against secular trends in Western society, particularly what he called the “dictatorship of relativism.” He often insisted that Catholics maintain a fortress mentality, saying perhaps a smaller, “purer” church would best maintain Catholicism’s traditions and teachings.
Benedict XVI had a long and illustrious career as one of the Roman Catholic Church’s pre-eminent theologians. But for all his accomplishments and accolades, however, Benedict will forever be known as the first pope in 600 years to resign.
If ever there was a moment that embodied the surreal novelty created by the first papal resignation in 600 years, it came on the morning of March 23, 2013: Newly elected Pope Francis had traveled to the papal summer retreat south of Rome and was greeted on the helipad by the previous pope, Benedict XVI, who had moved there three weeks earlier.
Two men in white — a reigning pope and a retired one — each showing the other the deference owed to a pontiff and discussing the future of the Catholic Church as it passed from one papacy to the next.
But for some, that moment on the helipad of Castel Gandolfo encapsulated everything that was wrong with Benedict’s surprise resignation and the risks it posed to the very unity of the Catholic Church and the institution of the papacy.
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This mid-1970s file photo shows the archbishop of Munich and Freising, Joseph Ratzinger, who is to be elevated to cardinal by Pope Paul VI.
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After his nomination as Archbishop of Munich and Freising, south Germany, professor Joseph Ratzinger repeatedly had to shake hands of faithful followers in front of the Ramersdorfer Marienkirche (church Mary), May 23, 1977.
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Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, left, of Munich Germany in Vatican City during installation of five new cardinals by Pope Paul VI, June 27, 1977. (AP Photo/Massimo Sambucetti)
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In this Oct. 22, 1978 file photo, Pope John Paul II places his hands on the shoulders of West German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, archbishop of Munich and Freising, during the solemn inauguration of his ministry as universal Pastor of the Church in Vatican City.
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In this 1979 file photo, Pope John Paul II, left, poses with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was elected Pope on April 19, 2005 and chose Benedict XVI as his papal name.
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With the towers of Munich's cathedral in the background, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger bids farewell to the Bavarian believers in downtown Munich, Germany on Sunday, Feb. 28, 1982. A service in the cathedral and a walk through the crowd marked the farewell of the cardinal who will head the Congregation of Faith in the Vatican. (AP Photo/Dieter Endlicher)
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Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, presents a book with the documents issued by his Congregation about the Vatican II Council in the last 20 years, at a press conference at the Vatican Thursday. (Ap Photo/Bruno Mosconi)
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Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, at the Foreign Press Club in Rome to present the book "Toward the Third Millenium under the Action of the Holy Spirit", Monday, March 16, 1987. (Ap Photo/Giulio Broglio)
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German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, at the Foreign Press Club in Rome on March 16, 1987 to present the book “Toward the Third Millennium under the Action of the Holy Spirit.” (AP Photo/Giulio Broglio)
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Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger during celebrations in Rome, Italy, for his 60th birthday (born April 16, 1927) April 25, 1987. 700 pilgrims from Munich have come to Rome to join in the public procession.
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Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, gestures during a press conference at the Vatican Monday, June 26, 2000. (AP Photo/Massimo Sambucetti/POOL)
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In this file photo taken Sept. 11, 2002, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, left, now Pope Benedict XVI, is seen with late Pope John Paul II during mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito, FILES)
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In this April 8, 2005 file photo, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, blesses the coffin containing the body of Pope John Paul II, during the funeral mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, FILE)
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Pope Benedict XVI greets the crowd from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, in this April 19, 2005, file photo. Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, who chose the name of Pope Benedict XVI, became the 265th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis/file)
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Pope Benedict XVI waves to the crowd from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Tuesday, April 19, 2005. Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, who took the name of Pope Benedict XVI, is the 265th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)
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Pope Benedict XVI greets the crowd gathered in front of his former private home in Rome, Wednesday, April 20, 2005. The Pontiff, former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, exited the Vatican City Wednesday for a quick visit to his former home in Rome. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
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Pope Benedict XVI looks at a child during the weekly open-air general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2005. During his address, Benedict XVI said he felt close to AIDS victims and their families as he encouraged efforts by the church to combat the disease and to offer help to the sick. (AP Photo/Plinio Lepri)
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In a Christmas Eve message of peace, Pope Benedict XVI lights a candle at his studio window overlooking St. Peter's square at the Vatican Saturday, Dec. 24, 2005. Pilgrims, tourists and Romans flocked to St. Peter's Square on Saturday before Pope Benedict XVI's first Christmas service since becoming pontiff _ a Midnight Mass that marks the official start of a busy few days of celebrations for the pope. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
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Pope Benedict XVI adjusts his hat as he arrives for the traditional weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2005. The pontiff offered prayers for the victims of last year's tsunami in south-east Asia. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)
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U.S. first lady Laura Bush, center, and her daughter Barbara, left, are shown the way during the start of their meeting with Pope Benedict XVI in his private library in Vatican City Thursday, Feb. 9, 2006. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
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Pope Benedict XVI arrives in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican to celebrate the Easter Mass, Sunday, April 16, 2006. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
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Pope Benedict XVI walks through the gate of the former Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz in Oswiecim, Poland, Sunday, May 28, 2006 to pay his respect to the victims of the holocaust. Sign on left reads "Stop" in German and Polish. The visit is fraught with significance for Catholic-Jewish relations, a favorite theme for Benedict and predecessor John Paul II. (AP Photo/Diether Endlicher)
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Pope Benedict XVI celebrates a Mass in memory of the late Pope John Paul II on the second anniversary of his death, at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Monday, April 2, 2007. Roman Catholics marked the second anniversary of Pope John Paul II's death Monday with vigils in his native Poland and a ceremony earlier in Rome to seal shut - with red ribbons and wax - documents on the pope's life that are vital to making him a saint. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
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Pope Benedict XVI waves to faithful at the end of the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) procession at the ancient Colosseum in Rome, Friday, March 21, 2008. Pope Benedict XVI presided over the Good Friday night Way of the Cross procession at the Colosseum during a driving rainstorm, but he didn't carry the cross as planned during the tradition, which this year was dedicated to religious freedom. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
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President Bush and Pope Benedict XVI walk down the Colonnade of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, April 16, 2008, following an arrival ceremony on the South Lawn. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
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With the sun shining behind him, Pope Benedict XVI arrives to celebrates Mass, Thursday, April 17, 2008, at Washington Nationals baseball Park in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
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Pope Benedict XVI, center, acknowledges cheers from the crowd upon arriving at a youth rally Saturday, April 19, 2008 at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, Pool)
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Pope Benedict XVI walks the edge of the stage after celebrating Mass Sunday, April 20, 2008 at Yankee Stadium in New York. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, Pool)
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Pope Benedict XVI waves to the faithful during an audience with Franciscan friars at his summer residence of Castelgandolfo, in the outskirts of Rome Saturday April 18, 2009. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)
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Pope Benedict XVI smiles at the end of his weekly general audience in St. Peter's square at the Vatican, Wednesday, June 17, 2009. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
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President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama meet with Pope Benedict XVI, at center, at the Vatican, Friday, July 10, 2009. President Obama sat down with the pontiff at the Vatican on Friday for a meeting in which frank but constructive talks were expected between two men who agree on helping the poor but disagree on abortion and stem cell research. (AP Photo/Chris Helgren, POOL)
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Pope Benedict XVI gestures from his popemobile as he leaves a youth gathering, in St. Peter's square, at the Vatican, Thursday, March 25, 2010. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
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Pope Benedict XVI, right, and Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, left, inspect an honor guard of members of the Royal Company of Archers and members of the Royal Regiment of Scotland Band as the Pope arrives at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, in Edinburgh, Scotland, Thursday Sept. 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis, pool)
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Pope Benedict XVI delivers his message during the Angelus noon prayer in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)
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Pope Benedict XVI waves from the popemobile wearing a Mexican sombrero as he arrives to give a Mass in Bicentennial Park near Silao, Mexico, Sunday, March 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
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Pope Benedict XVI, holding a tall, lit, white candle, enters a hushed and darkened St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican Saturday, April 7, 2012, to begin the Vatican's Easter vigil service. Except for the twinkle of camera flashes, the basilica was almost pitch-black as the thousands of faithful in pews awaited Benedict's arrival through the rear entrance Saturday night. Christians on Easter joyously mark their belief that Christ rose from the dead after his crucifixion. Praying at the start of the service, Benedict said Easter brings hope to the faithful. On Sunday morning, he will lead Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)
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Pope Benedict XVI waves to faithful during his final general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. Pope Benedict XVI has recalled moments of "joy and light" during his papacy but also times of great difficulty in an emotional, final general audience in St. Peter's Square before retiring. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
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In this file photo taken in the St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, on Feb. 22, 2014, Pope Francis salutes Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, left, at the end of a consistory. When Pope Benedict XVI abdicated, he insisted he would remain "hidden from the world" in prayer. But Francis has slowly coaxed him out of retirement and giving him an increasingly public role in the church, believing that he like all elderly have something to offer and shouldn't be holed up in a museum like a "statue." (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
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Pope Francis, right, greets Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI prior to the start of a meeting with elderly faithful in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2014. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
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Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI waves as attends a consistory inside the St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014. Benedict XVI has joined Pope Francis in a ceremony creating the cardinals who will elect their successor in an unprecedented blending of papacies past, present and future. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
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Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, center, toasts for his 88th birthday with Monsignor Georg Gaenswein, right, and members of a group from his hometown Bavaria region, in the Vatican gardens, Thursday, April 16, 2015. (L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP)
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Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI sits in St. Peter's Basilica as he attends the ceremony marking the start of the Holy Year, at the Vatican, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
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Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, right, hugs Pope Francis in St. Peter's Basilica during the ceremony marking the start of the Holy Year, at the Vatican, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015. Pope Francis pushed open the great bronze doors of St. Peter's Basilica on Tuesday to launch his Holy Year of Mercy, declaring that mercy trumps moralizing in his Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
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In this Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016 filer, Pope Francis, left, talks with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in the former Convent Mater Ecclesiae at the Vatican. A "modest" 90th birthday party is being planned for Benedict XVI, who stunned the Catholic church by resigning in 2013. (L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP)
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Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI meets Bavarian Prime Minister Horst Seehofer on the occasion of a party for Benedict's 90th birthday, at the Vatican Monday, April 17, 2017. (L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP)
