Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI Passes Away at 95

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, best known as the first pope in more than 600 years to vacate the papacy, passed away on Saturday, December 31, at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican, a spokesperson confirms.

“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,” Holy See representatives wrote in a statement.

Last December 28, Pope Francis asked the public for prayers as reports of the Pope emeritus' deteriorating condition resurfaced. He had left the papacy back in 2013 due to his advanced age and other health concerns. Pope Benedict had also been under constant medical supervision recently. and has spent the last few years at the monastery of the Vatican.

ALSO READ:

Just How Close Is Cardinal Tagle to Becoming the Next Pope?

Pope Francis Offers His Prayers for President Bongbong Marcos

Benedict XVI, formerly Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, was a prolific theologian who defended traditional Catholic doctrine and values. He had originally been a liberal theologian before transitioning into a more conservative stance in the 1970s. The former pope had advocated for fundamentalism to combat secularization in the West.

Succeeding Pope John Paul II in 2005, Benedict was the oldest pope ever to be elected, at the age of 78. He served for eight years unti his resignation in 2013. It was the first papal resignation since Gregory XII in 1415. Succeeding him was, of course, Pope Francis, who adopted a more liberal position under his papacy. The two and the events that shaped the succession were the subject of the biographical drama The Two Popes in 2019.

Further details on the Pope emeritus' funeral will be announced soon, according to the Vatican.