Former Pope Benedict XVI has died, age 95
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has died at the age of 95, the Vatican confirmed on Saturday.
The former pontiff -- who served for nearly eight years -- passed away at a monastery on Vatican grounds, where he had lived since 2013.
“I have the pain to announce to you that the pope emeritus, Benedict XVI, died today at 9:34 am, at the Mater Ecclesiae monastery, in the Vatican”, the Holy See press service announced.
Benedict's health had deteriorated in recent days, but the Vatican had indicated on Friday that his condition was "stable" and that he had participated in the celebration of mass in his room on Thursday.
The funeral of the 265th pope should be celebrated by his successor Francis in Rome, an unprecedented event in the two thousand year history of the Catholic Church which tens of thousands of people could attend, including heads of state.
Pope Emeritus Benedict's death puts an end to the unusual cohabitation of two men in white: the German Joseph Ratzinger, a brilliant theologian not very comfortable with crowds, and the Argentinian Jorge Bergoglio, a Jesuit endowed with an incisive word who wanted put the poor and migrants back at the center of the Church's mission.
Benedict was the first German pope elected to head the Catholic church in 1,000 years when he succeeded John Paul II in April 2005.
Then known as German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he became the 265th leader of the Roman Catholic Church, choosing the name Benedict XVI.
His appointment came after he had headed the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from 1982 to 2005.
At the time, Benedict was labelled by one cardinal as a “safe pair of hands” but his eight-year papacy was marked by missteps and scandals.
Benedict was also the first pope to retire
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