Former Pope Benedict XVI dies in Vatican monastery aged 95 - CNN

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Dignitaries and spiritual leaders person been paying tribute to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died Saturday successful a monastery successful the Vatican astatine the property of 95.

Benedict, who was the archetypal pontiff successful astir 600 years to resign his position, alternatively than clasp bureau for life, passed distant connected Saturday, according to a connection from the Vatican.

“With sorrow I pass you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed distant contiguous astatine 9:34 successful the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery successful the Vatican,” the Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, Matteo Bruni said.

The ceremonial of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI volition beryllium held connected Thursday successful St. Peter’s Square successful the Vatican City astatine 9:30 a.m. section time, Bruni said. The ceremonial volition beryllium led by Pope Francis.

The erstwhile pope’s assemblage volition prevarication successful authorities successful St. Peter’s Basilica successful the Vatican from Monday for the faithful to bid farewell, Vatican News reported Saturday. As per the privation of Pope Emeritus, his ceremonial volition beryllium “simple,” Bruni said.

News of his decease came days aft Pope Francis asked the faithful to commune for Benedict, saying helium was “very sick.”

“I privation to inquire you each for a peculiar supplication for Pope Emeritus Benedict who sustains the Church successful his silence. He is precise sick. We inquire the Lord to console and prolong him successful this witnesser of emotion for the Church to the precise end,” Francis said astatine his wide assemblage connected Wednesday.

His wellness had been successful diminution for immoderate time.

Benedict stunned the Catholic faithful and spiritual experts astir the satellite connected February 11, 2013, erstwhile helium announced plans to measurement down from his presumption arsenic Pope, citing his “advanced age.”

In his farewell address, the outgoing pope promised to enactment “hidden” from the world, but helium continued to talk retired connected spiritual matters successful the years pursuing his retirement, contributing to tensions wrong the Catholic Church.

Benedict was a almighty unit successful the Catholic Church for decades. Born Joseph Ratzinger successful Germany successful 1927, helium was the lad of a policeman. He was ordained arsenic a clergyman successful 1951, made a cardinal successful 1977, and aboriginal served arsenic main theological advisor to Pope John Paul II.

One of his astir important steps up came successful 1981 erstwhile helium took implicit arsenic caput of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, the Vatican bureau that oversees “the doctrine connected the religion and morals passim the Catholic world,” according to the Vatican.

Ratzinger became known arsenic “Cardinal No” stemming from his efforts to ace down connected the liberation theology movement, spiritual pluralism, challenges to accepted teachings connected issues specified arsenic homosexuality, and calls to ordain women arsenic priests.

He was elected pope successful April 2005, pursuing John Paul II’s death.

He was known to beryllium much blimpish than his successor, Pope Francis, who has made moves to soften the Vatican’s presumption connected termination and homosexuality, arsenic good arsenic doing much to woody with the intersexual maltreatment situation that has engulfed the religion successful caller years and clouded Benedict’s legacy.

In April 2019, Benedict discussed the enactment maltreatment situation successful a nationalist letter, claiming that it was caused successful portion by the intersexual gyration of the 1960s and the liberalization of the church’s motivation teachings.

In January 2020, Benedict was forced to region himself from a publication wide seen arsenic undercutting Francis arsenic helium considered whether oregon not to let joined men to go priests successful definite cases. The book, “From the Depths of Our Hearts,” argued successful favour of the centuries-old contented of priestly celibacy wrong the Catholic Church. Benedict was primitively listed arsenic co-author, but aboriginal clarified that helium had lone contributed 1 conception of the text.

A twelvemonth later, Benedict came nether occurrence implicit his clip arsenic archbishop of Munich and Freising, betwixt 1977 and 1982, pursuing the work of a Church-commissioned study into maltreatment by Catholic clergy there.

The study recovered that portion successful the station helium had been informed of 4 cases of intersexual maltreatment involving minors – including 2 that had occurred during his clip successful bureau – but failed to act. It besides revealed Benedict had attended a gathering astir an abuser identified arsenic Priest X. Following the report’s publication, Benedict pushed backmost against accusations that helium knew successful 1980 that this clergyman was an abuser.

In a missive released by the Vatican amid the furor, Benedict wrote that helium was “of bully cheer” arsenic helium faced “the last justice of my life,” contempt his shortcomings. He besides issued a wide apology to survivors of abuse.

Global leaders paid homage to the erstwhile pope, pursuing his death. Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury and caput of the Church of England, said helium is “mourning” the erstwhile pope.

“Pope Benedict was 1 of the top theologians of his property – committed to the religion of the Church and stalwart successful its defence,” Welby said successful a connection Saturday.

“In each things, not slightest successful his penning and his preaching, helium looked to Jesus Christ, the representation of the invisible God. It was abundantly wide that Christ was the basal of his thought and the ground of his prayer.

“In 2013 Pope Benedict took the courageous and humble measurement to resign the papacy, the archetypal Pope to bash truthful since the fifteenth century. In making this prime freely helium acknowledged the quality frailty that affects america all,” helium added.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, said helium volition retrieve the erstwhile pope with “love and gratitude.”

“Saddened to larn of the demise of His Holiness Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI,” European Parliament President Roberta Metsola tweeted Saturday.

“Europe mourns him. May helium remainder successful peace.”

The person of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, connected Saturday told Pope Francis helium had received quality of Benedict’s passing with “sorrow,” according to the connection shared connected the authoritative website of the Moscow Patriarchate.

“His Holiness’s galore years of beingness marked a full epoch successful the past of the Roman Catholic Church, which helium led successful a hard humanities period, associated with galore outer and interior challenges,” Kirill said of Benedict.

Kirill added relations betwixt the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church had “developed significantly” during Benedict’s tenure, successful an effort to “overcome the sometimes-painful bequest of the past.”

“On behalf of the Russian Orthodox Church, I explicit my condolences to you and the flock of the Roman Catholic Church,” helium continued.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak besides paid tribute. “I americium saddened to larn of the decease of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI,” Sunak tweeted Saturday.

“He was a large theologian whose UK sojourn successful 2010 was an historical infinitesimal for some Catholics and non-Catholics passim our country.

“My thoughts are with Catholic radical successful the UK and astir the satellite today,” Sunak added.

Italy’s caller Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni voiced her admiration for the erstwhile pope. “Benedict XVI was a elephantine of religion and reason. He enactment his beingness astatine the work of the cosmopolitan Church and spoke, and volition proceed to speak, to the hearts and minds of men with the spiritual, taste and intelligence extent of his Magisterium,” she tweeted Saturday.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Saturday that the erstwhile pope “set a beardown awesome done his resignation.”

“Pope Benedict’s passing saddens me. My sympathy goes retired to each Catholics,” von der Leyen said successful a tweet, adding, “He had acceptable a beardown awesome done his resignation. He saw himself archetypal arsenic a servant for God and his Church.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is starring Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, called the erstwhile pope “a staunch defender of accepted Christian values.”