Former Pope Benedict XVI dies at 95

Pope Benedict XVI died at the age of 95 years. He led his final general audience in Vatican City before his retirement in St Peter’s Square on February 27, 2013. It was almost a decade after he could finally stand down because of his ailing health. He led the Catholic Church for eight years until he became the first PopePoperesign since Gregory XII in 1415. Benedict had spent his final years at the Mater Ecclesiae monastery. After that, it was within the walls of Vatican City.

Benedict XVI passed away at 09:34 (08:34 GMT) on Saturday.

Pope Francis, his successor, will lead the funeral on January 5

The Vatican said that Pope Emeritus would be placed in St Peter’s Basilica 

Greetings of the faithful 

The Vatican said that the body of Pope Emeritus would be placed in St Peter’s Basilica from January 2 for “the greeting of the faithful.” Bells were ringing out from the Munich cathedral. After the death was announced, a single bell rang from St Peter’s square in Rome. The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, said, “one of the great theologians of the 20th century”. Irish President Michael D Higgins, German chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Russian President Vladimir Putin have said a lot about his remorse. 

British PM and King Charles’s statement on Pope Benedict XVI’s death

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called the former pope pope” a great theologian whose UK visit in 2010 was a historic moment for Catholics and non-Catholics throughout our country”. King Charles III expressed his sorrow while remembering his meeting with him back in 2009. He was famous across France and different parts of the globe, and French President Emmanuel Macron said Pope Benedict “worked with soul and intelligence for a more fraternal world.”