The 95-year-old retired pope emeritus (voluntarily abdicated) Benedict XVI died on December 31 at his residence in the monastery “Mother of the Church” (Mater Ecclesiae) in the Vatican.
The press service of the Holy See announced that Benedict XVI died at 9.34 am. He was from his residence, where he lived after his voluntary resignation in 2013.
The deteriorating health of Pope Benedict became known on December 28 from a message from the current Pope Francis on Twitter. He urged Catholics around the world to pray for the honorary Pope, who was “very ill”, for the Lord to console him and support him “in witness to the love of the Church to the end.”
Following this invitation, prayer initiatives arose on every continent, as well as messages of solidarity and closeness from secular leaders.
The reason for the deterioration of the health of the former pontiff was age.
From Monday morning, January 2, 2023, the body of Pope Benedict will be in St. Peter’s Basilica so that the faithful can say goodbye to him.
