Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI Dies at 95: The First Pontiff in 600 years to Resign His Position

On December 31, 2022, The Holy See Press Office announced the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at the age of 95 in his residence at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery. Benedict, who was the first pontiff in almost 600 years to resign his position, rather than hold office for life, passed away on Saturday morning, according to a statement from the Vatican.

Benedict XVI, originally named Joseph Alois Ratzinger, was born April 16, 1927, in Germany. Ordained as a priest in June 1951, he was the bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church from 2005–2013. Prior to his election as pope, Benedict led a distinguished career as a theologian and as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. 

His papacy faced several challenges, including a decline in church attendance and the a scandal in the late 1990s surrounding the church’s handling of numerous sexual abuse cases by priests. On February 28, 2013 he became the first pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415. His final public address at St. Peter’s Square drew an audience of more than 50,000 people. 

For several days before his death, the health conditions of the Pope Emeritus had worsened due to advancing age and illness, as the Press Office had reported in its updates of the situation.

Pope Francis, who won the election to take over Pope Benedict’s position, publicly shared the news about his predecessor's worsening health at the end of the last General Audience of the year, on December 28. He invited people to pray for Pope Benedict, who was "very ill," so that the Lord might console him and support him. 

In fact, Pope Francis was the one to preside over the funeral of the Pope Emeritus on January 5 in St. Peter's Square, where almost two hundred thousand people paid their final respects to one of the most influential churchmen in the last 50 years. 

Holy See Press director, Matteo Bruni said, “following the wishes of the Pope emeritus, the funeral will be held under the sign of simplicity,” stressing that it will be a “solemn but sober funeral”. This is further reflected by the Catholic Church’s use of a mix of ancient rituals and new precedents during the funeral.

The Pope Emeritus‘ remains will then be taken to the Vatican Grottoes, where he will be privately laid to rest.

by ANGELA TANG