Former pontiff Benedict XVI died at 95 — RT World News
The Vatican announced that retired Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died on Saturday at the age of 95. This is after the ex-pontiff’s health recently worsened due to his age, according to doctors.
« With sadness, I inform you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, died today at 9:34 a.m. at the Mater Ecclesiae monastery in the Vatican », said the Holy See Press Office.
His passing comes shortly after Pope Francis asked his followers to pray for Benedict XVI during a public address on Wednesday, saying the ex-pontiff was « very sick. »
« Let’s remember him. He is very ill, asking the Lord to console him and sustain him in this testimony of love for the Church, until the end,” said Francois.
Several weeks ago, those who had seen Benedict said his body looked frail but noted that his mind was still sharp, according to France 24.
Benedict XVI was the first German pope for almost 1000 years. He reigned as head of the Catholic Church from 2005 until his surprise resignation in 2013, when he said he no longer had the physical or mental strength to continue in office.
During his reign, Benedict advocated bringing the Catholic Church back to core Christian values to counter the increased secularization of many Western countries. In his writings, the pontiff claimed that the central problem of the 21st century was relativism which denied moral and objective truths.
However, his legacy has recently been clouded by an investigation launched by prosecutors in Germany, who accused the former pontiff of failing to prevent abuses by clerics during his tenure as archbishop of Munich and Freising between 1977 and 1982.
The ex-pontiff insisted he was unaware of the transgressions committed by the clergy in Munich, but issued a « sincere request for forgiveness » on all the mistakes he made by failing to prevent heinous acts.
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