Former Pope Benedict XVI passes away at 95

• Pope Francis, who succeeded him, claimed to have frequently visited him there.
• Benedict spent his final years at the Mater Ecclesiae monastery.
• Benedict was one of the oldest popes ever elected.

Nearly ten years after stepping down due to declining health, the former Pope Benedict XVI passed away at age 95 in his home at the Vatican.

After less than eight years in office, Francis resigned as Pope in 2013, becoming the first pope to do so since Gregory XII in 1415.

At the Mater Ecclesiae monastery inside the Vatican’s gates, Benedict spent his final years.

Pope Francis, who succeeded him, claimed to have frequently visited him there.

At a statement, the Vatican said: “With sadness, I must inform you that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died away today at 9:34 in the Vatican’s Mater Ecclesiae Monastery.

“Further details will be made available as soon as feasible,”

The body of the Pope Emeritus will be deposited in St. Peter’s Basilica beginning on January 2 for “the welcoming of the faithful,” according to the Vatican.

The Vatican said arrangements for Pope Benedict’s funeral would be made public in the coming hours.

The Holy See claimed that although the previous pontiff had been ailing for some time, his condition had gotten worse as he aged.

Pope Francis requested that his final audience of the year on Wednesday at the Vatican “perform a particular prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict,” who he claimed was in critical condition.

Benedict was one of the oldest popes ever elected when he took office at the age of 78 in 2005. He was born Joseph Ratzinger in Germany.

During a large portion of his pontificate, the Catholic Church was the subject of accusations, legal actions, and official reports investigating decades of priestly child abuse.

The former Pope said earlier this year that mistakes had been made in the handling of abuse allegations while he served as the archbishop of Munich from 1977 to 1982.

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