Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the only head of the Catholic Church to retire in 600 years, died early Saturday at the age of 95, the Vatican said.
“With sorrow I inform you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away today at 9:34 in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican,” said a statement from the director of the Holy See Press Office Matteo Bruni.
Benedict, born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger in 1927 in Bavaria, Germany, became pope in 2005 and announced his retirement in 2013. It was the first time a pope had left office before his death since Gregory XII in 1415. Succeeded by Pope Francis I, Benedict became pope emeritus and kept the styling of his holiness. He retired to a Vatican City monastery, making infrequent public appearances alongside his successor.
The pope emeritus will be buried on January 5, in a service led by Pope Francis, the Vatican said. On January 2, his body will be placed in St Peter’s Basilica for “the greeting of the faithful,” the Holy See said.