Former Pope Benedict XVI Dies At 95 After Years Of Ailing Health
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has died at 95 years of age days after his successor appealed to his audience at the Vatican to pray for the former Catholic leader since he was “very ill”.
“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,” the Vatican said in a statement.
He resided within the Vatican residence for years preceding his death and he was often paid a visit by his successor, Pope Francis.
Benedict was one of the oldest Popes elected to lead the Catholic Church and he did so for less than eight years. He stood down almost a decade ago due to ailing health making him the first Pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415.
The former pontiff was ill for quite a while, however, there had been a quick aggravation in his condition due to his age, the Holy See explained.
For much of his papacy, the Catholic Church faced allegations, legal claims and official reports into decades of child abuse by priests.
Earlier this year the former Pope acknowledged that errors had been made in the handling of abuse cases while he was archbishop of Munich between 1977 and 1982.
Have you ever attended a mass led by former Pope Benedict?
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