Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died this Saturday morning (31), at the age of 95, almost a decade after his resignation as head of the Catholic Church.
“It is with pain that I inform you that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died today at 9:34 am in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican,” said the director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni.
His body will be displayed for the farewell of the faithful from next Monday morning (2), but there is still no further information on the funeral and burial.
Joseph Ratzinger’s health began to deteriorate in the days leading up to Christmas, when he had respiratory problems, but the situation only became public last Wednesday (28), after Pope Francis asked the faithful for “prayers” for health of its predecessor.
Trajectory
Born in the small town of Marktl am Inn, in the German state of Bavaria, on April 16, 1927, Ratzinger was the son of a policeman and a cook and, as a teenager, he was a member of the Hitler Youth, a stage for young people during the Nazi regime.
After the fall of Germany in World War II, he was briefly a prisoner of the Allies and, having won his freedom, he undertook religious studies, becoming a priest and earning a doctorate in theology.
In 1977 Ratzinger was appointed archbishop of Munich and Freising by Pope Paul VI and in June of the same year he became a cardinal.
In 1981, already known as an esteemed theologian, he was appointed by John Paul II as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, an important dicastery of the Roman Curia, heir to the Holy Inquisition.
Of conservative orientation, he remained in office until April 2005, when he won the conclave to choose John Paul II’s successor.
In February 2013, however, he renounced the throne of Pedro, claiming he no longer had the strength to continue in the role, paving the way for the rise of the progressive Francisco. Benedict XVI was the first pope to resign in nearly 600 years.
After his abdication, Ratzinger lived as a recluse at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, making rare public appearances. His routine was punctuated by prayers, readings, correspondence, music and walks in the Vatican Gardens.
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Source: Terra
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
