Dhe retired Pope Benedict XVI. is dead. “It is with great pain that I have to announce that Benedict XVI, Pope Emeritus, passed away today at 9:34 a.m. in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican,” said the spokesman for the Holy See, Matteo Bruni. The health of the native Bavarian had recently deteriorated.
The chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Georg Bätzing, said: “We mourn the loss of a personality who gave the church hope and direction even in difficult times.” Benedict XVI “made the voice of the gospel – whether convenient or not – audible “.
The Limburg bishop added that his theological ability to think, his political judgment and his personal dealings with many people would have distinguished the German-born former pope: “I think with great respect of his courageous decision to step down from the office of the pope in 2013.”
In his first reaction, Bätzing also recalled Benedikt’s letter of February 8, 2022, on the occasion of the publication of the Munich report on sexualised violence: “He asked forgiveness from those affected and yet questions remained unanswered.” The bishop added: “Especially as a church in In Germany we remember Pope Benedict XVI with gratitude: He was born in our country, this is where he came from, this is where he helped shape church life as a theological teacher and bishop”.
The priest, bishop and retired Pope Benedict – “and the man Joseph Ratzinger” – has “gone from us”, Bätzing continues: “In this hour of farewell I pray for him and commend him to the mercy of God.”
On Wednesday, the current pontiff, Pope Francis, called for a “special prayer” for his predecessor at the end of the general audience in the Vatican. “Think of him, he is very ill. And ask the Lord to console and support him in this testimony of love for the Church to the end,” said Francis. The pope then visited the former pontiff at the Mater Ecclesiae monastery in the Vatican Gardens, where Benedict has lived in relative isolation since his resignation in 2013.
Most recently, the spokesman for the Holy See, Matteo Bruni, described the condition of the Pope Emeritus as “serious but stable”. France’s usually well-informed Roman Catholic daily La Croix reported Friday, citing multiple sources, that Benedict had been treated for kidney problems. The Italian news agency Ansa had also reported possible kidney failure. Ansa had previously reported that Benedict’s health had deteriorated before Christmas. According to this, Benedict had breathing problems a few days before Christmas.
