VATICAN CITY: Former pope Benedict XVI, who in 2013 became the first pontiff to resign as head of the Catholic Church since the Middle Ages, died on Saturday aged 95, the Vatican announced.
"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," Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement.
The German pope emeritus, whose birth name was Joseph Ratzinger, had been living a quiet life in a former convent inside the Vatican grounds since his shocking decision to step down in February 2013.
His health had been declining for a long time, but the Vatican revealed on Wednesday that his situation had worsened, while his successor Pope Francis called for Catholics worldwide to pray for him.
His death brings to an end an unprecedented situation in which two "men in white" -- Benedict and Francis -- had co-existed within the walls of the tiny city-state.
While there is no rulebook for former popes, Benedict's funeral is expected to be at the Vatican, presided over by Francis.
In 2005 the body of John Paul II, the last pope to die, lay in state before a funeral mass in St Peter's Square attended by one million people, including heads of state.
Scandal and in-fighting
Benedict had almost entirely withdrawn from public view, his health reported to be shaky and the few photographs that emerged of him exposed his frailty.
Back in 2013, he had cited his declining physical and mental health in his decision to become the first pope since 1415 to give up the job as head of the worldwide Catholic church.
Benedict was a brilliant theologian but his papacy was beset by Vatican in-fighting and a scandal over clerical sexual abuse of children that rocked the Catholic Church the world over, in which he was criticised for a lack of leadership.
The abuse scandal overshadowed his final months after a damning report for the German church in January 2022 accused him of personally failing to stop four predatory priests in the 1980s while archbishop of Munich.
He denied wrongdoing and the Vatican strongly defended his record as being the first pope to apologise for the scandals, who expressed his own "deep remorse" and met with victims.
Born on April 16, 1927, in Marktl am Inn, in Bavaria, Benedict was 78 when he succeeded the long-reigning and popular John Paul II in April 2005, the first German pope of the modern era.
He later said his election felt "like the guillotine".
Unlike his successor Pope Francis, a Jesuit who delights in being among his flock, Benedict was a conservative intellectual dubbed "God's Rottweiler" in a previous post as the chief doctrinal enforcer.
His papacy was dogged by controversy, from comments that angered the Muslim world to a money-laundering scandal at the Vatican bank and a personal humiliation when, in 2012, his butler leaked secret papers to the media.
Despite saying he would live "hidden from the world" after his resignation, he repeatedly intervened on key issues facing the Church through books, interviews and articles.
In January 2020, he expressed his opposition to allowing priests to marry. A year earlier, he blamed clerical abuse scandals on the 1960s sexual revolution and a collapse in faith in the West.
In an interview in March 2021, he said "there is only one pope", but acknowledged "fanatical" supporters who refused to accept his resignation.
Highlights from the life of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
April 16, 1927: Born Joseph Alois Ratzinger in Marktl am Inn, Germany, youngest of three children to Joseph and Maria Ratzinger.
1943-1945: Assistant in Germany’s anti-aircraft defense and infantry soldier; imprisoned in 1945 in American POW camp in Neu-Ulm.
June 29, 1951: Ordained along with brother Georg Ratzinger in Freising.
1969-1977: Professor at University of Regensburg.
March 25, 1977: Named archbishop of Munich and Freising.
June 27, 1977: Made a cardinal by Pope Paul VI.
Nov. 25, 1981: Named prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith by Pope John Paul II; takes up post in March 1982.
April 2, 2005: Pope John Paul II dies.
April 8, 2005: As dean of the College of Cardinals, Ratzinger presides over John Paul’s funeral.
April 19, 2005: Elected 265th pope in one of the fastest conclaves in history. Choosing the name Benedict XVI, he says he is merely a “simple, humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord.”
April 24, 2005: Installed as pope with Mass.
Aug. 18-21, 2005: First foreign trip, to World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany.
Sept. 24, 2005: Meets with dissident theologian Hans Kung at papal summer residence.
Dec. 25, 2005: First encyclical “God is Love” signed. Released Jan. 25, 2006.
May 28, 2006: During a trip to Poland, visits Auschwitz concentration camp.
Sept. 12, 2006: During a visit to Germany, delivers a speech at the University of Regensburg that enrages Muslims; quoting a Byzantine emperor who characterized some of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as “evil and inhuman,” particularly “his command to spread by the sword the faith.”
April 16, 2007: The first volume of “Jesus of Nazareth” was completed on his 80th birthday. Released April 13.
May 27, 2007: Signs letter to China’s Catholics, urging them to unite under his authority. Published June 30.
July 7, 2007: Removes restrictions on celebrating the old Latin Mass in a major gesture to traditional Catholics.
April 20, 2008: During a visit to the United States, prays for victims of Sept. 11, 2001 attacks at ground zero.
July 19, 2008: During a visit to Australia for World Youth Day, meets with victims of priestly sex abuse and during a Mass apologizes for their suffering.
Jan. 21, 2009: Lifts ex-communication of Holocaust-denying Bishop Richard Williamson and three other ultra-traditionalist bishops of Society of St. Pius X, igniting outrage. The decree was released on Jan. 24.
March 10, 2009: Acknowledges Vatican mistakes in Williamson affair, says the Vatican must make better use of the Internet to prevent future controversies. The letter was released on March 12.
March 17, 2009: En route to Cameroon, tells reporters aboard papal plane that condoms are not the solution to AIDS and can make problem worse, prompting widespread criticism.
May 11, 2009: During visit to the Holy Land, lays wreath at Yad Vashem memorial in Jerusalem, says Holocaust victims “lost their lives but they will never lose their names.”
June 29, 2009: Third encyclical “Charity in Truth” signed. Released July 7, 2009.
July 17, 2009: Breaks right wrist in late-night fall at a summer vacation home.
Oct. 20, 2009: Vatican announces pope is making it easier for Anglicans to convert en masse to Catholicism.
March 19, 2010: Rebukes Irish bishops for “grave errors of judgment” in handling clerical sex abuse but makes no mention of Vatican responsibility in a letter to Irish faithful. Released March 20.
May 1, 2010: Orders major overhaul of Legion of Christ after Vatican investigation determines founder was a fraud.
Sept. 16-19, 2010: During the first state visit by a pope to Britain, meets with Queen Elizabeth II, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and beatifies Anglican convert John Henry Newman.
Nov. 20, 2010: Revises controversial condom-AIDS comments in the book and says male prostitutes who use condoms may be taking the first step toward a more responsible sexuality.
March 2, 2011: Issues sweeping exoneration of Jews for the death of Christ in “Jesus of Nazareth-Part II.” The book was released on March 10.
May 1, 2011: Beatifies John Paul II before 1.5 million people.
June 28, 2011: Tweets for the first time, announcing the launch of the Vatican news information portal.
Oct. 6, 2012: Pope’s former butler is convicted on charges he stole the pontiff’s private letters and leaked them to a journalist.
Feb. 11, 2013: Reveals in Latin that he is stepping down on Feb. 28 during a meeting of Vatican cardinals, surprising even his closest collaborators.
Feb. 28, 2013: Departs Vatican City in a helicopter bound for Castel Gandolfo, where he begins his final journey as a “simple pilgrim.”
March 23, 2013: Receives Pope Francis for lunch at Castel Gandolfo; the two men pray side-by-side and Francis insists “We are brothers.”
April 28, 2014: Joins Francis on an altar to canonize St. John Paul II and St. John XXIII, the first time a reigning and retired pope celebrate Mass together.
April 11, 2019: In an essay, blames the clergy sex abuse scandal on the sexual revolution of the 1960s and an absence of God.
January 2020: Contributes to a book reaffirming celibacy for priests at a time when Francis was considering an exception, sparking calls for rules governing future “popes emeritus.”
June 18, 2020: Travels to Germany to visit his ailing brother, the Rev. Georg Ratzinger, who dies two weeks later, on July 1.
July 16, 2021: Has his signature relaxation of restrictions on the celebration of old Latin Mass reversed by Pope Francis.
Jan. 21, 2022: Is faulted for his handling of four sex abuse cases while bishop of Munich in the 1970s and 1980s by an independent report commissioned by the German church.
Feb. 8, 2022: Asks forgiveness for any “grievous faults” in the handling of Munich priests, but denies personal or specific wrongdoing.
Dec. 28, 2022: Pope Francis announces Benedict is “very ill,” asks for special prayers and visits him at his home.
Dec. 31, 2022: Benedict dies at 9:34 a.m. at his home in the Vatican Gardens at age 95.
(With inputs from AFP and AP)