The 95-year-old Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI passed away on Saturday at 9:34 AM in his residence at the Vatican's Mater Ecclesiae Monastery.
By Vatican News
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has returned to the Father’s House.
The Holy See Press Office announced that the Pope Emeritus died at 9:34 AM on Saturday morning in his residence at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, which the 95-year-old Pope emeritus had chosen as his residence after resigning from the Petrine ministry in 2013.
“With sorrow I inform you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away today at 9:34 AM in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican. Further information will be provided as soon as possible. As of Monday morning, 2 January 2023, the body of the Pope Emeritus will be in Saint Peter's Basilica so the faithful can pay their respects."
News of worsening health condition
Already for several days, the health conditions of the Pope Emeritus had worsened due to advancing age, as the Press Office had reported in its updates of the evolving situation.
Pope Francis himself publicly shared the news about his predecessor's worsening health at the end of the last General Audience of the year, on 28 December.
The Pope had invited people to pray for the Pope Emeritus, who was "very ill," so that the Lord might console him and support him "in this witness of love for the Church until the end."
Following this invitation, prayer initiatives sprung up and multiplied on all continents, along with an outpouring of messages of solidarity and closeness from secular leaders.
Funeral plans
During a briefing at the Holy See Press office at midday, the director, Matteo Bruni, told journalists that Pope Francis will preside over the funeral of the Pope Emeritus on 5 January at 9.30 CET in St. Peter's Square.
He added that as from Monday, the body of Benedict XVI will be lying in state in the Basilica so that the faithful who wish to do so may pay their last respects with prayers and a final farewell.
Bruni also said the Pope Emeritus on Wednesday, 28th in the afternoon, received the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick in the monastery at the end of Holy Mass.
And speaking to reporters after the briefing he said Benedict specifically asked that everything - including the funeral - be marked by simplicity, just as he lived his life.
Updated at 12.40
Statement from Bishop McManus on the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
“The universal Church is profoundly saddened at the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, whose pontificate was an extraordinary gift to the Church and to the world. Ever the brilliant theologian and teacher, the late Pope Emeritus guided the Church through the rough seas of doubt, confusion and challenging ideologies, always presenting the tenets of our Catholic faith with wisdom and genuine pastoral concern. It is that same Catholic faith in the resurrection of Christ from the dead that gave our deceased Pope Emeritus and that gives us as well our only hope of future glory in heaven. I encourage all Catholics and all people of good will to pray for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in the coming days that he may be welcomed home to the new and eternal Jerusalem by the Risen Lord whom he loved and served so well. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.”
December 31, 2022
"His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’" Matthew 25:23 (posted by MJ)
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