Pope Benedict XVI

In a final letter to the church published following his death, the late former Pope Benedict XVI asked those he "wronged" for forgiveness.

Although, he acknowledged that “faith too has learned to better understand the limit of the scope of its claims” because of natural science, he reminded the church that he had seen science offer “apparent certainties against the faith” only to see them vanish, “proving not to be science, but philosophical interpretations only apparently pertaining to science”. “First of all, I thank God himself, the giver of every good gift, who gave me life and guided me through various moments of confusion; always picking me up whenever I began to slip and always giving me the light of his countenance again. He described the “dark and tiring stretches” of his path as a necessary experience for his salvation and thanked God for picking him whenever he began to “slip”.

Vatican City, Holy See - Pope Francis hailed Benedict XVI on Sunday in a New Year's Day service at the Vatican, the day after his predecessor died aged 95.

Unlike his successor Francis, a Jesuit who delights in being among his flock, Benedict was more at home with his books, a cat-lover who delighted in study and playing the piano. Long close to John Paul II and a senior cardinal in the Catholic hierarchy, Benedict was a leading candidate to become pope in 2005 – but later said his election felt “like the guillotine”. Flags on the town hall flew at half-mast on Saturday in Marktl, where a special mass was organised at the church where he was baptised. His death brought 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. Benedict, a conservative intellectual who in 2013 became the first pontiff in six centuries to resign, died on Saturday at his home in a monastery inside the grounds of the Vatican. Vatican City, Holy See – Pope Francis hailed the “beloved” Benedict XVI on Sunday in a New Year’s Day service at the Vatican, the day after his predecessor died aged 95.

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the German theologian who tried to reawaken Christianity in a secularized Europe but will be remembered as the ...

He was the oldest pope elected in 275 years and the first German in nearly 1,000 years. Benedict then largely kept to his word that he would live a life of prayer in retirement, emerging only occasionally from his converted monastery for special events and writing occasional book prefaces and messages. And they harshly criticized Benedict when he removed the excommunication of a traditionalist British bishop who had denied the Holocaust. For them, Benedict remained even in retirement a beacon of nostalgia for the orthodoxy and Latin Mass of their youth -- and the pope they much preferred over Francis. He angered the United Nations and several European governments in 2009 when, en route to Africa, he told reporters that the AIDS problem couldn't be resolved by distributing condoms. Two pages in length and dated 2006, the will also touched on a theme dear to his heart of the beneficial dialogue between faith and reason. Like his predecessor, Benedict made reaching out to Jews a hallmark of his papacy. He relaxed the restrictions on celebrating the old Latin Mass and launched a crackdown on American nuns, insisting that the church stay true to its doctrine and traditions in the face of a changing world. Instead, he was forced to follow the footsteps of the beloved St. And he set the Catholic Church on a conservative, tradition-minded path that often alienated progressives. Now, Francis will celebrate Thursday Benedict's funeral Mass, the first time in the modern age that a current pope will eulogize a retired one. His decision paved the way for the conclave that elected Pope Francis as his successor.

Church leaders have urged worshippers to keep the former Pope in their prayers when they attend church services on Sunday.

He said: “I remember with fondness my meeting with His Holiness during my visit to the Vatican in 2009. [Vatican announced Benedict, the first Pope in 600 years to resign from the role, died in the Mater Ecclesia Monastery in the Vatican at 9.34am on Saturday](/video/news/pope-benedict-xvi-dies-aged-95-b1050176.html). In a statement, he said Benedict was “committed to the faith of the Church and stalwart in its defence”. His visit to the United Kingdom in 2010 was important in strengthening the relations between the Holy See and the United Kingdom. “We commend them to God and we thank God for the great gifts of their life and especially of his life.” Speaking on Saturday, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, said he wants Catholic churches in the UK to “echo the funeral Mass” with their own ceremonies on Thursday.

The Vatican said Benedict's body will lie in state in St Peter's Basilica from Monday. The former pope died on Saturday at the age of 95.

The Vatican said Benedict's body will lie in state in St Peter's Basilica from Monday. Benedict's funeral will be held on Thursday in St Peter's Square in front of the basilica and will be presided over by Pope Francis. At the service in St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, the pontiff prayed aloud for

Benedict, the first pope in 600 years to resign from the role, died in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican at 9.34am on Saturday.

Pope Francis is seated as he prepares to preside over the service marking the World Day of Peace at St Peter's Basilica, in The Vatican on January 1, 2023. FILE - Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger presents a book with the documents issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith during a press conference at the Vatican on Dec. He said: 'I remember with fondness my meeting with His Holiness during my visit to the Vatican in 2009. Mary at the beginning of the new year, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, January 1, 2023 Pope Francis arrives to hold a Mass for the solemnity of St.

At the first papal Mass of 2023, thousands of Catholics gathered in St. Peter's Basilica prayed for the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died on New ...

Peter’s Basilica prayed for the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died on New Year’s Eve at the age of 95. May the chief Shepherd, who always lives to intercede for us, welcome him kindly into the kingdom of light and peace.” On New Year’s Day, Pope Francis entrusted the soul of the late Benedict XVI to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Pope Francis presides at a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica as the body of Benedict is being prepared for three days of public viewing in the same church ...

Those actions prompted liberal Catholics to dub then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger “God’s Rottweiler.” In accordance with Benedict’s wishes, his funeral on Thursday, January 5, will be simple, solemn and sober. “I believe this is also a task for the future, to deeply rethink the Christian faith in the face of the challenges of our time,” Ouellet told Reuters Television. January 1 is also the feast of the Mother of God and in his homily, Francis asked the Madonna to accompany “our beloved” Pope Emeritus Benedict “on his passage from this world to God.” Francis urged his listeners to work actively for peace, and not “waste time glued to a keyboard in front of a computer screen” but to “dirty our hands and to do some good”. “Let us pray to our Mother in a special way for her sons and daughters who are suffering and no longer have the strength to pray, and for our many brothers and sisters throughout the world who are victims of war, passing these holidays in darkness and cold, in poverty and fear, immersed in violence and indifference,” he said.

Pope Francis marked the Roman Catholic Church's traditional World Day of Peace on Sunday but the start of the new year at the Vatican was overshadowed by ...

Those actions prompted liberal Catholics to dub then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger "God's Rottweiler". There was no explanation why Benedict did not update it as he became older and more frail. Later at his Sunday blessing in St. Benedict, who stepped down in 2013, had been the first pontiff in 600 years to resign. 1 is also the feast of the Mother of God and in his homily, Francis asked the Madonna to accompany "our beloved" Pope Emeritus Benedict "on his passage from this world to God". [funeral on Thursday](/world/europe/former-pope-benedict-have-simple-funeral-after-lying-state-2022-12-31/) will be simple and solemn.

Benedict XVI was the successor of Pope (now St.) John Paul II (who used to be a goalkeeper) and the predecessor of Pope Francis. If you didn't know already, ...

However, he was unable to watch the games live and instead watched from a black-and-white TV in Vatican City as Italy won their fourth title since 1982 (where they beat West Germany in the first of three straight final appearances). Maybe he sensed that they would win everything? If you didn’t know already, Benedict XVI was a

The funeral for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI will be a simple one, the Vatican has confirmed. Born Joseph Ratzinger in 1927, he made history after becoming ...

Its general secretary, the Reverend Canon Chris Thomas, said: “We encourage Catholics in England and Wales to keep Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in their prayers.” The King expressed his “deep sadness” at Benedict’s death in a message to his successor Pope Francis, as the head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, also paid tribute. The pontiff will lead Benedict’s funeral, in an unprecedented event in which a Pope will say the funeral Mass for his predecessor. The service will begin at 9.30am local time (8.30am GMT). He will be transported to St Peter’s Basilica on 2 January and mourners will be able to come and pay their respects from 9am local time until 7pm. The huge basilica will host Benedict’s coffin from Monday (2 January).

The photos were taken at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, where the pope emeritus spent his retirement years and where he died on Dec. 31.

Popes are traditionally dressed in red for their funerals. The former pope has his rosary in his folded hands. The Vatican on Sunday shared the first photos of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI since his death on Dec.

At the midday Angelus following the morning Mass on New Year's Day, Pope Francis calls on us to invoke the Blessed Mother's intercession for Pope ...

He also mentioned the Sant'Egidio community present and witnessing on this day in a special way to their commitment to peace in every part of the world. We need "a spirit of responsibility and compassion" and solidarity to confront the crises in our lives and societies, especially in the face of the tragedy of war, said the Pope. Peter's Square his best wishes for the New Year, and mentioned, in particular, the President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, and the people of Italy.

Pope Francis presides over a mass in St Peter's Basilica as the body of his predecessor is prepared for three days of public viewing in the same church.

January 1 is also the feast of the Mother of God and in his homily, Pope Francis asked the Madonna to accompany "our beloved" Pope Emeritus Benedict "on his passage from this world to God". The pope presided at a mass in St Peter's Basilica as the body of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, - Pope Francis appeals for peace in the first mass since the death of his predecessor Benedict XVI

Benedict's body displayed in chapel of the Vatican monastery and will lie in state at St Peter's Basilica.

Benedict died on Saturday, aged 95, almost 10 years after shocking the Roman Catholic church by becoming the first pope for six centuries to retire. His funeral in St Peter’s Square will be a simple, solemn and sober ceremony in keeping with his wishes, the Vatican said. The pope has suffered from pain in his right knee since straining ligaments earlier last year.

Pope Benedict XVI passes on at the age of 95. Pope Francis marked the Roman Catholic Church's traditional World Day of Peace on Sunday but the start of ...

And while some have credited Benedict with taking important steps to formalise the Vatican’s response to clergy sexual abuse, victims groups accused him of protecting the institution at all costs. While tributes to the former pope continued to be made by world leaders, and conservative members of the faithful, others were highly critical of his pontificate. His body will be moved privately to the basilica, unlike what followed the death in 2005 of Pope John Paul, whose body was moved in a solemn outdoor procession that was televised live around the world. In his homily, Francis urged his listeners to work actively for peace, and not “waste time glued to a keyboard in front of a computer screen” but to “dirty our hands and to do some good”. On Saturday night the Vatican released Benedict’s two-page “spiritual testimony” written in 2006, a year after his election as pope. Francis presided at a Mass in St.

The President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales recalls some salient moments of the late Pope Emeritus' apostolic visit to the ...

And that was the leadership of Benedict.” “He turned to me,” the Cardinal said, “and he smiled and said: never forget that music is prayer as well!” “Every living British prime minister was present as well as all the great and the good, and in that very historic setting, Pope Benedict spoke of his esteem and respect for democracy and for the British institutions that support, and indeed promote, democracy,” he said.

By Delia Gallagher, Niamh Kennedy and Emma Tucker, CNN. (CNN) -- Former Pope Benedict XVI, who died Saturday in a monastery in the Vatican at the age of 95, ...

In the letter dated August 29, 2006, the former pope thanked God for guiding him "well" throughout life. In January 2020, Benedict was forced to distance himself from a book widely seen as undercutting Francis as he considered whether to allow married men to become priests in certain cases. In the 2006 letter, the former pope asked "sincerely" for "forgiveness" for those he "wronged in any way," in his letter.

Catholic world leaders like U.S. President Joe Biden and Brazil's President Lula paid tribute to the former pope, who died Dec. 31.

](https://twitter.com/LulaOficial/status/1609168543572189184)“I wish comfort to the faithful and admirers of the Holy Father.” [First Things](https://www.firstthings.com/) magazine’s senior editor Dan Hitchens, previously an editor for the London-based [Catholic Herald](https://catholicherald.co.uk/), shared a tribute he wrote in 2021 in [The Sunday Times](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/benedict-xvi-by-peter-seewald-review-06srpfgds). In 2010, he joined a lawsuit accusing Benedict of crimes against humanity over his handling of sexual abuse scandals involving priests and children, according to “Anyway, may he rest in peace,” Hitchens tweeted as part of a thread. “Only God knows the value and the power of his intercession, of the sacrifices he offered for the good of the church.” [tweeted](https://twitter.com/Esqueer_/status/1609125880210784256). [tweeted](https://twitter.com/PeterTatchell/status/1609494687965904896). [tweeted](https://twitter.com/CardinalDolan/status/1609211913405190145). News of the pope emeritus’ declining health on Wednesday preceded his death later in the week. [tweet](https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1609270724534886402). [tweeted](https://twitter.com/CardinalSean/status/1609182948787363841). Many critics pointed out the scandals throughout Benedict’s papacy. [Wednesday tweet.](https://twitter.com/Pontifex/status/1608077805769703424)

The Catholic Church in New Zealand has been remembering former Pope Benedict XVI as an "influential" leader of the community.

I always found him to be really courteous and a gentleman." "It was a wise thing for him to do. "But as we look back now, I think it was a very brave and courageous thing to do.

Benedict's choice of shoes stands out because his predecessor and successor — St. John Paul II and Pope Francis — opted for alternatives.

Benedict’s choice of shoes stands out because his predecessor and successor — St. But popes have walked in red for centuries. When Pope Benedict XVI resigned in 2013, he stepped down as the bishop of Rome — and out of his famous red leather shoes.

The retired pope spoke the words shortly after his longtime personal secretary Archbishop Georg Gänswein briefly stepped out of the room, according to a ...

At that time Gänswein and others who were taking turns staying with the pope emeritus had left the room for a moment. Those were his last comprehensible words because after that he was no longer able to express himself." 31, a few hours before he died, Benedict was alone with a nurse who did not speak German, Vatican News reported.

Archbishop Gänswein recounts Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's last words spoken during the night several hours before he died. It was precisely his ...

It is this loving that truly fills our hearts, this believing that allows us to walk confidently and peacefully upon the waters, even in the midst of a storm, as Peter did." Because it is here, as you go on to tell us, in that 'Do you love me?', that the Lord establishes the true meaning of shepherding, because only through love for the Lord will the Lord be able to shepherd through us: 'Lord, you know everything, you know that I love you'". On 28 June 2016, on the 65th anniversary of the priestly ordination of his then emeritus predecessor, Pope Francis wanted to emphasise the "underlying characteristic" that marked the long history of Joseph Ratzinger's priesthood.

Archbishop Georg Gaenswein, a German prelate who lived in the Vatican monastery where Benedict took up residence after his 2013 retirement, said the nurse ...

Before he was elected pope in 2005, Benedict was a German cardinal who served as the Church's guardian of doctrinal orthodoxy. He told the crowd that "in these hours, we invoke her intercession, in particular for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who, yesterday morning, left this world." While addressing the faithful in St. On Sunday, Benedict's body lay on a burgundy-colored bier in the chapel of the monastery where he had lived during his nearly decade-long retirement. Saturday Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said Francis stayed in Benedict's monastery for quite some time before returning to his residence in a hotel located across the Vatican Gardens. Archbishop Georg Gaenswein, a German prelate who lived in the Vatican monastery where Benedict took up residence after his 2013 retirement, said the nurse recounted hearing Benedict utter those words at about 3 a.m.

Late pope's theological insights — centered on the person of Jesus — will be studied, referenced for generations to come.

He saw that as a flourishing of what the Second Vatican Council proposed to the Church and the work of how we as Catholics live out our faith in a world that has fundamental differences to what we believe.” “He was always bringing us back to Jesus, bringing us back to a person, encountering Christ in his humanity and his divinity. “I owe a deep debt, a deep gratitude to Pope Benedict for all of his work, especially for his theological insights, in helping me grow in my faith and insight in growing in the priesthood.” “A lot of people comment on the fact that he was the last living connection to the Second Vatican Council,” Fr. Pope Benedict really thought in the continuity of John Paul the Great; he saw his papacy as bringing to full flourishing the teachings of the Second Vatican Council.” “It was the witness of John Paul II and the teaching of Joseph Ratzinger and Pope Benedict that really shaped a lot of my understanding and love for the Catholic faith,” Fr. Pullis pointed to then-Cardinal Ratzinger’s role as prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, defending the truths of the faith under the papacy of St. “When he came out on the balcony after being elected, we knew he would continue to provide the Church with an incredibly coherent and rich theological and philosophical and pastoral vision that would be really well thought out and be a beautiful vision in leading the Church.” “I think he had a rare capacity to connect with the theological richness of the tradition and the spiritual vibrancy of our faith in a way very few could do. “He saw our Lord as Incarnate Love, the revelation of who He was, and everything has to be seen in that supreme revelation of who God was to us in Jesus of Nazareth,” Robert Fastiggi, Ph.D., the Bishop Kevin M. His philosophy and theology was great influenced by living through World War II and the “post-Christian society” of Europe. He was always calling us back to the person of Jesus Christ, true God and true man.”

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is greeted by Pope Francis during the Ordinary Public Consistory at St. Peters Basilica on February 14, 2015. Franco Origlia/Getty ...

[excommunication of bishops](http://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/letters/2009/documents/hf_ben-xvi_let_20090310_remissione-scomunica.html) of the order of [St. Pius X bishop, [Richard Williamson](https://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=6806108&page=1), had made [antisemitic](https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101139679) comments and [denied the holocaust](https://abcnews.go.com/International/catholic-bishop-williamson-unrepentent-holocaust-denial/story?id=9717252). However, his official visits to [Beirut](https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-middle-east-19615616/pope-benedict-xvi-holds-beirut-open-air-mass) and [Istanbul](https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/world/europe/29pope.html) repaired some of the damage. [publicly downplayed](https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/will-ratzingers-past-trump-benedicts-present) the extent and seriousness of the crisis. He also [criticised](http://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/letters/2010/documents/hf_ben-xvi_let_20100319_church-ireland.html) Irish bishops for their mishandling of the sexual abuse crisis. [Benedict of Nursia](https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/moversandshakers/benedict-of-nursia.html), the founder of Western monasticism, a religious movement that preserved Western culture after the fall of Rome. Most notable was the case of American priest and theologian [Charles Curran](https://www.americamagazine.org/issue/100/charles-curran-case), who was [fired](https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/charles-curran-retire-full-time-teaching) from [The Catholic University of America](https://www.catholic.edu/index.html) because he challenged official Catholic teachings on sexuality. Soon after, he was named a cardinal, a member of the [administrative body](http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/cardinals/index.htm) that elects the pope. [Benedict would later reject](https://onepeterfive.com/benedict-xvi-admits-qualms-of-conscience-about-vatican-ii/) more progressive interpretations of the council as a revolutionary event that was intended to remake the Catholic Church. The [Second Vatican Council](https://www.npr.org/2012/10/10/162573716/why-is-vatican-ii-so-important) attempted to renew the Catholic Church by engaging the modern world more constructively. [deserted the German military](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ratzingers-wwii-experiences/) and was held as a prisoner of war by the Americans; he was released when World War II concluded. 31, 2022 at the age of 95](https://apnews.com/article/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-9d486fd9b12eab1177b9eb8ab7be22f4?utm_source=homepage&utm_medium=TopNews&utm_campaign=position_01), was known for criticising what he saw as the [modern world’s](https://angelusnews.com/arts-culture/in-new-biography-pope-benedict-says-world-threatened-by-humanism/) rejection of God and Christianity’s [timeless truths](https://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/media/articles/dictatorship-of-relativism-cardinal-ratzinger).

Tens of thousands of people are expected to pay their respects to Benedict XVI before his funeral on Thursday.

The funeral will take place in St Peter's Square, before the Pope Emeritus is laid to rest in the tombs beneath the Basilica. Tens of thousands of people are expected to pay their respects to former Pope Benedict XVI when his lying in state begins at the Vatican later. Pope Benedict XVI: Lying in state at the Vatican begins

Statement released by the Vatican, the former Pope Benedict XVI has passed away in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican. He was 95 years old.

The Holy See is the name given to the government of the Roman Catholic Church, which is led by the pope as the bishop of Rome. Pope is a title which is given to the Bishop of Rome who is the head of the Roman Catholic Church. The head of the Catholic Church, former Pope Benedict, was the first pope in 600 years to resign.

Official photos showed the German theologian's body on a catafalque in the chapel of the monastery in the Vatican grounds where he spent the last decade of ...

Great in faith, life, simplicity and love". His death brought 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. Official photos showed the German theologian's body on a catafalque in the chapel of the monastery in the Vatican grounds where he spent the last decade of his life. Later, delivering his Sunday Angelus prayer in front of thousands gathered in St Peter's Square, the pope bowed his head in a moment of silence in memory of the late pontiff. "Today we entrust the beloved pope emeritus Benedict XVI to the most holy mother (the Virgin Mary), to accompany him in his passage from this world to God," he said at a mass for peace at St Peter's Basilica. VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis hailed the "beloved" Benedict XVI in New Year's Day services on Sunday as the Vatican released the first pictures of the former pontiff following his death at the age of 95.