Pope Benedict XVI has died aged 95. He stood down as the leader of the Catholic church in 2013, becoming the first pope to resign in over 600 years.
He spent his final years at Mater Ecclesiae monastery within the walls of The Vatican where he passed away on Saturday morning, local time.
His successor Pope Francis will lead his funeral on 5th January. His body will be placed in St Peter’s Basilica from 2nd January allowing mourners to pay their respects.
He was the oldest Pope in history, surpassing Pope Leo XIII who died aged 93 in 1908.
Born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, he grew up in Bavaria in Germany, his father was a policeman. As a German teenager during World War II, he was required to be a member of the Hittler Youth, but accounts say he was not an enthusiastic member. In 1943 while studying to be a priest he was conscripted into the Air force and later served in the infantry.
In 1945 he deserted the army as the German military began to fall apart. He spent a short period of time in a prisoner of war camp but was released in 1945 when the war ended. After the war Joseph and his brother Georg both studied to be priests.
He spent many years in academia before being appointed Archbishop of Munich and Freising in 1977, he then held a succession of important posts within the Catholic Church. He spent his career defending the Catholic doctrine often sharing his opposition to issues including birth control, abortion and homosexuality.
In 2005 he was elected as the 265th Pope of the Catholic Church following the death of John Paul II. He served in the role for almost eight years before surprising the world with his resignation.
During his time as Pope, he argued against the use of condoms to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS, rallied against recognition of transgender people, spoke out against same-sex marriage and said homosexual acts are sinful.
His time as Pope also saw the church face a torrent of accusations of sexual abuse by its clergy, including accusations that he himself had failed to take action against offenders when he was an Archbishop.
OIP Staff
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