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Benedict XVI is with God now. He died at the age of 95.

On New Year's Eve, the spokesman for the Holy See, Matteo Bruni, announced: "It is with great pain that I have to announce that Benedict XVI, Pope Emeritus, died today at 9:34 a.m. in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican." deteriorated.

 

Joseph Ratzinger was elected Pope on April 19, 2005, succeeding John Paul II. Benedict was the first German Pope in about 480 years. Almost eight years later, he resigned voluntarily in a spectacular step - as the first pope for more than 700 years. He justified the step with his advanced age and his poor health - he lacked the strength for the demanding office, he said at the time. During the pontificate of his successor Francis, Benedict lived in seclusion in a monastery in the Vatican Gardens.

During his pontificate, Benedict continued the conservative course of his predecessor. He resisted modernizing the church, which brought him a lot of criticism. As a result, the initial enthusiasm of the Germans waned. In addition, his tenure was overshadowed by abuse scandals that plunged the Catholic Church into a deep crisis.

Benedict shaped the Catholic Church long before the beginning of his pontificate. As Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome, Cardinal Ratzinger, born on April 16, 1927, in Marktl am Inn in Upper Bavaria, had already written church history for more than 20 years. Numerous believers, especially in Europe, rejected his strict stance on issues such as birth control, abortion, and celibacy. However, the conservative line found support in other parts of the Catholic world church.

Previously, the retired Pope had become quiet. Although he was mentally fit into old age, as his private secretary Georg Gänswein repeatedly emphasized, his physical condition was severe. Although he wanted to remain "hidden from the world," his writings on sensitive topics such as celibacy or abuse repeatedly fueled speculation that he probably disagreed with the course of his successor Francis, at least in part.

Benedikt has not made any public appearances recently. He celebrated his 90th birthday again in 2017 with a delegation from his native Bavaria. After that, he only received occasional visits to the monastery Mater Ecclesiae. In recent years he has, in his own words, been on a pilgrimage "home."