The Holy See Press Office announced that the 95-year-old Pope died at 9:34 am in his residence at the Vatican’s Mater Ecclesiae Monastery on Saturday.
He had chosen the Ecclesiae Monastery 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.
On Monday 2 January 2023, the body of the Pope Emeritus will be on display Saint Peter’s Basilica so the faithful can bid farewell,” Vatican News quoted the official statement.
For days, the Pope’s health had worsened due to advancing age, as the Press Office had reported in its updates on 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 Dec. 28.
He had invited people to pray for Pope Emeritus, who he said was very ill, so 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 will be announced in the next few hours by the Holy See Press Office.