Pope Francis mourned the death of pope emeritus Benedict XVI during a mass held at the Vatican this Saturday (Dec.31, 2022). said feel “gratitude” and that Benedict XVI was a “noble person”.
“With emotion, we remember your person, so noble, so kind. And in our hearts we feel so much gratitude: gratitude to God for having given him to the Church and to the world; gratitude to him for all the good he did and, above all, for his witness of faith and prayer, especially in these last years of his retired life. Only God knows the value and strength of his intercession, of his sacrifices offered for the good of the Church”he said in his New Year’s Eve homily.
Benedict 16 died this Saturday morning (31.Dec.2022), aged 95, at his residence in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery of the Vatican. Since 2020, the pontiff has had health problems. On Thursday (Dec.28, 2022), the Holy See Press Office reported that the priest’s condition was serious, but stable.
The information of his death was released on the Vatican’s Twitter profile, with the following message:
“It is with heavy hearts that we inform you that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died today at 9:34 am in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican. More information will be provided as soon as possible.”.
Joseph Ratzinger was 95 years old and was born in Bavaria, Germany. He was nominated in 2005 to succeed Pope John Paul II.
After 7 years, in 2013, the pontiff resigned from the papacy saying that his fragile health and advanced age would not be up to the demands of the office. It was the first resignation of a pope in over 600 years.
During the period that he presided over the Catholic church, Ratzinger visited Brazil in 2007. On the occasion, he went to the Sanctuary of Aparecida, in São Paulo. In addition, he inaugurated the General Conference of the Latin American Episcopate, responsible for the canonization of the 1st Brazilian saint, Frei Galvão.
In September 2021, the pontiff released a book, the “The true Europe”in which he criticized same-sex marriage.
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