Pope Benedict XVI dies: meet the Church scholar who became the first Pope to resign in the modern times

 We have learned of the passing of Pope Benedict XVI and we are greatly saddened by the news.

Born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger on 16 April 1927  he  was elected as head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as pope occurred in the 2005 papal conclave that followed the death of Pope John Paul II. Benedict chose to be known by the title "pope emeritus" upon his resignation.

During his papacy, Benedict XVI advocated a return to fundamental Christian values to counter the increased secularisation of many Western countries.  He strengthened the relationship between the Catholic Church and art, promoted the use of Latin, and reintroduced traditional papal vestments, for which reason he was called "the pope of aesthetics".He had been described as "the main intellectual force in the Church" since the mid-1980s. 

On 11 February 2013, Benedict unexpectedly announced his resignation in a speech in Latin before the cardinals, citing a "lack of strength of mind and body" due to his advanced age. He was the first pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415, and the first to do so on his own initiative since Celestine V in 1294.

Benedict died on 31 December 2022 at 9:34 am Central European Time at his residence in the Vatican following a long illness. He was 95 years old.

In photos: Pope Benedict XVI is welcomed by Queen Elizabeth II to Holyrood Palace during the Papal Visit to the United Kingdom in 2010. His visit came as the Roman Catholic Church faced criticisms in handling of the sexual abuse crisis. During the visit, he said that church leaders had not been “sufficiently vigilant” or “sufficiently swift and decisive” in cracking down on abusers.