The death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was foreseen by recent statements from the Vatican concerning his state of health. Pope Francis, at the end of the general audience on December 28, delivered some impromptu remarks:
I would like to ask you all for a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict, who in silence is sustaining the Church. Let us remember: he is very sick, let us ask the Lord to comfort him and sustain him in this testimony of love until the end.
On December 31, 2022, in the morning hours, the Vatican confirmed the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at the age of 95, after his health condition worsened in the past few days "due to advancing age." He was known in the world, among other things, for carrying out actions in his work such as electing the pope by simple majority, pushing for Latin Masses, opening the Church of Rome to Anglican traditionalists, and fighting money laundering and cases of pedophile priests.
He was praised by conservative citizens for "attempting to reaffirm the traditionalism of Catholic identity" and recognized as 'the guardian of Orthodoxy'.
Early years, recognitions and "a great theologian".
Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger was born in Marktl am Inn, Bavaria (Germany) on April 16, 1927, in his youth he was part of the German anti-aircraft services in World War II . Later, he studied philosophy and theology at the University of Munich.
In 1951 he was ordained a priest and opted for teaching. He was professor of Theology and History of Dogma at several German universities. And in 1977 he was appointed archbishop of Munich and Freising . In the same year, he became a cardinal. In 1981he became prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, president of the Pontifical Biblical Commission and of the International Theological Commission.
"A great theologian, perhaps one of the greatest scholars of God of the second half of the 20th century," said Gerhard Ludwig Müller, prefect of the Doctrine of the Faith. Among his numerous publications, he occupies a particular place, Introduction to ChristianityAmong his many publications, a compilation of university lectures published in 1968 on the apostolic profession of faith. And Dogma y revelación, an anthology of essays, preaching and reflections, dedicated to pastoral work.
In 1999 he received an honorary doctorate in law from the Italian University LUMSA. In 2002 he was appointed dean of the College of Cardinals, and in that capacity he officiated at the funeral mass for John Paul II.
All these merits, which made him one of the most relevant theologians of the twentieth century, were undoubtedly decisive for his election as pope.
His years as pope
On April 19, 2005, Ratzinger was elected pope on the second day of the conclave and on the fourth ballot. He was the 265th pope in the history of the Church and the sixth German since Victor II (1055-1057). In his almost eight years of papacy he visited 24 countries in four continents. Among the key points of Benedict XVI's pontificate is the fight against money laundering and the cases of pedophile priests.
- 2006: published his first encyclical Deus caritas est (God is love) and renounced the title of Patriarch of the West.
- 2007: abolishes the election of the Pope by simple majority. In other words, his successor will be elected by a two-thirds majority in all votes. In addition, in the same year he presented Jesus of Nazareth, his first book as Pope, and published his second encyclical Spe salvi (Saved in Hope).
- 2009: the Vatican approves an Apostolic Constitution to welcome Anglicans who wish to join the Catholic Church.
- 2010: He convenes in Rome all the members of the College of Cardinals to discuss - in a summit unprecedented in the history of the Church - the cases of pedophile priests. The Vatican acknowledges 4,000 cases of pederasty. In the same year, it enacted, motu proprio motu, a 'Law for the prevention and fight against the laundering of proceeds from criminal activities and the financing of terrorism' and established the Financial Information Authority (AIF).
- 2011: Proclaims his predecessor, John Paul II, blessed.
- 2012 pardons his former butler Paolo Gabriele, sentenced to 18 months in prison for the theft of confidential documents of the Pontiff. And he becomes the first pope to have an official Twitter account.
- 2013: Benedict XVI announces that he will leave the pontificate next February.
Unexpected resignation
Benedict was the first pontiff to resign in 600 years, and dedicated his post-papacy life to prayer and meditation. In his first period of retirement he attended some ceremonies of elevation to cardinals in St. Peter's Basilica. But in recent years, he was not "strong enough to attend the long service." His residence until his death was at Mater Ecclesiae (Mother of the Church), a monastery in Vatican City .
"I am not abandoning the Church, I will serve it in another way," were some of his last words as leader of the Holy See. After his resignation, he assured that he would live "apart from the world" and, on very few occasions, broke his silence . His decision to retire was calm and meditated, free of pressure and the result of a "peaceful state of mind" that allowed him to "calmly pass the helm" to his successor:
It was not a retreat under the pressure of events or a flight due to the inability to cope with them.
Nor was it the result of disillusionment or any kind of coercion: "I would not have allowed it" nor "would I have resigned" if I had been "under pressure," he insisted in an interview.
Turning 95 in April, his former secretary, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, said the retired pontiff was in good spirits, adding that he was "physically weak and frail, relatively speaking, but he is quite lucid." Thus raising the first alarm about his state of health.
Latest appearances
Among the last official appearances of Benedict XVI was on August 27, 2022, when Pope Francis fulfilled the tradition of presenting the new cardinals to his predecessor. The new members of the College of Cardinals were blessed by Benedict XVI in the chapel of the monastery, the appointment was reduced to a "brief greeting" and the communal recitation of the Marian prayer of the Salve Regina.
Since then, the pope emeritus has been more restricted in his visits. "It's too exhausting for him," Gänswein said, at the request of his former students from Joseph Ratzinger's New Student Circle, who this year did not visit him during their annual meeting in Rome on Sept. 24.
One of the last images of the former pontiff was taken last December 1, when he met with several theologians and showed a very delicate appearance.
Benedict XVI with Father Michel Fédou and Joseph Weiler (Ratzinger Prize 2022), Msgr. Georg Gänswein, Father Federico Lombardi and Pierluca Azzaro (yesterday, Thursday, December 1, 2022)
Photos from the Joseph Ratzinger Vatican Foundation - Benedict XVI 👇 https://t.co/VKhuFeUAVD pic.twitter.com/06Hp3ZJ7k9
- Maronitas ن (@maronitas_es) December 3, 2022
