VATICAN CITY – Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the German theologian who will be remembered as the first pope to resign in 600 years, has died, according to the Vatican.He was 95.
“With great sadness, I inform you that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died today at 9:34 at the Mater Ecclesia Monastery in the Vatican,” said Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni.
Since his surprise resignation in February 2013, the German pope emeritus, whose birth name was Joseph Ratzinger, has been living quietly in a former convent within the Vatican premises.
His health has been deteriorating for some time, but the Vatican acknowledged on Wednesday that it had worsened, while his successor, Pope Francis, asked Catholics worldwide to pray for him.
His death ends an extraordinary circumstance in which two “men in white”—Benedict and Francis—coexisted within the gates of the little city state.
While there is no rulebook for previous popes, Benedict’s burial is expected to take place in the Vatican and will be presided over Pope Francis.
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