Former Pope Benedict XVI Dies: First Pontiff In Nearly 600 Years To Resign, Was 95
deadline.comFormer Pope Benedict XVI, the first pontiff to resign in nearly 600 years rather than hold office for life, died Saturday, the Vatican announced in a statement.
He was 95. “With sorrow I inform you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away today at 9:34 in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican,” the Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, Matteo Bruni said.
Benedict made the stunning announcement in 2013 that he planned to step down as pope, citing his “advanced age,” saying he no longer had the strength to lead the church.
He spent his final years in a converted monastery at the Vatican, residing in the same place as his successor Francis, an unprecedented situation which became the inspiration for the 2019 Netflix film The Two Popes.
Read more on deadline.com