Former Pope Benedict XVI dies at age 95

He led the Catholic Church for just under eight years until, in 2013, when he became the first Pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415.

A statement from Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni on Saturday morning said that: “With sorrow, I inform you that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died today at 9:34 in the Mater Ecclesia Monastery in the Vatican. Further information will be released as soon as possible.”

The Vatican said Benedict’s remains would be on public display in St. Peter’s Basilica starting Monday for the faithful to pay their final respects. Benedict’s request was that his funeral would be celebrated solemnly but with “simplicity,” AP reported.

His successor Pope Francis will lead the funeral on 5 January.

The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, said Pope Benedict was “one of the great theologians of the 20th century”.

“I remember with particular affection the remarkable Papal Visit to these lands in 2010. We saw his courtesy, his gentleness, the perceptiveness of his mind, and the openness of his welcome to everybody that he met,” he added.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called the former pope “a great theologian whose UK visit in 2010 was a historic moment for both Catholics and non-Catholics throughout our country”.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Pope Benedict “worked with soul and intelligence for a more fraternal world” and said his thoughts went out to Catholics in France and around the world.

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Pope Benedict “was a giant of faith and reason.”

“He put his life at the service of the universal Church and spoke, and will continue to speak, to the hearts and minds of men with the spiritual, cultural, and intellectual depth of his Magisterium.”

The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, described Pope Benedict as “a formative figure of the Catholic Church, a controversial personality and a clever theologian.”

Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said Pope Benedict was “one of the greatest theologians of his age – committed to the faith of the Church and stalwart in its defense.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Pope Benedict as a “defender of traditional Christian values” in his New Year address to the nation.