LIVE UPDATES: Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI dies at age 95

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 31, 2022 / 05:25 am (CNA).

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, a leading theologian of the 20th century and the first pope to resign from office in nearly 600 years, has died at the age of 95.

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Dec. 31, 7:19 a.m.: Funeral Mass of Benedict XVI to be held Jan. 5

The Vatican announced Saturday that the funeral Mass of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI will take place on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, in St. Peter’s Square.

Pope Francis will preside over the funeral, which, in keeping with Benedict’s wishes, “will be carried out under the sign of simplicity,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said.

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Dec. 31, 6:44 a.m.

The Pontifical Academy for Life called the late pope emeritus, “one of the most influential theological personalities of the twentieth century, constantly striving to make the faith understandable and reliable for modern man.”

Dec. 31, 4:59 a.m.: Benedict XVI dead at 95: The ‘humble worker’ and his legacy of hope to the Catholic Church

Benedict’s pontificate was shaped by his deep understanding of this challenge to the Church and Catholicism in the face of rising ideological aggression, not least from an increasingly secular Western mindset, both within and outside the Church.

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Dec. 31, 4:44 a.m.: BREAKING: Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI dies at age 95

His death was announced in Rome on Dec. 31. His funeral Mass will be held on Jan. 5, 2023, in St. Peter’s Square, the Vatican said.

The Vatican press office director, Matteo Bruni, said Dec. 31: “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.”

Benedict XVI’s body will lie in state in St. Peter’s Basilica beginning on Jan. 2, 2023.

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