A spokesman for the Holy See confirmed Benedict died on Saturday morning, December 31, 2022.
They said: “With sorrow I inform you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away today at 9.34am in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican. Further information will be provided as soon as possible.”
The German-born spiritual leader — born Joseph Ratzinger on 16 April 1927 in Bavaria — succeeded the sainted Pope John Paul II in 2005. And abdicated the papacy in 2013.
