Tributes have begun to pour in for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the former head of the Roman Catholic Church, who passed away on Saturday morning at the age of 95.
Benedict made history in 2013 when he became the first pope in almost 600 years to resign from the leadership of the Catholic Church, leading to the election of Pope Francis.
“With sorrow, I inform you that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI passed away today at 9.34 in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican. Further information will be provided as soon as possible,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said on Saturday.
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“I was saddened to learn of the death of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI,” Poland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Zbigniew Rau tweeted. “During the pontificate of John Paul II, he visited Poland many times, to which he returned during his pilgrimage in 2006. He admired and respected the faith of Poles.”
Andrea Tornielli, editorial director for the Vatican Dicastery for Communication, said the late pontiff “never ceased to call for conversion, penance and humility, offering an image of the Church freed from material and political privileges in order to be truly open to the world” in an article published shortly after the death was announced.
Claire Giangrave, Vatican correspondent for Religion News Service, described Benedict as “leaving behind a unique and complex legacy.”
