On December 31, 2022, Pope Benedict XVI died at age 95. He died as a result of illness at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in Vatican City, where he had been living since his resignation as a pope in 2013.
Pope Benedict XVI, or Joseph Alois Ratzinger, was born April 16, 1927, in Marktl am Inn, Germany. During his earlier life Pope Benedict led a career as both a theologian and a prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He was an educated man in theology, philosophy, and pastoral sensitivity, and he was ordained a priest in 1951. He then furthered his education at the University of Munich, where he took his studies to teach dogma and theology at various universities until 1969. Before becoming the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict wrote numerous theological volumes, including Introduction to Christianity and Dogma and Revelation. On April 19, 2005, Pope Benedict was elected the 264th successor of Saint Peter, at age 78, becoming the oldest pope since Pope Clement XII in 1730. As the pope, Benedict was known for his unwavering devotion to the Bible and for his humility and intelligence in theology. One of his greatest accomplishments during his papacy was his interconnection with other faiths such as Judaism and Islam in order to promote understanding between different religions. However, Pope Benedict is most famous for his resignation of the papacy in 2013. Due to various medical reasons, Pope Benedict felt he was not fit to lead the Catholic Church and therefore the position was passed down to the current Pope Francis. After he resigned, Pope Benedict moved into the Mater Ecclesia Monastery until his death on New Year’s Eve. Even after his resignation, Pope Benedict continued his life dedicated to both prayer and the Catholic faith.