Former Pope Benedict XVI passed away on December 31, aged 95, at Vatican’s Mater Ecclesiae Monastery. In 2013, he became the first pontiff to resign in 600 years on the back of an eight-year tenure filled with scandal and allegations of corruption. “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. Further information will be provided as soon as possible," the spokesman of the Holy See said in a written statement. His body will be on display in St Peter’s Basilica as of January 2, 2023 morning. We take a look at the life of Pope Benedict. An uncompromising theological conservative Born Joseph Ratzinger in Germany, he was an uncompromising theological conservative. He earned the moniker of “God’s Rottweiler” for his disciplining of Latin American priests who promoted “Liberation Theology,” a socialist reading of Christian principles. Ratzinger had once said, “This conception of Christ as a political figure, a revolutionary, as the subversive of Nazareth, does not tally with the church’s catechism,” calling Liberation Theology “singular heresy.” Ratzinger had risen through the ranks of the Catholic Church, becoming the archbishop of Munich in 1977. In 1982, he left Germany to work directly for the Vatican, leading the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF). The CDF is one of Vatican’s oldest and most important departments, founded in the 16th century to defend the Catholic Church from heresy and promulgate Roman Catholic doctrine. It was during his nearly 25-year-long reign at the CDF that he became one of the Vatican's most prominent conservative voices. A papal reign marred with scandal and corruption In 2005, Ratzinger was elected as the first German Pope in a millennium, succeeding the beloved John Paul II, who had reigned for 27 years. Taking the name Benedict, he was considered among Vatican insiders as a “safe pair of hands.” However, Benedict’s reign was a far cry from his predecessor. His words antagonised large sections of the world population. For instance, he angered Muslims when he seemed to suggest that Islam is inherently violent. Further, he caused massive outrage when he seemed to suggest that the use of condoms to prevent the transmission of AIDS “only made matters worse.” Similarly, his actions did not win him many fans either. He lifted the excommunication of Bishop Richard Williamson in 2009. Williamson had been a vocal holocaust denier, going as far as to say that gas chambers did not exist in concentration camps. Benedict’s rehabilitation of the disgraced bishop caused a loud outcry, taking papal-Jewish relations to a new low in the 21st century. The 2012 "Vatileaks" scandal was crucial in unravelling his papacy. Paolo Gabriele, Benedict's butler, leaked secret documents that revealed corruption and feuding within the Vatican. While Benedict claimed he resigned due to his worsening health, scandals were piling up in his reign, with observers suggesting his resignation arrived to take heat off the papacy. He was succeeded by Pope Francis, a self-professed liberal, who was put in charge of bringing the Church in line with 21st century society. However, Benedict continued to enjoy vehement support from the conservative fringes of the Catholic Church with some ultra-traditionalists even denying to acknowledge Francis as the legitimate pontiff. Child abuse scandals Child abuse scandals within the clergy haunted Benedict’s reign as Pope. Under Pope John Paul II, there had been a reluctance to act against accused Popes. But as more and more cases came to the spotlight, pressure built. According to observers, Benedict was far more active than his predecessor in initiating the process to discipline and defrock predator priests. Notably, he ordered an inquiry into child abuse in Ireland and disciplined Father Marcial Maciel, one of the Church’s most notorious predators. However, in 2022, an independent report from Germany found that the then archbishop Ratzinger had failed to take action in four cases between 1977 and 1982. The former pope, frail and old by this time, sought forgiveness though his lawyers attempted to deflect any blame from him. Questions about his funeral rituals Benedict’s death has thrown up an interesting, extremely rare situation in the Catholic Church’s storied history. The Catholic Church has strict protocols in place following the death of its leader, but it is unclear whether those same protocols will apply to a retired pope, said the BBC. “We've never had this before where a living pope will help bury a dead pope,” Catholic historian John McGreevy told the BBC. The Catholic Church is yet to release any public information on this matter. (With inputs from Reuters)
