Death and funeral of Pope Benedict XVI

On 31 December 2022, at 09:34 Central European Time (UTC+1), Pope Benedict XVI died at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in Vatican City at the age of 95. The cause of death was problems caused by respiratory failure. He had been pope emeritus since his resignation as the leader of the Catholic Church in 2013. Days before his death, Pope Francis asked for prayers when he announced that Benedict was in bad health. His funeral ended the Catholic Church's ten-year period involvement both with the current pope and a retired pope.

Benedict's body lay in state in St. Peter's Basilica from 2 to 4 January 2023. His funeral and burial was held on 5 January where he was buried on the same crypt as his predecessor Pope John Paul II for six years from 8 April 2005 to 29 April 2011. 

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Category:January 2023 events
Category:December 2022 events
Category:2023 in Europe