Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has passed away at the age 95, Vatican officials announced on Dec 31. Reports of concerns about Benedict’s health circulated for years, but gained heightened attention on Dec 28, when his successor, Pope Francis, publicly stated that Benedict was ’very ill’ & asked those at his weekly audience to say a ‘special prayer’ for the retired pontiff. ‘I would like to ask you all for a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict, who is sustaining the church in silence,’ Francis said during his general audience at the Vatican. ‘Remember him — he is very ill — asking the Lord to console him & to sustain him in this testimony to love for the church, until the end.’ Benedict was born in Bavaria in 1927 as Joseph Ratzinger. He was ordained a priest in 1951 & eventually rose to the rank of cardinal in 1977. Throughout the 27-year reign of Pope John Paul II (1978-2005), Ratzinger was one of the Vatican’s most influential voices & one of John Paul II’s most trusted advisers. Ratzinger was elected to succeed John Paul II in 2005 & took the name of Benedict XVI. During his time as pope, he was known as a voice for conservative & traditionalist Vatican interests — in contrast to Francis’ seemingly more liberal & reformist tendencies. His tenure was also at times overshadowed by reports of corruption at the Vatican Bank, as well as accusations he had not gone far enough to address several incidents of priestly child abuse within the church, both as an archbishop & cardinal, in addition to his time as pope. At the same time, his defenders argue that he laid the early track for many of the financial reforms that took shape during Francis' tenure, & he was frequently recognized for his efforts to promote religious dialogue with other faith institutions outside the Catholic Church. Benedict’s advanced age & health problems were the primary reason he stepped down as pope in 2013. At that time, he was the first individual to resign the papacy in almost 600 years. Benedict had been living on Vatican property since retiring & had dedicated the remainder of his life to prayer & meditation as his health continued to decline. #popebenedictxvi #catholicchurch