Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who served as leader of the Catholic church from 2005 until his resignation in 2013, has died aged 95, the Vatican has announced. A statement from Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said: “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.” Benedict will be remembered as the first pope in 600 years to retire, rather than die in office. His sudden resignation in 2013 left the church reeling and began an unprecedented period in which two popes co-existed. Benedict, formerly a German cardinal, was a theological conservative, holding uncompromising positions on homosexuality and contraception. During his tenure, allegations of clerical sexual abuse and its cover-up began to surface. His critics said he failed to grasp the gravity of the crimes and the scale of the crisis, which reached a peak several years after he was elected pope in April 2005. As well as the flood of allegations, lawsuits and official reports relating to sexual abuse and the priests’ complicity in covering it up, the Vatican was also rocked by the theft of confidential documents, many of which later appeared in an exposé of alleged corruption. Upon his retirement, Benedict pledged to devote his life to private prayer, but he remained a powerful conservative influence and a focus for opponents of successor, Pope Francis, and his efforts to reform the church. In April 2019, two months after Francis convened a groundbreaking Vatican conference on sexual abuse, Benedict published a 6,000-word letter saying abuse was a product of a culture of sexual freedom dating from the 1960s. His death paves the way for Francis, to consider whether to follow Benedict by retiring at some point – impossible while the outcome would have been three popes. Follow the link in bio to watch our video obituary on the former pope. #Pope #PopeBenedict #PopeEmeritus