How Did Pope Benedict XVI Fall?

How Did Pope Benedict XVI Fall?: Pope Benedict XVI, officially known as Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger was born in Marktl, Germany on April 16, 1927.

He was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from April 19, 2005, until his resignation on February 28, 2013. Benedict embarked on an academic career and established himself as a highly regarded theologian by the late 1950s.

He was ordained as a priest in 1951 in his native Bavaria. In 1958 at the age of 31, he was appointed a full professor. After a long career as a professor of theology at several German universities, he was appointed Archbishop of Munich and Freising and created a cardinal by Pope Paul VI in 1977.

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From 2002 until his election as pope, he was also Dean of the College of Cardinals. Prior to becoming pope, he played a significant role on the Vatican stage for a quarter of a century. He had much influence when it came to setting church priorities and directions as one of John Paul II’s closest confidants.

Pope Benedict XVI has been sick for some time now. On Wednesday, December 28, 2022, Pope Francis disclosed that Benedict was “very sick” and asked God to “comfort him and support him in this testimony of love for the church until the end”.

In the evening of the same day, the director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, stated that “In the last few hours there has been an aggravation of [Benedict’s] health due to advancing age” and that Benedict was under medical care.

Benedict died on Saturday, December 31 2022 at his residence in the Vatican. He was 95 years old. According to the Vatican, his body will lay in state at Saint Peter’s Basilica starting on Monday. In St. Peter’s Square on January 5, pope Francis will preside over the funeral. It is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. to begin the ceremony (0830 GMT).