Former Pope Benedict XVI passes away at 95

Pope Francis, his successor, stated that he frequently visited him there. Although the former pontiff had been ailing for some time, the Holy See stated that his condition had worsened due to his age.

Former Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday passed away at the age of 95 at his Vatican apartment, over a decade after stepping down due to ill health, reports said. 

The former Pope led the Catholic Church for fewer than eight years before becoming the first Pope to retire since Gregory XII in 1415. Benedict spent his final years in the Vatican at the Mater Ecclesiae convent.

Pope Francis, his successor, stated that he frequently visited him there. Although the former pontiff had been ailing for some time, the Holy See stated that his condition had worsened due to his age.

On Wednesday, Pope Francis asked his final audience of the year at the Vatican to "pray a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict," who he said was very unwell. 

Benedict, born Joseph Ratzinger in Germany, was 78 when he became one of the oldest popes ever elected in 2005.

Benedict XVI was born on April 16, 1927, in Marktl am Inn, Germany. He was the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church (2005–13). Prior to becoming Pope, Benedict was a prominent theologian and prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

In 2013, citing his older age, he became the first pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415.

Ratzinger's father was a police officer, while his mother worked as a hotel cook. Ratzinger, the youngest of three children, was six years old when the Nazis assumed power in Germany in 1933; his parents, both devout Catholics, were opposed to the regime.