Former Pope Benedict XVI has died at the age of 95, nearly a decade after he stood down due to ill health.
He led the Catholic Church for less than eight years until, in 2013, he became the first pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415.
Benedict spent his final years at the Mater Ecclesia monastery inside the Vatican walls where he died at 09:34 (08:34 GMT) on Saturday.
His successor, Pope Francis, will lead the funeral on January 5.
The Vatican said the body of the retired pope would be placed in St Peter's Basilica for "the greetings of the faithful" from January 2.
Bells rang from Munich Cathedral and a single bell was heard from St. Peter's Square in Rome after the death of the former pope was announced.
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See: Pope Benedict XVI through the years
The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nicholls, said Pope Benedict was "one of the great theologians of the 20th century".
In a statement he said: "I recall with special affection the remarkable papal visit to these countries in 2010. We saw his courtesy, his gentleness, the perceptiveness of his mind and the openness of his welcome to everyone he met."
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called the former pope "a great theologian whose visit to the UK in 2010 was a landmark moment for both Catholics and non-Catholics in our country".
French President Emmanuel Macron said Pope Benedict "acted with soul and wisdom for a more fraternal world" and said his thoughts went out to Catholics in France and around the world.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that Pope Benedict was "a giant of faith and reason".
"He has devoted his life to the service of the Universal Church and has spoken, and will continue to speak, to the hearts and minds of men with the spiritual, cultural and intellectual depth of his Magisterium."
The German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said that for many, not only in Germany, Pope Benedict was "a seminal figure of the Catholic Church, a controversial personality and a shrewd theologian".
Irish President Michael D Higgins said the former pope would be remembered for "his tireless efforts to find a common path to promote peace and goodwill throughout the world".
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said that Pope Benedict was "one of the greatest theologians of his age – committed to the faith of the Church and steadfast in its defense".
• Benedict: The Pope who resigned from the post of Pope
Following the news of the former Pope's death, a gathering of people took place in St. Peter's Square in Rome.
Annamaria, 65, and Patrizia, 64, who were from the northern Italian city of Bologna, said they went there immediately as soon as they heard about the death.
Annamaria told the BBC, "We came here to pray. He was a great priest, certainly very different from Francis, he was a great intellectual and scholar. Like the rest of the Church, we will always remember him."
Barbara Barnadas, a tourist from the Spanish city of Barcelona, said she and her boyfriend felt panic when they heard the news.
"We learned of his death as soon as we were in St. Peter's Square. A tourist guide was telling us where Benedict used to live. It feels surreal. What will happen now? This situation is unprecedented; what if there is a protocol to follow?" are not." Certainly this is an unprecedented historical moment.
Although the former pontiff had been ill for some time, Vatican officials said his condition had declined due to age.
On Wednesday, Pope Francis appealed to his final audience of the year at the Vatican to "make a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict", whom he said was very ill.
Born Joseph Ratzinger in Germany, Benedict was 78 when in 2005 he became one of the oldest popes ever elected.
For most of his papacy, the Catholic Church faced decades of allegations, legal claims and official reports of child abuse by priests.
Earlier this year the former pope admitted there were errors in the handling of abuse cases when he was archbishop of Munich between 1977 and 1982.
Source link bbc news
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