Former Pope Benedict XVI dies at the age of 95

Former Pope Benedict XVI has died in Vatican on 31 December 2022 at the age of 95. He led the Catholic Church for about eight years untill, in 2013, he became the first Pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415. Pope Francis will lead the funeral on 5 January.

The Vatican announced that the body of the deceased Pope will be placed in St Peter's Bascilica from 2 January for "the greeting of the faithful." Pope Francis called him a gift to the Church, describing him as a noble and kind man.

The world leaders including US President Joe Biden, British King Charles III & PM Rishi Sunak, Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italy's PM Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Pakistan's President Dr Arif Alvi paid befitting tributes to the deceased Pope and conveyed condolences to the Christian people of the world.