From CNN’s James Frater and Allegra Goodwin

Global leaders are paying homage to Benedict XVI, the Pope Emeritus, who died Saturday in Vatican City at the age of 95.

Benedict, who was the first pontiff in almost 600 years to resign his position, rather than hold office for life, passed away on Saturday, according to a statement from the Vatican.

“Saddened to learn of the demise of His Holiness Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI,” European Parliament President Roberta Metsola tweeted Saturday.

“Europe mourns him. May he rest in peace.” 

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also paid tribute. “I am saddened to learn of the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI,” Sunak tweeted Saturday.

“He was a great theologian whose UK visit in 2010 was an historic moment for both Catholics and non-Catholics throughout our country.

“My thoughts are with Catholic people in the UK and around the world today,” Sunak added.

Italy’s new Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni voiced her admiration for the former pope.

“Benedict XVI was a giant of faith and reason. He put his life at the service of the universal Church and spoke, and will continue to speak, to the hearts and minds of men with the spiritual, cultural and intellectual depth of his Magisterium,” she tweeted Saturday. 

French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday said his “thoughts” were with Catholics around the world after the former pope’s death.

“My thoughts are with the Catholics of France and the world, mourning the departure of His Holiness Benedict XVI, who worked with soul and intelligence for a more fraternal world,” Macron tweeted.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Catholics around the world have lost “an important spiritual and intellectual leader.”

“With the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the Roman Catholic Church and all Catholics worldwide lose an important spiritual and intellectual leader. We remember him with respect,” Rutte tweeted.  

Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela also sent his condolences to the Holy See on behalf of Malta’s government in a tweet, adding, “The people of Malta recall the visit of His Holiness, where he conveyed a message of unity.” 

12 min ago

Former Pope Benedict XVI’s funeral to be held in St. Peter’s Square on January 5

From CNN’s Sugam Pokharel, Sharon Braithwaite and Valentina Di Donato

The funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI will take place in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City on January 5, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said.

The funeral event will be led by Pope Francis.

The former pope’s body will lie in state in Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican from Monday, January 2, for the faithful to bid farewell, Vatican News reported Saturday.

As per the wish of Pope Emeritus, his funeral will be “simple,” Bruni said.

38 min ago

Archbishop of Canterbury hails former pope as “one of the greatest theologians of his age”

From CNN’s Sana Noor Haq

Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury and head of the Church of England, said he is “mourning” former Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, following his death at the age of 95 in Vatican City.

Benedict, who was the first pontiff in almost 600 years to resign his position, rather than hold office for life, passed away on Saturday, according to a statement from the Vatican.

“Pope Benedict was one of the greatest theologians of his age – committed to the faith of the Church and stalwart in its defence,” Welby said in a statement Saturday.

“In all things, not least in his writing and his preaching, he looked to Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible God. It was abundantly clear that Christ was the root of his thought and the basis of his prayer.

“In 2013 Pope Benedict took the courageous and humble step to resign the papacy, the first Pope to do so since the fifteenth century. In making this choice freely he acknowledged the human frailty that affects us all,” he added.

1 hr 10 min ago

In pictures: The life of Benedict XVI

Produced by CNN Digital’s Photo Team

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died on Saturday, December 31, the Vatican confirmed in a statement. He was 95.

According to Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni, the former pope’s health had deteriorated in the past several weeks.

Benedict XVI became pope in 2005 and resigned in 2013, citing his “advanced age.” He was the first pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415.

Joseph Ratzinger: A German scholar and son of a policeman

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger in Marktl am Inn, in southeastern Germany, near the border with Austria, on April 16, 1927. 

Ratzinger’s early years were defined both by World War II, and by his faith. Hitler rose to power during Ratzinger’s adolescence in Traunstein, in the heavily Catholic region of Bavaria. When he was 14, school officials followed Nazi officials’ orders and enrolled him and the rest of his class in the Hitler Youth movement — against his will, Ratzinger wrote in his memoir.

Ratzinger’s pre-papal career: In 1943 he was drafted into the German army. For the next two years, Ratzinger served as part of an anti-aircraft unit. He later deserted — and was taken prisoner by the US military.

In 1953, he earned a doctorate in theology, and eventually he became a professor — teaching dogma and fundamental theology at four German universities.

One of his most significant steps up came in 1981 when he took over as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith — the Vatican office that oversees “the doctrine on the faith and morals throughout the Catholic world,” according to the Vatican.

“Cardinal No”: Ratzinger earned the nickname “Cardinal No” for his efforts to crack down on the liberation theology movement, religious pluralism, challenges to traditional teachings on issues such as homosexuality, and calls to ordain women as priests.

Over the years, he was at the center of several controversies: he labeled homosexuality “an intrinsic moral evil,” and called the Soviet Union and its communist satellite nations “a shame of our time.”

His friendship with Pope John Paul II went back decades, a bond that held until John Paul’s death in 2005, by which time Ratzinger was dean of the College of Cardinals — the high-level group that advises the pope and, when called upon, picks a new pontiff.

CNN