by Lauren Canterberry
Post Date:
December 31, 2022

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has died

Name: WORLD
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Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI held the position from 2005-2013. Associated Press/Photo by Andrew Medichini

Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, who became pope in 2005 and took the name Benedict XVI, died Saturday. He was 95.

What is his legacy in the Roman Catholic church? Ratzinger was ordained a priest in 1951 and Pope Paul VI appointed him Archbishop of Munich and Freising in 1977. Following the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005, Ratzinger was elected pope at age 78. During his years as pontiff, Ratzinger criticized modern culture for prioritizing relativism and self-gratification. In 2013, Benedict became the first pope in 600 years to resign from the position. He lived in a monastery in Vatican City for the rest of his life.

Dig deeper: Listen to Collin Garbarino’s report looking back at 1962’s Vatican II, which changed Roman Catholic worship and was reaffirmed by Pope Benedict as meaningful and necessary.

Lauren Canterberry

Lauren Canterberry is a reporter for WORLD. She graduated from the World Journalism Institute and the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism, both in 2017. She worked as a local reporter in Texas and now lives in Georgia with her husband.