On 31 December 2022, at 09:34 CET (UTC+1), former Pope Benedict XVI died at the age of 95 at Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in Vatican City. He had been pope emeritus since his resignation as the leader of the Catholic Church in 2013 due to his declining health. His death and subsequent funeral from 2022 to 2023 ended a nine-year period during which an incumbent pope and a retired pope lived within Vatican City, and ten-year Catholic Church involvement with both the then-current pope and pope-emeritus.

Benedict XVI's body lay in state in St. Peter's Basilica from 2 to 4 January 2023, during which around 195,000 mourners paid their respects. His funeral took place in St. Peter's Square on 5 January and was attended by around 50,000 people, presided over by Pope Francis, whose role as an incumbent pope overseeing the funeral of his predecessor was unprecedented given the order of papal succession.

Background

Joseph Alois Ratzinger, then Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was elected Pope Benedict XVI on 19 April 2005, succeeding John Paul II, who died on 2 April 2005. He stepped down as pope at 20:00 (CET) on 28 February 2013, in the first papal renunciation in almost 600 years since Pope Gregory XII in 1415, and the first to voluntarily step down since Pope Celestine V in 1294. He cited his declining health as the reason for his resignation.

In October 2017, a photograph on Facebook showed Benedict with a black eye. He had developed a hematoma after slipping at his residence. Speculation about his health had arisen in the preceding weeks.

In June 2020, Benedict visited his ailing brother Georg Ratzinger in Bavaria, who died shortly after the visit on 1 July.

On 3 August 2020, after speculation in the German press in the wake of a visit by the journalist Peter Seewald on 1 August, Benedict's aides disclosed that he was experiencing inflammation of the trigeminal nerve, but stated that his condition was not serious. Maltese cardinal Mario Grech reported to Vatican News on 2 December 2020 that Benedict was enduring serious difficulties in speaking, reportedly stating to a group of cardinals that "the Lord has taken away my speech in order to let me appreciate silence".

Benedict became the longest-lived pope on 4 September 2020, surpassing Pope Leo XIII, who died in 1903 at the age of 93 years, 4 months and 3 days.

Last days In his weekly general audience on 28 December 2022, Pope Francis announced that Benedict XVI was "very sick". Francis did not disclose the exact nature of his ailment, but called for people to pray for Benedict XVI. Later that day, Matteo Bruni, the director of the Holy See Press Office, attributed Benedict's illness to old age and reported that he was under medical supervision at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in Vatican City, where he had lived since his resignation as pope. Francis visited Benedict XVI after the audience, and Benedict XVI received the Anointing of the Sick.

On 29 December, Bruni reported that Benedict's situation remained grave, but he was "absolutely lucid and alert". The next day, Benedict participated in the celebration of Mass in his room; his condition was stable. The same day, a special Mass was celebrated for Benedict at the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome.

Death Benedict died at Mater Ecclesiae Monastery on 31 December 2022 at 9:34 a.m. CET (UTC+01), at the age of 95, from cardiogenic shock, resulting from respiratory failure that evolved from a parenchymal insufficiency. Archbishop Georg Gänswein, Benedict's personal secretary and confidant, said that his last words, heard by a nurse, were . On the same day, the Holy See released his spiritual testament, dated 29 August 2006.

On the same day, Pope Francis gave his first words about Benedict since his death, praising him.

Funeral

At the time of Benedict's death, the Holy See had procedures governing the rituals surrounding papal deaths and funerals, but which were designed specifically for the deaths of incumbent popes. Benedict's funeral was the second and final funeral celebrated according to the first edition of the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis, the liturgical book for papal funerals, prior to the creation of a simplified edition in 2024.

On 1 January 2023, Benedict's body was laid in the chapel at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, where it was viewed by people closest to him. He was clothed in red vestments, the traditional liturgical colour for papal funerals. Since Benedict was no longer pope, he did not wear the pallium or hold the ferula, symbols of the papal office. In the morning of 2 January, Benedict's body was moved to St. Peter's Basilica, where he lay in state for three days until his funeral. The Holy See stated that approximately 195,000 people paid their respects during the lying in state. On the evening of 4 January, Benedict's face was covered with a white veil. His pallium, coins and medals minted during his reign, and a ; a text summarizing his life and pontificate) were placed in his coffin before it was closed.

Funeral Mass

The booklet for Benedict's funeral Mass was released on 3 January. Matteo Bruni, the director of the Holy See Press Office, said the Mass had been adapted from the usual papal burial service, omitting portions applicable to the death of a current pope, and adding other parts. In a departure from previous papal funeral Masses, Eucharistic Prayer III was planned to be used instead of the Roman Canon.

The funeral ceremony took place in St. Peter's Square on 5 January, and began at around 09:30. Pope Francis, Benedict's successor, presided over the service, which was conducted primarily in Latin with prayers and readings also in Italian, Spanish, English, French, Portuguese and Arabic. The Sistine Chapel Choir sang at the service, and Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, celebrated the Eucharist at the altar set up in the Square. The funeral was attended by an estimated 50,000 people. Requests for the rapid canonization of the pontiff – as "santo subito" – were made by the participants. In accordance with Benedict's wishes, his funeral was shorter and simpler than a usual papal funeral.

Francis delivered a short homily during the Mass that focused on the reading from the Gospel, mentioning Benedict briefly such as to praise his "wisdom, tenderness and devotion that he bestowed upon us over the years". Commentators contrasted it to the more effusive homily that Benedict (then Cardinal Ratzinger) gave at Pope John Paul II's funeral.

Before this funeral, the first time a pope had assisted at the funeral of his predecessor occurred in 1802, when a solemn ceremony was celebrated in the presence of Pius VII when the remains of Pius VI, who died in French custody in 1799, were brought to Rome.

Burial

Immediately after the funeral, Benedict was interred in a private ceremony in the crypt underneath St. Peter's Basilica, in the same tomb that had previously been occupied by Pope John Paul II's body from his death in 2005 until his beatification in 2011. In accordance with tradition, Benedict's cypress coffin was placed inside a zinc one, which was in turn enclosed in an oak outer coffin. The tomb was opened to public visits on 8 January 2023.

Dignitaries in attendance

In keeping with Benedict's request for a simple funeral, only the governments of Italy and his native Germany were invited to send official delegations, although representatives from other countries and organisations were able to participate "in a private capacity". Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of Portugal, criticised the decision, saying: "The president of the Republic does not go to these things in a personal capacity, he goes representing the Portuguese State."

Italy Sergio Mattarella, President of Italy Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy Ignazio La Russa, President of the Senate was to come, but had to be replaced due to illness by Maurizio Gasparri, Vice-President of the Senate Lorenzo Fontana, President of the Chamber of Deputies Silvana Sciarra, President of Constitutional Court Antonio Tajani, Minister of Foreign Affairs Giancarlo Giorgetti, Minister of Economy and Finance Guido Crosetto, Minister of Defence Carlo Nordio, Minister of Justice Francesco Lollobrigida, Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests Anna Maria Bernini, Minister of University and Research Gennaro Sangiuliano, Minister of Culture Mario Draghi, former Prime Minister of Italy Mario Monti, former Prime Minister of Italy.

Germany

Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of Germany, and First Lady Elke Büdenbender Olaf Scholz, Chancellor of Germany Bärbel Bas, President of the Bundestag Peter Tschentscher, President of the Bundesrat Stephan Harbarth, President of the Federal Constitutional Court Nancy Faeser, Federal Minister of the Interior and Community Friedrich Merz, Leader of the Opposition in the Bundestag Markus Söder, Minister-President of Bavaria Günther Beckstein, Former Minister-President of Bavaria Edmund Stoiber, Former Minister-President of Bavaria Hubert Aiwanger, Deputy Minister-President of Bavaria Ilse Aigner, President of the Landtag of Bavaria Alois Glück, Former President of the Landtag of Bavaria Karl Freller, First Vice-President of the Landtag of Bavaria Benedikt Dittmann, First Mayor of Marktl, the birthplace of Benedict XVI

Other countries

Archbishop Joan Enric Vives i Sicília, Co-Prince of Andorra Heinz Fischer, former President of Austria King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium Chen Chien-jen, former Vice President of China as the president's special envoy Ioannis Kasoulidis, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus Petr Fiala, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Václav Klaus, former President of the Czech Republic Marian Jurečka, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Katalin Novák, President of Hungary Frances Collins, Ambassador to the Holy See from Ireland Donika Gërvalla-Schwarz, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Kosovo Prince Stefan of Liechtenstein, Ambassador to the Holy See (representing his cousin, the Prince of Liechtenstein) Gitanas Nausėda, President of Lithuania Andrzej Duda, President of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki, Prime Minister of Poland Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of Portugal Catarina Sarmento e Castro, Minister of Justice Maria Luisa Berti and Manuel Ciavatta, Captains Regent of San Marino. Nataša Pirc Musar, President of Slovenia Eduard Heger, Prime Minister of Slovakia Queen Sofía of Spain (representing her son, Felipe VI of Spain) Félix Bolaños, Minister of the Presidency Isabel Celaá, Ambassador to the Holy See Gillian Keegan, Secretary of State for Education (United Kingdom) Joe Donnelly, United States Ambassador to the Holy See Gérald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior (France)

Religious representatives Archbishop Joan Enric Vives i Sicília, Bishop of Urgell John T. Dunlap, Lieutenant of the Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta Roberto Viazzo, Member of the Sovereign Council of the Order of Malta Reinhard Marx, Cardinal and Archbishop of Munich and Freising Rainer Maria Woelki, Cardinal and Archbishop of Cologne Christoph Schönborn, Cardinal and Archbishop of Vienna Juan José Omella, Cardinal and Archbishop of Barcelona Carlos Osoro Sierra, Cardinal and Archbishop of Madrid Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, Cardinal and Archbishop Emeritus of Seoul Jan Graubner, Archbishop of Prague Dominik Duka, Cardinal and Archbishop Emeritus of Prague Franz Lackner, Archbishop of Salzburg Ludwig Schick, Archbishop Emeritus of Bamberg Georg Bätzing, Bishop of Limburg and Chairman of the German Bishops' Conference Rudolf Voderholzer, Bishop of Regensburg Stefan Oster, Bishop of Passau Gregor Maria Franz Hanke, Bishop of Eichstätt Wilhelm Krautwaschl, Bishop of Graz-Seckau Ägidius Zsifkovics, Bishop of Eisenstadt , Auxiliary Bishop of Toledo