Pope Benedict XVI died today (Saturday) at the age of 95, after about a decade since he retired from the post due to health reasons.
On Wednesday, Pope Francis asked the world to pray for Benedict's safety after it was reported that his condition had worsened.
The Pope spent his last years in the Mater Ecclesiae monastery in the Vatican complex.
Benedict XVI, born in Germany as Josef Alois Ratzinger, was the 265th Pope, and the eighth German to serve in the position.
In 2005, he replaced Pope John Paul II, who had been in office since 1978 and died at the age of 85. His tenure is considered the third longest in the history of the church.
In 2013, Pope Benedict XVI became the first pope in 600 years to resign voluntarily, after Gregory XII, who stepped down in October 1415 after a nine-year term, due to internal power struggles.
Before his election as Pope, Benedict enjoyed a distinguished career as a theologian and served as dean of the Hashmani Assembly and as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Kahshman was one of the most prominent and important, and was known both personally and theologically as the "right hand man" of his predecessor in the position.
He was considered extremely conservative, and was involved in many controversies in the church inside and outside, and especially in the scandal covering the sexual abuse by priests in the church.
On April 19, 2005, he was elected to the position of Pope after two days of deliberations in the conclave, the Hashemite assembly that elects the Pope.
Shimon Peres and Pope Benedict XVI, Jerusalem. May 2009 (Photo: Reuven Castro)
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Benedict XVI was born in 1927 as Joseph Ratzinger in a village in Bavaria, part of the then Weimar Republic, to a police officer father and a hotel cook mother.
The youngest of three children, Ratzinger was 6 years old when the Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933.
His devout Catholic parents did not support the new regime, but in 1941 when he was 14, Ratzinger became a member for a short time of the "Hitler Youth" as required by law.
Ratzinger entered the seminary in 1939 and studied theology and philosophy when in 1943 he was drafted into the German army and sent to Hungary to set traps for tanks in 1945.
He defected in April 1945 and was captured by the American forces.
After World War II, Ratzinger returned to his studies at the seminary.
He was ordained a priest in June 1951 and received a doctorate in theology from the University of Munich.
He taught theology in high school and university.
During his academic career, Ratzinger wrote several theological books.
In 1981 he was appointed head of the "Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith" by his good friend, Pope John Paul II.
He formulated strict conservative positions, and as the head of the "Doctrine of Faith Community" he was among the most prominent opponents of clergy marriages and artificial abortions.
He opposed any kind of homosexual relationship.
He also expressed strong opposition to the use of contraceptives, and claimed that condoms do not prevent AIDS.
His tough positions and rigid approach earned him sometimes derogatory nicknames, such as "the bully", "the tank cardinal", and "God's Rottweiler".
However, even his harshest critics recognized his wisdom and intelligence.
He was also known for his humility and gentleness, as well as his many talents: he spoke German, Italian, French, English and Latin and read ancient Greek and biblical Hebrew.
In addition, he was a talented pianist who especially loved Mozart.
The retiring Pope Benedict XVI met with Pope Francis in Italy (Photo: Reuters)
Although he was a devout Catholic, Ratzinger was involved in John Paul's efforts to approach other religions, especially Judaism and Islam.
Ratzinger accepted the papal appointment on April 19, 2005, becoming at the age of 78 the oldest pope elected since Clement XII.
He immediately took steps to continue dialogue with Judaism and Islam and other Christian churches.
One of his goals was to revive the Catholic Church in Europe.
He also said that he would continue the conservative approach of his predecessor.
In the first years of his ministry, Benedict visited several countries, including Turkey and Brazil.
However, he refused to visit Israel, until Yad Vashem removed an inscription accusing Pope Pius XII of silence in the face of the extermination of European Jews.
He also refused the request of Jewish organizations to open the Vatican archives, which could shed light on the conduct of Pius XII in the Holocaust, for "logistical reasons".
Pope Benedict visited Auschwitz in 2006.
His first visit as Pope, and his third to the place.
In his speech he said: "To speak in this place of horror, a place where unprecedented crimes against God and man were committed, is almost impossible, and it is especially difficult for a Christian, for the Pope from Germany."
"In a place like this the words are cut off, in the end there is only a threatening silence. A silence that is actually a real cry to God - God, why were you silent? How did you allow these horrors to happen? Where was God in those days? How did he allow such a massacre to happen?".
In 2008 he visited the United States for the first time, and in 2009 he visited Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
In January 2010, Benedict XVI visited the main synagogue of Rome for the first time.
The last speech of Pope Benedict XVI.
The Vatican, February 27, 2013 (Photo: Reuters)
Pope Benedict XVI (Photo: GettyImages)
In 2010, accusations of sexual abuse of boys by priests in Germany, Ireland and the United States began to be published.
The Pope has been heavily criticized for his role in the scandal and has rebuked the bishops of the Irish Church for the failure of leadership.
The Vatican has condemned the "false" accusations that Benedict was responsible for a policy of concealing the sexual exploitation.
In 2022, a report by the Archdiocese of Munich accused Benedict, who had already retired, of mishandling four cases of sexual abuse by priests during his tenure there as archbishop. He denied the allegations, but asked for forgiveness for his involvement in the cases in question. In a written statement, he He admitted to the "abuses and mistakes" that were made.
In February 2013, Benedict announced that he would retire at the end of the month due to health problems. "After repeatedly examining my commitment to God, I came to the conclusion that due to my advanced age, my powers are no longer appropriate for my ministry," the Pope said in his resignation announcement, which was broadcast on the Vatican radio station."
"I am aware of the fact that because of its spiritual nature, this role should be expressed not only in words and deeds but also in prayers and pain," added the Pope.
"However, in our world - which is constantly changing and shaken by deep questions concerning the life of faith. - To fulfill my role, mental and physical strength is necessary. In the last months, my strength has deteriorated," he said.
Benedict's last public speech in St. Peter's Square was attended by more than 50,000 people.
On February 28, he officially resigned and received the title "Pope Emeritus".
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