PUNCH
Benedict XVI, who died on Saturday aged 95, was the first pope to resign since the Middle Ages after a papacy beset by Church infighting and outcry over paedophilia.
The German Joseph Ratzinger, known for his conservative views, stepped down in February 2013 after almost eight years as head of the Catholic Church, blaming his declining physical and mental health.
As pope emeritus, he spent the rest of his life in study and prayer, and playing his beloved Mozart on the piano in a former convent inside the Vatican. In recent years, he appeared in increasingly shaky health.
Just as the issue of child sex abuse had dogged his papacy, Benedict’s final years were overshadowed by allegations that he personally failed to stop four clerics accused of abuse while archbishop of Munich. Benedict firmly denied being involved in any cover-up, while the Vatican strongly defended his record on tackling abuse.
The former pope had had a troubled term in St Peter’s, when he often appeared overwhelmed by the challenges facing a Church that was losing influence and followers. Years of Vatican turmoil took their toll and culminated in his shock decision to become the first pope since 1415 to retire, in an announcement delivered to cardinals in Latin.
“The strength of mind and body… has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognise my incapacity to adequately fulfil the ministry,” said Benedict, who was then 85.
Subsequently eclipsed by the dynamism and popularity of his successor Francis, Benedict was quoted a year later as saying that the decision was the result of a mystical experience.
In a March 2021 interview, he said “fanatical” Catholics had repeatedly voiced doubts about whether he stepped down willingly, but he insisted: “There is only one pope.”
– ‘Abuses and errors’ –
Benedict was 78 when he succeeded the long-reigning and popular John Paul II in April 2005.
Benedict had previously served as the Church’s chief doctrinal enforcer, earning the nickname “God’s Rottweiler” and a reputation as a generally conservative thinker on theological issues.
