Pope Benedict news latest: Vatican says former Pope's health has ...

The Vatican has detailed rituals and procedures to follow when a pope dies, but it has not published such rules for a pope emeritus. As a result, official word Wednesday that the health of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI had worsened prompted questions about what happens if and when he dies. The answer is: There is no specific answer, at least not one the Vatican has announced ahead of time. The only thing certain is that the most important ritual following the death of a pope - a conclave to elect a new one - does not apply.

Most church watchers assume that, when they become necessary, funeral rituals for Benedict will be similar to those for a retired bishop of Rome: a funeral in either St. Peter’s Basilica or the piazza, in this case presided over by Francis rather than the dean of the College of Cardinals, and burial in the grotto underneath the basilica. “The funeral for a pope emeritus is the funeral for the bishop emeritus of Rome,” church historian Alberto Melloni said, adding that the situation isn’t entirely unprecedented since dioceses around the world have resolved how to properly honor retired bishops.

Journalists and visitors have made their way to St Peter’s Square, Vatican City, this morning following news of Pope Benedict’s ill health yesterday. Here are the latest pictures from the scene :

The Catholic Archbishop of Westminster has said he believes that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s historic decision to resign from his post due to advancing age in 2013 will remain “an exception”.

Speaking on Times Radio, Cardinal Vincent Nichols also described the “great affinity” between the former Pope and the late Queen, and his admiration for her continuing royal duties until the end.

On the former Pope Benedict resigning his post, he said: “This is the first time in 600 years, so who knows what might develop. I think it will remain an exception myself.

“I think there was a great affinity between Pope Benedict and her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” he added.

“When Benedict decided to come to this country, he decided that the first thing he had to do was visit the Queen. And she was 95, she held her office to the end and I think he admired that very much.

“It was a measure of his self-understanding and the difficulties he was getting into physically as well that he said no, it needs somebody else to do this.”

Morning welcome to our live news coverage on Pope Benedict.

Yesterday the Vatican confirmed that the former Pope was very ill and his health was “worsening”. We will bring you any further updates today as and when we get them.

Thanks for following along with our live updates on Pope Benedict today. We are going to be pausing our live coverage now but will bring you any breaking news at The Independent as an when it happens.

In the mean time, here is the full story on Benedict’s health:

• When he was elected in 2005, Pope Benedict was the first German pope in 1000 years. He succeeded the popular Pope John Paul II, who held the position for 27 years.

He was seen as a “safe pair of hands” to hold the papacy.

• Benedict plays piano and has a preference for Mozart and Bach.

• His eight-year papacy was marked by missteps and a leaks scandal. He angered Muslims by appearing to suggest that Islam was inherently violent. He angered Jews by rehabilitating a Holocaust denier. He was also criticised for saying that the use of condoms in the fight against AIDs only worsened the problem.

• The 2021 ‘Vatileaks’ scandal was a significant event in his papacy. Paolo Gabriele, Benedict’s butler, leaked secret documents that revealed corruption and feuding within the Vatican.

• Child abuse scandals also hounded his papacy. Benedict was however quicker to discipline the offenders than his predecessor John Paul II had been.

Benedict ordered an inquiry into abuse in Ireland, which led to the resignation of several bishops. He also disciplined the late Father Marcial Maciel, a notorious paedophile who abused at least 60 boys.

• A 2022 report into abuse in the German church found that Benedict had failed to take action in four cases when he was Archbishop of Munich between 1977 and 1982.

Catholic church leaders from Germany, Italy and the United States have joined in Pope Francis’s call to pray for former Pope Benedict’s health.

German cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Municht, told churchgoers on Wednesday: “This morning I received the news that there is great concern in Rome about the health of the Pope Emeritus. And so we especially want to include him in our prayers.”

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, head of Italy’s bishops conference, asked Italians to keep Benedict in their thoughts “in this moment of suffering and trial”.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, said in a statement: “With great faith in God’s goodness, I join with Pope Francis in praying for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, and ask the Catholic faithful of the Archdiocese of New York, and all people of good will go do the same.”

Pope Francis asks for prayers for 'very sick' predecessor Pope Benedict XVI

19 April 2005 - German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the head of the Vatican’s doctrinal office, is elected to succeed Pope John Paul II as the 265th leader of the Roman Catholic Church. He chooses the name Benedict XVI.

9-14 September 2006 - The Pope visits his Bavarian homeland. He sparks protests from the Muslim world with a speech quoting a 14th century Byzantine emperor who said Islam had only brought evil to the world and was spread by the sword.

Days later, Benedict says he was “deeply sorry” about Muslim reaction to his speech, which he says was misunderstood.

28 November - 1 December 2006 - Papal trip to Turkey is a fence-mending visit including prayers with Istanbul’s grand mufti facing Mecca at the city’s Blue Mosque.

7 July 2007 - Pope issues a declaration allowing the old Latin Mass to be celebrated more widely, a demand of church traditionalists.

5 February 2008 - Pope changes a Latin prayer for Good Friday services by traditionalist Catholics, deleting a reference to Jews and their “blindness” but still calling for them to accept Jesus.

24 January 2009 - Pope causes uproar by lifting excommunications of four ultra-traditionalist bishops, including a Holocaust denier.

6 November 2010 - Benedict arrives in Spain for a two-day visit. He attacks abortion and gay marriage, recently legalised in Spain, in a Mass to consecrate Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia church in another pointed criticism of what he called Spain’s “aggressive secularism”.

25 July 2011 - The Vatican recalls its ambassador to Ireland following an unprecedented rebuke of the Holy See by the Irish parliament in the wake of a report that accused church authorities of covering up sexual abuse.

2012 - Through the year, Benedict’s papacy is shaken by a scandal dubbed “Vatileaks” in which leaked documents show infighting among Benedict’s aides and general dysfunction at the heart of the Church’s central administration, known as the Curia.

The scandal exposed financial corruption and allegations about the existence of a so-called “gay lobby” that used blackmail to protect its members.

6 October 2012 - A Vatican court finds Benedict’s former butler guilty of stealing sensitive documents and sentences him to a year and a half in prison.

Paolo Gabriele said he had acted out of “visceral” love for the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope. Benedict later pardoned Gabriele and the Vatican later found him a job in a hospital. Gabriele died in 2020.

11 Febuary 2013 - Benedict announces his intention to resign, saying he no longer has the physical and mental strength to run the Church. The surprise announcement shocks a meeting of cardinals.

28 February 2013 - Benedict formally steps down, moving temporarily to the papal summer residence south of Rome, and later moving to a former convent inside the Vatican gardens, with his secretary, Archbishop Georg Ganswein, and other aides and medical staff.

20 January 2022 - An independent report in Germany alleges Benedict failed to act against four cases of sexual abuse in his archdiocese when he was Archbishop of Munich between 1977 and 1982. Benedict later acknowledges errors occurred and asks for forgiveness.

28 December 2022 - His successor, Pope Francis, calls for prayers for the former pontiff saying Benedict is “very sick”.

No 10 has expressed its concern about reports that Benedict XVI is “very sick”.

Rishi Sunak’s official spokesperson said: “I’m sure the PM’s thoughts are with the former Pope and his family and friends at this time.”