Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the shy German theologian who sought to revive Christianity in a secularized Europe, died Saturday but will always be remembered as the first pope to resign in 600 years. He is 95 years old.
Benedict shocked the world on February 11, 2013, when he announced in his usual quiet Latin that he no longer had the power to lead the 1.2 billion-strong Catholic Church, which he had led for eight years amid scandal and scandalous indifference.
His dramatic decision paved the way for a conclave to choose Francis to succeed him. The two popes then lived side by side in the Vatican Gardens, an unprecedented arrangement that laid the groundwork for a future "pope emeritus" to do the same.
It also sets the stage for the current pope to celebrate the funeral of the retiring pope. The Vatican announced that Francis would preside over a funeral in St. Peter's Square on Thursday.
-ctv
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