{"id":166554,"date":"2022-12-31T07:26:52","date_gmt":"2022-12-31T11:26:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=166554"},"modified":"2022-12-31T07:28:06","modified_gmt":"2022-12-31T11:28:06","slug":"pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope Benedict XVI dead at 95"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>

Pope Benedict XVI<\/a>, a fierce defender of church dogma who became the first pontiff in six centuries to abdicate the papacy, died Saturday morning. He was 95 years old.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

Benedict XVI died at 9:34 AM local time in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, where he resided following his resignation, according to a Vatican spokesman.<\/p>\n

Benedict XVI\u2019s body will lie in state at Saint Peter\u2019s Basilica in Vatican City beginning on Jan. 2.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

Pope Francis will preside over the funeral service for Pope Emeritus in St. Peter\u2019s Square on Jan. 5.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

His death came after Pope Francis asked his flock for \u201cprayers\u201d for his predecessor at the Vatican Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to ask you all for a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict who sustains the Church in his silence. He is very sick,\u201d Francis, 86 said during his weekly general audience.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

\u201cWe ask the Lord to console and sustain him in this witness of love for the Church to the very end.\u201d<\/p>\n

The German-born spiritual leader \u2014 born Joseph Ratzinger on 16 April 1927 in Bavaria \u2014 succeeded the sainted Pope John Paul II in 2005.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

Known for his staunchly conservative views and the nearly 25 years he spent as the powerful head of the Vatican\u2019s doctrinal office, Benedict became the first German pope in 1,000 years \u2014 but only served for eight years before deciding to step down in 2013.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

\u201cI think that if he had been able to decide his own future, he would have been quite happy to spend his life as a college professor, teaching and writing books,\u201d the New York Archbishop Timothy Cardinal Dolan told The Post in December 2018.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut he was called to greater service\u2026 And he accepted all of this as one who follows not his own will, but God\u2019s will.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\"Former<\/a>
Former pope Benedict as he receives the winners of the \u201cPremio Ratzinger\u201d at the Vatican on December 1, 2022. Fondazione Ratzinger via REUTERS<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n

As a quiet, unassuming intellectual who mostly stayed out of the limelight, Benedict didn\u2019t often comment on political issues, but will be remembered for his extensive writings and teachings about the love of God and the love of one\u2019s neighbor.<\/p>\n

Benedict produced more than 60 books between 1963, when he was a priest, and 2013, when he resigned.<\/p>\n

However, his short tenure was marred by\u00a0the clergy sex abuse crisis<\/a>, which reached a peak in the public sphere during this time, and the \u201cVati-leaks\u201d scandal.<\/p>\n

Paolo Gabriele, Benedict\u2019s butler,\u00a0leaked secret documents<\/a>\u00a0to an Italian journalist in 2012 that revealed corruption and feuding within the Vatican.<\/p>\n

The stolen documents uncovered power struggles inside the Vatican over its efforts to show greater financial transparency and comply with international norms to fight money laundering.<\/p>\n

After Gabriele was arrested, he\u00a0admitted that he\u2019d given the papers<\/a>\u00a0to reporter Gianluigi Nuzzi because he believed the pope wasn\u2019t being informed of the \u201cevil and corruption\u201d in the Vatican.<\/p>\n

He insisted that he believed exposing it would get the church back on track.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Pope
Pope Benedict spent the last years of his life in near seclusion at a Vatican City monastery. via REUTERS<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n

A year after the scandal rocked the Holy See, Benedict, at the age of 85, stepped down.<\/p>\n

However, he said he had to step aside because his health prevented him from being of sound enough mind and body to lead the world\u2019s 1.2 billion Catholics.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn today\u2019s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of St. Peter and proclaim the gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, \u201c he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cStrength which in the last few months has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Everyone, even the Vatican\u2019s own spokesman, was taken aback by the announcement: the head of the church was quitting \u2014 the first since Pope Gregory XII in 1415.<\/p>\n

Years later, Benedict\u2019s stunning decision was lauded by church leaders and experts as courageous and a sign of true humanity \u2014 to be able to recolonize one\u2019s own failings.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was really a moment of humility. He admitted his own weakness and kind of demystified the papacy,\u201d Christopher P. Vogt, the chair of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at St. John\u2019s University told The Post in Dec. 2018.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe didn\u2019t try to hide behind the mystic of the papacy. He was clearly a man of faith dedicated to serving the church the best way he could.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\"Pope
Benedict was blind in his left eye and unable to walk unattended. POOL\/AFP via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n

Following Benedict\u2019s shock resignation the pope emeritus spent the last years of his life in near seclusion at a Vatican City monastery, blind in his left eye and unable to walk unattended.<\/p>\n

Benedict had also endured other health setbacks in his life. In 1991, he\u2019s suffered a hemorrhagic stroke and then suffered another stroke in 2005. He was also fitted with a pacemaker as a Cardinal, though this was only revealed following his resignation.<\/p>\n

A church insider told The Post Benedict largely spent his days reading, praying, doing a little writing and occasionally meeting with old friends.<\/p>\n

He was succeeded by a charismatic Argentinian Cardinal who became Pope Francis.<\/p>\n

At the time of Benedict\u2019s election, he\u2019d been a natural choice within the college of 115 cardinals who chose him, as the man who shared his predecessor John Paul II\u2019s traditionalist ideology, having served as his right-hand man for two decades.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Former
Former pope Benedict is greeted by Pope Francis during a ceremony to mark his 65th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood at the Vatican June 28, 2016. REUTERS<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n

When he donned his robes on April 19, 2005, at the age of 78, he became the eldest pontiff to be elected since 1730.<\/p>\n

Born on Holy Saturday, April, 16, 1927 in the committed Catholic German village of Traunstein to a policeman father and hotel cook mother, Benedict was 6 when Adolf Hitler came to power.<\/p>\n

He was a 12-year-old student about to enter a seminary when Germany invaded Poland, igniting World War II.<\/p>\n

In 1941, Benedict was pressed into the compulsory Hitler Youth movement, a fact that caused widespread criticism upon his ascension to the papacy \u2014 though the future pontiff was \u201cnot an enthusiastic\u201d member, wrote his biographer John Allen.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Later, Benedict recalled in his memoirs that during this troublesome time the church was \u201ca citadel of truth and righteousness against the realm of atheism and deceit\u201d \u2014 a feeling that influenced his choice to join the priesthood.<\/p>\n

Both he and his brother Georg, also a priest, joined the German army and Benedict underwent basic infantry training in late 1944. He deserted when the country began to be invaded by Allied forces and ended up in an American POW camp for several weeks.<\/p>\n

After the war, he returned home and to the seminary, having been convinced that God \u201cwanted something from me, something which could only be accomplished by becoming a priest.\u201d He was ordained in 1951.<\/p>\n

Soon, Benedict became known as one of the intellectual stars of the West German church and traveled to Rome in 1962 to serve as one of the young aides to Joseph Cardinal Frings of Cologne.<\/p>\n

During his time in the Vatican, he was known as the official responsible for reigning in dissident priests \u2014 and even earned the nickname \u201cGod\u2019s Rottweiler\u201d \u2014 and he began to have second thoughts about the direction the church was taking.<\/p>\n

\u201cI found the mood in the church and among theologians to be agitated,\u201d he wrote. \u201cMore and more there was the impression that nothing stood fast in the church, that everything was up for revision.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Benedict \u2014 who became associated with the conservative wing of the church, known for its fierce opposition to moral \u201crelativism\u201d on issues such as homosexuality, contraception and women priests \u2014 some things weren\u2019t up for debate.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Pope<\/a>
Pope Benedict XVI pauses to bless a bag of rosary beads for Dr. Thomas Rizzo after mass Saturday, April 19, 2008 at St. Patrick\u2019s Cathedral in New York. Chad Rachman<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n

The world was changing and student protests of the late 1960s were reverberating from Manhattan to Paris to the University of Tuebingen, where Benedict had a teaching post.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had big clashes with his most intimate students and assistants,\u201d Rev. Hans Kung recalled to The Post in 2005.<\/p>\n

A short time later, a deeply distraught Benedict moved to the more conservative University of Regensburg.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Pope<\/a>
Pope Benedict XVI prays during his visit at ground zero in New York on April 20, 2008. AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI had the feeling that to be faithful to my faith I must also be in opposition to interpretations of the faith that are not interpretations but oppositions,\u201d he later said.<\/p>\n

Benedict\u2019s warning about the danger of abandoning traditional church views became familiar in Germany \u2014 and took on greater authority when he moved to Rome and his star began to rise.<\/p>\n

Benedict was appointed bishop of Munich in 1977 and elevated to cardinal three months later by Pope Paul VI.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the one hand he is a conservative figure, supportive of traditional family and marriage, sexual mores,\u201d Vogt said. \u201cBut at the same time he\u2019s very progressive, he believes in the rights of labor, the rights of the poor, having a right to food.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Italy, Benedict struck up what would become a 40-year friendship with the archbishop of Krakow, Karol Cardinal Wojtyla \u2014 who was elected John Paul II in 1978.<\/p>\n

John Paul named him to head the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1981 as guardian of church dogma, which he served in for nearly 25 years.<\/p>\n

In that role, he was also charged with investigating and policies surrounding sexual abuse.<\/p>\n

In that role, he led important changes to church law, such as the inclusion of crimes against children related to the Internet and a case-by-case basis for waving the statute of limitations.<\/p>\n

He then became\u00a0the first Pope to kick predator priests out of the church<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 following a series of embarrassing scandals in the US, Ireland and Australia.<\/p>\n

In 2011 and 2012, the last two full years of his papacy, 384 abusive priests were defrocked \u2014 though this action only took place after the\u00a0anus horriblis<\/em>\u00a0of 2010 that saw numerous sexual abuse cases pop up almost weekly.<\/p>\n

As pope emeritus, Benedict didn\u2019t comment on his successors\u2019 policies or any other scandals that arose, largely keeping to himself.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Pope<\/a>
Pope Benedict XVI with Queen Elizabeth II during day one of his four day state visit to the United Kingdom at Holyrood House on September 16, 2010. Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n

\u201cHe has successfully moved out of the spotlight and not tried to align himself with critics of Francis,\u201d Vogt said. \u201cHe sees this as a time of prayer and reflection.\u201d<\/p>\n

A report commissioned by a German archdioceses\u00a0released in early 2020<\/a>\u00a0found the former pontiff mishandled four abuse cases when he served as archbishop in the 1970s and 1980s. Benedict denied wrong doing.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s still unclear how Benedict\u2019s shock resignation will affect the future of the church \u2014 but it was no doubt significant.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has shifted the understanding of what it means to be in that position, that it is something you can potentially leave,\u201d Vogt said.<\/p>\n

\n

Cardinal Dolan believes the effect has been a \u201cpositive one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe effect on the Church has been, I think, a positive one, in that it was such a display of humility; it\u2019s been a reminder to me that I should not be too attached to the things of this world,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Dolan, who was appointed Archbishop of New York in 2009 by Benedict described him as a \u201cman of great faith, humble, warm, gentle, soft spoken.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was \u201csomeone who listened carefully, and was then able to quickly and accurately summarize and synthesize the various points of view expressed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHis legacy will almost certainly be as one of, if not the, pre-eminent theologians of the 20th and 21st Centuries,\u201d Dolan said.<\/p>\n

SOURCE: NY Post<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pope Benedict XVI, a fierce defender of church dogma who became the first pontiff in six centuries to abdicate the papacy, died Saturday morning. He was 95 years old. Benedict XVI died at 9:34 AM local time in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, where he resided following his resignation, according to a Vatican spokesman. Benedict XVI\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":166555,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-166554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nPope Benedict XVI dead at 95 - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pope Benedict XVI dead at 95\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Pope Benedict XVI, a fierce defender of church dogma who became the first pontiff in six centuries to abdicate the papacy, died Saturday morning. He was 95 years old. Benedict XVI died at 9:34 AM local time in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, where he resided following his resignation, according to a Vatican spokesman. Benedict XVI\u2019s […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Antigua News Room\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-12-31T11:26:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-12-31T11:28:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pope-benedict-obit-031.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1446\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"992\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"11 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Editor\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\"},\"headline\":\"Pope Benedict XVI dead at 95\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-12-31T11:26:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-12-31T11:28:06+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/\"},\"wordCount\":2037,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1446\/h:992\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pope-benedict-obit-031.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/\",\"name\":\"Pope Benedict XVI dead at 95 - Antigua News Room\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1446\/h:992\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pope-benedict-obit-031.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-12-31T11:26:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-12-31T11:28:06+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1446\/h:992\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pope-benedict-obit-031.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1446\/h:992\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pope-benedict-obit-031.webp\",\"width\":1446,\"height\":992},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Pope Benedict XVI dead at 95\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"name\":\"Antigua News Room\",\"description\":\"News As It Happens\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Antigua Newsroom\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"width\":1260,\"height\":1260,\"caption\":\"Antigua Newsroom\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\",\"name\":\"Editor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"caption\":\"Editor\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Pope Benedict XVI dead at 95 - Antigua News Room","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Pope Benedict XVI dead at 95","og_description":"Pope Benedict XVI, a fierce defender of church dogma who became the first pontiff in six centuries to abdicate the papacy, died Saturday morning. He was 95 years old. Benedict XVI died at 9:34 AM local time in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, where he resided following his resignation, according to a Vatican spokesman. Benedict XVI\u2019s […]","og_url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/","og_site_name":"Antigua News Room","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","article_published_time":"2022-12-31T11:26:52+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-12-31T11:28:06+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1446,"height":992,"url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pope-benedict-obit-031.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"Editor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_site":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Editor","Est. reading time":"11 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/"},"author":{"name":"Editor","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5"},"headline":"Pope Benedict XVI dead at 95","datePublished":"2022-12-31T11:26:52+00:00","dateModified":"2022-12-31T11:28:06+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/"},"wordCount":2037,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1446\/h:992\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pope-benedict-obit-031.webp","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/","name":"Pope Benedict XVI dead at 95 - Antigua News Room","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1446\/h:992\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pope-benedict-obit-031.webp","datePublished":"2022-12-31T11:26:52+00:00","dateModified":"2022-12-31T11:28:06+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1446\/h:992\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pope-benedict-obit-031.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1446\/h:992\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pope-benedict-obit-031.webp","width":1446,"height":992},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pope-benedict-xvi-dead-at-95\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Pope Benedict XVI dead at 95"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","name":"Antigua News Room","description":"News As It Happens","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization","name":"Antigua Newsroom","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","width":1260,"height":1260,"caption":"Antigua Newsroom"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5","name":"Editor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","caption":"Editor"},"url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=166554"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166554\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/166555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=166554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=166554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}