Pope Francis

The Vatican said Benedict's body will lie in state in St Peter's Basilica from Monday. The former pope died on Saturday at the age of 95.

The Vatican said Benedict's body will lie in state in St Peter's Basilica from Monday. Benedict's funeral will be held on Thursday in St Peter's Square in front of the basilica and will be presided over by Pope Francis. At the service in St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, the pontiff prayed aloud for

Pope Francis has hailed the "beloved" Benedict XVI as he addressed thousands of Catholics in New Year's Day services at the Vatican, the day after his ...

After he quit, Benedict remained a flag-bearer for the conservative wing of the church. Great in faith, life, simplicity and love". Benedict was the first pope to meet with victims of clerical child sex abuse, but critics said he did not go far enough in addressing the problem and decades of cover-ups. But as pope he struggled to contain numerous scandals in the church. Pope Francis has hailed the "beloved" Benedict XVI as he addressed thousands of Catholics in New Year's Day services at the Vatican, the day after his predecessor died aged 95. A brilliant theologian, he alienated many Catholics with his staunch defence of traditional values and as pope struggled to impose his authority on the church as it battled a string of crises, including over clerical sex abuse.

Pope Francis hailed the "beloved" Benedict XVI on Sunday in a New Year's Day service at the Vatican, the day after his predecessor died aged 95.

Long close to John Paul II and a senior cardinal in the Catholic hierarchy, Benedict was a leading candidate to become pope in 2005 -- but later said his election felt "like the guillotine". Benedict, a conservative intellectual who in 2013 became the first pontiff in six centuries to resign, died on Saturday at his home in a monastery inside the grounds of the Vatican. Vatican City (AFP) – Pope Francis hailed the "beloved" Benedict XVI on Sunday in a New Year's Day service at the Vatican, the day after his predecessor died aged 95.

The head of the Catholic Church pays his respects to his predecessor Benedict, who resigned from his post in 2013.

It was not quite "The Two Popes", but in spite of their differences, there was by all accounts immense respect shown between predecessor and successor. While some mourners hailed him resolute defender of the faith, others criticised his tenure for a failure to tackle allegations of the clerical sexual abuse. But unfortunately, he disappointed me," Christa Herwig told Reuters news agency. His funeral service will be held at the Vatican on 5 January. Recalling spending time with Benedict at the Vatican in 2011, the president said that he would "be remembered as a renowned theologian, with a lifetime of devotion to the Church, guided by his principles and faith". Benedict had been "noble" and "kind" - and "gifted" to the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope said.

Pope Francis is set to celebrate Benedict's funeral Mass on Thursday, the first time in the modern age that a current pope will eulogize a retired one.

At 78, he took on the role as the oldest pope in nearly 30 years. He had become the first pope in more than 700 years to voluntarily resign. The Vatican has only invited official delegations from Germany and Italy to participate in the funeral for Benedict. The Vatican announced his death on Saturday. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told reporters that Benedict's request was that his funeral would be celebrated solemnly but with "simplicity." Francis thanked Benedict on Saturday for "his testimony of faith and prayer, especially in these final years of retired life."

Pope Francis has paid tribute to his "dearest" predecessor Benedict XVI, who died earlier today at the age of 95.

He added: "In all things, not least in his writing and his preaching, he looked to Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible God. In many respects he was similar to the early bishops and doctors of the church, combining great clarity of doctrine with pastoral realism." Today the world has lost one of the greatest theologians of the 20th and 21st centuries. "Pope Benedict had a profound influence on the life of the church. In the UK, King Charles III said: "I remember with fondness my meeting with His Holiness during my visit to the Vatican in 2009. "He was a man of prayer and an insightful theologian. "He was through and through a gentleman, through and through a scholar, through and through a pastor, through and through a man of God - close to the Lord and always his humble servant." Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh this afternoon following the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict— Fergal O'Brien (@FergalOBrien_) In a statement, he said Benedict was "committed to the faith of the Church and stalwart in its defence". The head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales hailed Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI as "one of the great theologians of the 20th Century". "Pope Benedict XVI has gone to our Father's House. "May I extend my condolences to his family, to Pope Francis, to Archbishop Eamon Martin, to his friends and colleagues, and to all members of the Catholic faith both in Ireland and across the world."

Pope Francis has marked the New Year by presiding over Mass in St. Peter's Basilica and praying for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, a day after his retired ...

When addressing the faithful in St. Thousands of faithful are expected to file by the coffin in three days of viewing. The square will be the setting for Benedict's funeral led by Francis on Thursday morning. Yet, Francis said, "let us not lose hope" that peace will prevail. Peter's Basilica, where Francis presided over a mid-morning New Year's Mass, will host Benedict's coffin starting on Monday. "Let us unite all together, with one heart and one soul, in giving thanks to God for the gift of this faithful servant of the Gospel and of the church,'' said Francis, speaking from a window of the Apostolic Palace to pilgrims and tourists below.