Pope Benedict dies aged 95

Former Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has died at the age of 95, the Vatican announced in a statement on Saturday, December 31.

This comes almost a decade after he resigned because of ailing health.

Recall that Benedict led the Catholic Church for less than eight years until, in 2013, he became the first Pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415.

Benedict spent his final years at the Mater Ecclesiae monastery within the walls of the Vatican, BBC news reports.

“With sorrow I inform you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away today at 9:34 in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican.

Further information will be provided as soon as possible,” the Vatican said.

In other news, Pope Francis, leader of the Catholic Church, has  said s*x outside of marriage isn’t the ‘most serious’ sin.

The pope said this during a question and answer session with reporters onboard the papal plane.

The Pope stated that the sins of the flesh are not that serious in comparison to sins like pride and hatred.

He said: “Sins of the flesh are not the most serious.”

Instead, he said that pride and hatred were “the most serious” of sins.

Pope Francis made the comment in answer to a question about the Archbishop of Paris Michel Aupetit who resigned last week over an ‘ambiguous’ relationship with a woman.

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