Pope emeritus in the context of "Sanctifying"

Pope Benedict XVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City from 2005 until his resignation in 2013. Following his resignation, he chose to be known as "pope emeritus", a title he held until his death on 31 December 2022.

Ordained as a priest in 1951 in his native Bavaria, Ratzinger embarked on an academic career and established himself as a highly regarded theologian by the late 1950s. He was appointed a full professor in 1958 when aged 31. After a long career as a professor of theology at several German universities, he was appointed Archbishop of Munich and Freising and created a cardinal by Pope Paul VI in 1977, an unusual promotion for someone with little pastoral experience. In 1981, he was appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, one of the most important dicasteries of the Roman Curia. In 2002, he also became Dean of the College of Cardinals. Before becoming pope, he had been "a major figure on the Vatican stage for a quarter of a century"; he had had an influence "second to none when it came to setting church priorities and directions" as one of John Paul II's closest confidants. Following the death of John Paul II on 2 April 2005, a conclave elected Ratzinger as his successor on 19 April; he chose Benedict XVI as his papal name in honour of Benedict XV and Benedict of Nursia.

On 31 December 2022, at 09:34 CET (UTC+1), former Pope Benedict XVI died at the age of 95 at Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in Vatican City. He had been pope emeritus since his resignation as the leader of the Catholic Church in 2013 due to his declining health. His death and subsequent funeral from 2022 to 2023 ended a nine-year period during which an incumbent pope and a retired pope lived within Vatican City, and ten-year Catholic Church involvement with both the then-current pope and pope-emeritus.

Benedict XVI's body lay in state in St. Peter's Basilica from 2 to 4 January 2023, during which around 195,000 mourners paid their respects. His funeral took place in St. Peter's Square on 5 January and was attended by around 50,000 people, presided over by Pope Francis, whose role as an incumbent pope overseeing the funeral of his predecessor was unprecedented given the order of papal succession.