Pope Benedict XVI (real name Joseph Alois Ratzinger) died at the age of 96 on December 31.

As Vatican News reported, until the morning of January 2, the body of Benedict XVI was in the Mater Ecclesiae monastery on the territory of the Vatican.

Today at 9:00 a.m. he was put on display in St. Peter's Basilica.

The temple will be open on Monday from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., on Tuesday and Wednesday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Queues of those willing to say goodbye to the deceased have already lined up at the checkpoints on St. Peter's Square.

The funeral celebrations, which will be led by Pope Francis, will be held in St. Peter's Square on Thursday, January 5 at 9:30 am.

Official delegations of Germany and Italy will take part in the ceremony.

Benedict XVI was elected the 265th Pope of Rome in April 2005 after the death of John Paul II.

He became the first pontiff of German origin in almost a thousand years and the oldest in age at the time of his election as Pope since Pope Clement XII (elected in 1730).

Benedict XVI's real name is Joseph Alois Ratzinger, he was born in Germany.

He was a participant in the Second World War, after which he studied theology.

In the 1970s, he became an archbishop in Munich, then a cardinal.

Known as one of the most famous Catholic theologians of modern times, he headed the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith under Pope John Paul II.

He was considered the bearer of moderately conservative views.

He holds the record for longevity among Roman Popes throughout the history of the Roman Catholic Church.


The pontificate of Benedict XVI was overshadowed by a number of scandals related to cases of pedophilia among Catholic priests.

In February 2013, Benedict XVI announced that he was resigning, explaining that he did not have enough strength to fulfill his duties.

He became the third pontiff in the history of the Catholic Church and the first in the last 600 years to abdicate.

He cited his health as the reason for his resignation.

His successor was the current Pope Francis.

After his resignation, having received the honorary title of "pope in peace", Benedict XVI settled in the former nunnery Mater Ecclesiae ("Mother Church") in the Vatican, appearing in public very rarely.

The Vatican announced the deterioration of Benedict XVI's health a few days ago.

Then it was reported that Pope Francis had visited his predecessor.

In 2009, Benedict XVI became the first Western European head of state to welcome Alexander Lukashenko to his capital after 1995.

It was then that his 5-year-old son Nikolai presented the pontificate with "Primer".