Former Pope Benedict, who in 2013 became the first pontiff in 600 years to step down, died on Saturday aged 95.

The ex-pontiff passed away in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican where he had lived since his resignation, a spokesman for the Holy See said.

"With sorrow I inform you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away at 9:34 in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican," the spokesman said in a written statement.

The Vatican said his body will lie in state from Monday in St. Peter's Basilica for "the greeting of the faithful."

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The Vatican has painstakingly elaborate rituals for what happens after a reigning pope dies but no publicly known ones for a former pontiff.

Earlier this week, Pope Francis disclosed during his weekly general audience that his predecessor was "very sick," and asked for people to pray for him.

Born Joseph Ratzinger in Germany, Benedict was 78 when he became one of the oldest popes ever elected in 2005. He led the Catholic Church for less than eight years until, in 2013, he became the first Pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415.

For nearly 25 years, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict was the powerful head of the Vatican's doctrinal office, then known as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).

Conservatives in the Church have looked to the former pope as their standard bearer and some ultra-traditionalists even refused to acknowledge Francis as a legitimate pontiff.

They have criticized Francis for his more welcoming approach to members of the LGBTQ+ community and to Catholics who divorced and remarried outside the Church, saying both were undermining traditional values.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her condolences by saying: "Benedict XVI was a giant of faith and reason. A man in love with the Lord who put his life at the service of the Universal Church and has spoken, and will continue to speak, to the hearts and minds of people with the spiritual, cultural and intellectual depth of his Magisterium. 

"A Christian, a pastor, a theologian: a great man whom history will not forget."

French President Emmanuel Macron added: "My thoughts go out to Catholics in France and around the world, bereaved by the departure of His Holiness Benedict XVI, who worked with all his soul and intelligence for a more fraternal world."

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "I am saddened to learn of the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. He was a great theologian whose UK visit in 2010 was an historic moment for both Catholics and non-Catholics throughout our country. My thoughts are with Catholic people in the UK and around the world today."