good morning. the vatican has announced the death of pope benedict xvi at the age of 95. his health had been worsening in recent weeks. benedict served as head of the roman catholic church for eight years until 2013, when he became the first pope in 600 years to announce his retirement. he was german by birth, and was known for his conservative theological outlook. vatican spokesman, matteo bruni, said in a statement. bells tolling this was the moment of the confirmation of his death in rome, you can hear the bells ringing in st peter s square in vatican city. the vatican says pope benedict s body will lie in state from monday in st peter s basilica. let s go straight to our europe correspondent, bethany bell. we can see some crowd behind you, how have people reacted to the news of the death of the former pope? we of the death of the former pope? - spoke to one couple from spain who were here in the square as tourists and they said that their tour guide told them the news and
Speaking of the “immense power” that the word of God can unleash in people’s lives, Pope Francis encouraged us to always “have the Gospel within easy reach.”
i think his legacy will be is a great teacher of the faith. he was very comfortable in that role, he was never happier than when he was in a lecture theatre and one curious side to his time as pope was he used to use his annual summer vacation to go to cities in the north of italy and he would gather around local priests and catechists and church workers and would take theological questions from them it is not everyone s idea of a summer vacation but that shows just how much he was very comfortable as being a professor and if you look now, his various books, and also books he wrote becoming pope, they are the key texts in catholic universities and teaching future priest. his impact is immense and probably. future. forming the future mines, he