Former Pope Benedict XVI dies at age of 95

Benedict XVI died in Vatican City at the age of 95 on Saturday after his health had seriously deteriorated, according to a statement issued by the Vatican.

The German, who in 2013 was the first pope since the Middle Ages to resign as head of the worldwide Catholic Church, had become increasingly frail over the years.

Pope Francis said Wednesday his predecessor, whose birth name is Joseph Ratzinger, was "very ill."

On Friday, the Vatican said his condition was "stable," adding that Benedict had rested well overnight and taken part in a mass held in his bedroom.

Benedict had moved out of the papal palace and into a former convent within the Vatican when he retired.

Francis called Wednesday for people to pray for him, before visiting him at the Mater Ecclesiae monastery.

The Vatican later confirmed the ex-pope's health had worsened "due to advancing age," while a Vatican source told AFP it had begun deteriorating "about three days ago.

"It is his vital functions that are failing, including his heart," the source said, adding that no hospital admission was planned, as he has the "necessary medical equipment" at home.

The Rome diocese celebrated a special mass for Benedict at the Basilica of St. John Lateran Friday. In his homily, Cardinal Angelo De Donatis said as "priest, theologian, bishop, pope", Benedict "expressed at the same time, the strength and the sweetness of faith."