Pope Benedict XVI (Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) has died, the onet.pl portal reports. In recent days, there had been reports of the retired pope’s deteriorating health.
As we read on onet.pl:
The retired pope had probably been experiencing breathing problems, which worsened before Christmas, the Italian Ansa news agency reported yesterday. The American Catholic newspaper "National Catholic Register" reported, citing a source in the Vatican, that Benedict XVI might have been suffering from kidney failure.
After his abdication in 2013, Benedict XVI remained in the Vatican and lived in the cloistered Mater Ecclesiae monastery (...).
The funeral ceremonies are scheduled for Thursday, 5 January, in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. They will begin at 9:30 a.m. Pope Francis will preside over them.