Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who served as leader of the Catholic church from 2005 until his resignation in 2013, has died aged 95. Benedict will be remembered principally as the first pope in 600 years to retire  rather than die in office. His sudden departure in 2013 left the church reeling and began an unprecedented period in which two popes coexisted. Allegations of clerical sexual abuse and its coverup began to surface during his tenure, and his critics said he failed to grasp the gravity of the crimes and the scale of the crisis, which reached a peak several years after he was elected
Former pope Benedict XVI dies aged 95