Leaders react to the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

Dayton, Ohio (WDTN) — Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died on Saturday at the age of 95, it was announced early Saturday morning.

In a statement from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Archbishop Dennis M. Schner celebrates Mass for the peaceful rest of the Pope’s soul.Mass will be held on Wednesday, January 4th Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains at Cincinnati.

In a statement, the archbishop described a time when he met the former pope in the 1990s.

“During my time as General Secretary of the Catholic Bishops Conference in the United States in the early 1990s, I traveled frequently to Rome, where then-Cardinal Ratzinger trekked daily from his apartment to his home on St. Peter’s Square. I often saw the office.”

according to APsin an unprecedented move, Pope Francis will celebrate the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Square on Thursday.

Benedict resigned from his position in the Catholic Church in 2013.