Benedict XVI, the former pope passed away on December 31st at the age of 95.

The Pope’s last words were “Lord, I love you,” according to his lifelong secretary.

The 95-year-old was being cared for by a nurse who overheard the comments just before his death on New Year’s Eve, according to Archbishop Georg Gaenswein.

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Prior to his passing later that morning, Benedict reportedly made the brief statement at around 3 a.m., according to the nurse, Gaenswein said.

“Benedict XVI, with a faint voice but in a very distinct way, said in Italian, ‘Lord, I love you,’” Gaenswein told the Vatican’s official media.

“I wasn’t there at that moment, but the nurse a little later recounted it. They were his last comprehensible words because afterward, he wasn’t able to express himself anymore.”

Background

From 19 April 2005 to his resignation on February 28, 2013, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI presided over the Catholic Church as well as the Vatican City State.

Following the passing of Pope John Paul II in 2005, Benedict was chosen to serve as pope. Following his departure, Benedict decided to adopt the title “Pope Emeritus,” which he kept up until his passing in 2022.

Ratzinger began his academic career after being ordained as a priest in his home Bavaria in 1951. By the late 1950s, he had become a well-known theologian. When he was 31 years old, he was given the title of full professor.

He spent a significant amount of time teaching theology at several German universities before Pope Paul VI nominated him as the Archbishop of Munich and Freising and made him a cardinal in 1977.

This was an uncommon promotion for someone without any pastoral experience.

He also held the position of Dean of the College of Cardinals from 2002 until his election as pope.

Being one of John Paul II’s closest confidants, he was “a dominant figure on the Vatican stage for a quarter of a century” before becoming pope.

He had an influence “second to none when it came to determining church priorities and directions.”