Photos: Pope Benedict XVI through the years

This mid-1970s file photo shows the archbishop of Munich and Freising, Joseph Ratzinger, who is to be elevated to cardinal by Pope Paul VI.

After his nomination as Archbishop of Munich and Freising, south Germany, professor Joseph Ratzinger repeatedly had to shake hands of faithful followers in front of the Ramersdorfer Marienkirche (church Mary), May 23, 1977.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, left, of Munich Germany in Vatican City during installation of five new cardinals by Pope Paul VI, June 27, 1977. (AP Photo/Massimo Sambucetti)

In this Oct. 22, 1978 file photo, Pope John Paul II places his hands on the shoulders of West German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, archbishop of Munich and Freising, during the solemn inauguration of his ministry as universal Pastor of the Church in Vatican City.

In this 1979 file photo, Pope John Paul II, left, poses with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was elected Pope on April 19, 2005 and chose Benedict XVI as his papal name.

With the towers of Munich's cathedral in the background, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger bids farewell to the Bavarian believers in downtown Munich, Germany on Sunday, Feb. 28, 1982. A service in the cathedral and a walk through the crowd marked the farewell of the cardinal who will head the Congregation of Faith in the Vatican. (AP Photo/Dieter Endlicher)

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, presents a book with the documents issued by his Congregation about the Vatican II Council in the last 20 years, at a press conference at the Vatican Thursday. (Ap Photo/Bruno Mosconi)

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, at the Foreign Press Club in Rome to present the book "Toward the Third Millenium under the Action of the Holy Spirit", Monday, March 16, 1987. (Ap Photo/Giulio Broglio)

German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, at the Foreign Press Club in Rome on March 16, 1987 to present the book “Toward the Third Millennium under the Action of the Holy Spirit.” (AP Photo/Giulio Broglio)

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger during celebrations in Rome, Italy, for his 60th birthday (born April 16, 1927) April 25, 1987. 700 pilgrims from Munich have come to Rome to join in the public procession.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, gestures during a press conference at the Vatican Monday, June 26, 2000. (AP Photo/Massimo Sambucetti/POOL)

In this file photo taken Sept. 11, 2002, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, left, now Pope Benedict XVI, is seen with late Pope John Paul II during mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito, FILES)

In this April 8, 2005 file photo, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, blesses the coffin containing the body of Pope John Paul II, during the funeral mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, FILE)

Pope Benedict XVI greets the crowd from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, in this April 19, 2005, file photo. Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, who chose the name of Pope Benedict XVI, became the 265th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis/file)

Pope Benedict XVI waves to the crowd from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Tuesday, April 19, 2005. Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, who took the name of Pope Benedict XVI, is the 265th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

Pope Benedict XVI greets the crowd gathered in front of his former private home in Rome, Wednesday, April 20, 2005. The Pontiff, former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, exited the Vatican City Wednesday for a quick visit to his former home in Rome. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Benedict XVI looks at a child during the weekly open-air general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2005. During his address, Benedict XVI said he felt close to AIDS victims and their families as he encouraged efforts by the church to combat the disease and to offer help to the sick. (AP Photo/Plinio Lepri)

In a Christmas Eve message of peace, Pope Benedict XVI lights a candle at his studio window overlooking St. Peter's square at the Vatican Saturday, Dec. 24, 2005. Pilgrims, tourists and Romans flocked to St. Peter's Square on Saturday before Pope Benedict XVI's first Christmas service since becoming pontiff _ a Midnight Mass that marks the official start of a busy few days of celebrations for the pope. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Benedict XVI adjusts his hat as he arrives for the traditional weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2005. The pontiff offered prayers for the victims of last year's tsunami in south-east Asia. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

U.S. first lady Laura Bush, center, and her daughter Barbara, left, are shown the way during the start of their meeting with Pope Benedict XVI in his private library in Vatican City Thursday, Feb. 9, 2006. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Pope Benedict XVI arrives in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican to celebrate the Easter Mass, Sunday, April 16, 2006. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Benedict XVI walks through the gate of the former Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz in Oswiecim, Poland, Sunday, May 28, 2006 to pay his respect to the victims of the holocaust. Sign on left reads "Stop" in German and Polish. The visit is fraught with significance for Catholic-Jewish relations, a favorite theme for Benedict and predecessor John Paul II. (AP Photo/Diether Endlicher)

Pope Benedict XVI celebrates a Mass in memory of the late Pope John Paul II on the second anniversary of his death, at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Monday, April 2, 2007. Roman Catholics marked the second anniversary of Pope John Paul II's death Monday with vigils in his native Poland and a ceremony earlier in Rome to seal shut - with red ribbons and wax - documents on the pope's life that are vital to making him a saint. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Benedict XVI waves to faithful at the end of the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) procession at the ancient Colosseum in Rome, Friday, March 21, 2008. Pope Benedict XVI presided over the Good Friday night Way of the Cross procession at the Colosseum during a driving rainstorm, but he didn't carry the cross as planned during the tradition, which this year was dedicated to religious freedom. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

President Bush and Pope Benedict XVI walk down the Colonnade of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, April 16, 2008, following an arrival ceremony on the South Lawn. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

With the sun shining behind him, Pope Benedict XVI arrives to celebrates Mass, Thursday, April 17, 2008, at Washington Nationals baseball Park in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Pope Benedict XVI, center, acknowledges cheers from the crowd upon arriving at a youth rally Saturday, April 19, 2008 at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, Pool)

Pope Benedict XVI walks the edge of the stage after celebrating Mass Sunday, April 20, 2008 at Yankee Stadium in New York. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, Pool)

Pope Benedict XVI waves to the faithful during an audience with Franciscan friars at his summer residence of Castelgandolfo, in the outskirts of Rome Saturday April 18, 2009. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)

Pope Benedict XVI smiles at the end of his weekly general audience in St. Peter's square at the Vatican, Wednesday, June 17, 2009. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama meet with Pope Benedict XVI, at center, at the Vatican, Friday, July 10, 2009. President Obama sat down with the pontiff at the Vatican on Friday for a meeting in which frank but constructive talks were expected between two men who agree on helping the poor but disagree on abortion and stem cell research. (AP Photo/Chris Helgren, POOL)

Pope Benedict XVI gestures from his popemobile as he leaves a youth gathering, in St. Peter's square, at the Vatican, Thursday, March 25, 2010. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Benedict XVI, right, and Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, left, inspect an honor guard of members of the Royal Company of Archers and members of the Royal Regiment of Scotland Band as the Pope arrives at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, in Edinburgh, Scotland, Thursday Sept. 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis, pool)

Pope Benedict XVI delivers his message during the Angelus noon prayer in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)

Pope Benedict XVI waves from the popemobile wearing a Mexican sombrero as he arrives to give a Mass in Bicentennial Park near Silao, Mexico, Sunday, March 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Pope Benedict XVI, holding a tall, lit, white candle, enters a hushed and darkened St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican Saturday, April 7, 2012, to begin the Vatican's Easter vigil service. Except for the twinkle of camera flashes, the basilica was almost pitch-black as the thousands of faithful in pews awaited Benedict's arrival through the rear entrance Saturday night. Christians on Easter joyously mark their belief that Christ rose from the dead after his crucifixion. Praying at the start of the service, Benedict said Easter brings hope to the faithful. On Sunday morning, he will lead Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)

Pope Benedict XVI waves to faithful during his final general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. Pope Benedict XVI has recalled moments of "joy and light" during his papacy but also times of great difficulty in an emotional, final general audience in St. Peter's Square before retiring. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

In this file photo taken in the St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, on Feb. 22, 2014, Pope Francis salutes Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, left, at the end of a consistory. When Pope Benedict XVI abdicated, he insisted he would remain "hidden from the world" in prayer. But Francis has slowly coaxed him out of retirement and giving him an increasingly public role in the church, believing that he like all elderly have something to offer and shouldn't be holed up in a museum like a "statue." (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Francis, right, greets Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI prior to the start of a meeting with elderly faithful in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2014. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI waves as attends a consistory inside the St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014. Benedict XVI has joined Pope Francis in a ceremony creating the cardinals who will elect their successor in an unprecedented blending of papacies past, present and future. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, center, toasts for his 88th birthday with Monsignor Georg Gaenswein, right, and members of a group from his hometown Bavaria region, in the Vatican gardens, Thursday, April 16, 2015. (L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI sits in St. Peter's Basilica as he attends the ceremony marking the start of the Holy Year, at the Vatican, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, right, hugs Pope Francis in St. Peter's Basilica during the ceremony marking the start of the Holy Year, at the Vatican, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015. Pope Francis pushed open the great bronze doors of St. Peter's Basilica on Tuesday to launch his Holy Year of Mercy, declaring that mercy trumps moralizing in his Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

In this Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016 filer, Pope Francis, left, talks with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in the former Convent Mater Ecclesiae at the Vatican. A "modest" 90th birthday party is being planned for Benedict XVI, who stunned the Catholic church by resigning in 2013. (L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI meets Bavarian Prime Minister Horst Seehofer on the occasion of a party for Benedict's 90th birthday, at the Vatican Monday, April 17, 2017. (L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP)

April 16, 1927: Born Joseph Alois Ratzinger in Marktl am Inn, Germany, youngest of three children to Joseph and Maria Ratzinger.

1943-1945: Assistant in Germany’s anti-aircraft defense and infantry soldier; imprisoned in 1945 in American POW camp in Neu-Ulm.

1969-1977: Professor at University of Regensburg.

June 29, 1951: Ordained along with brother Georg Ratzinger in Freising.

Above, priest Joseph Ratzinger prays during an open air Mass in Ruhpolding, southern Germany, in 1952. 

FILE - Newly nominated Archbishop of Munich and Freising, Joseph Ratzinger, right, walks with bishop Ernst Tewes in front of the cathedral at Freising, Germany, on March 31, 1977. Tewes consecrated Ratzinger on the Saturday of Pentecost. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the German theologian who will be remembered as the first pope in 600 years to resign, has died, the Vatican announced Saturday. He was 95. (AP Photo/Dieter Endlicher, File)

June 27, 1977: Made a cardinal by Pope Paul VI.

Above, from left, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, of Munich, Cardinal Giovanni Benelli, and Cardinal Bernardin Gantin from Benin, smile shortly after being installed as new cardinals by Pope Paul VI during a consistory at the Vatican on June 27, 1977. 

FILE - Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger bids farewell to Bavarian believers, with the towers of Munich's cathedral in the background, on Feb. 28, 1982, before leaving to head the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican after being nominated by John Paul II. 

April 2, 2005: Pope John Paul II dies.

April 8, 2005: As dean of the College of Cardinals, Ratzinger presides over John Paul’s funeral.

April 19, 2005: Elected 265th pope in one of the fastest conclaves in history. Choosing name Benedict XVI, he says he is merely a “simple, humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord.”

Above,  Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger blesses the coffin containing the body of Pope John Paul II during the funeral mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on April 8, 2005.

April 19, 2005: Elected 265th pope in one of the fastest conclaves in history. Choosing name Benedict XVI, he says he is merely a “simple, humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord.”

April 24, 2005: Installed as pope with Mass.

Above, Pope Benedict XVI receives the pallium as he celebrates his installment Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on April 24, 2005. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the German theologian who will be remembered as the first pope in 600 years to resign, has died, the Vatican announced Saturday Dec. 31, 2022. He was 95. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)

Aug. 18-21, 2005: First foreign trip, to World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany.

Above, Pope Benedict XVI arrives for the concluding Mass of World Youth Day at the Marienfeld near Cologne, Germany, on Aug. 21, 2005. 

FILE - Pope Benedict XVI prays in front of the monument for the victims of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Oswiecim, Poland, on May 28, 2006. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the German theologian who will be remembered as the first pope in 600 years to resign, has died, the Vatican announced Saturday Dec. 31, 2022. He was 95. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)

Sept. 12, 2006: During visit to Germany, delivers speech at University of Regensburg that enrages Muslims; quoting a Byzantine emperor who characterized some of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as “evil and inhuman,” particularly “his command to spread by the sword the faith.”

Above,  Pope Benedict XVI reads his message on his first encyclical as he presides at Vesper mass inside St. Paul's Basilica at the Vatican on Jan. 25, 2006. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the German theologian who will be remembered as the first pope in 600 years to resign, has died, the Vatican announced Saturday Dec. 31, 2022. He was 95. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, File)

April 16, 2007: First volume of “Jesus of Nazareth” completed on his 80th birthday. Released April 13.

July 7, 2007: Removes restrictions on celebrating the old Latin Mass in major gesture to traditional Catholics.

Above, Pope Benedict XVI, center, flanked by Archbishop Piero Marini, master of ceremonies for liturgical celebrations, right, and an unidentified prelate, waves at the end of his 80th birthday Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on April 15, 2007.

FILE - Pope Benedict XVI greets the faithful during an audience at the Vatican on June 30, 2007, as he invited all Roman Catholics in China to unite under his jurisdiction and urged Beijing to restore diplomatic ties and permit religious freedom. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the German theologian who will be remembered as the first pope in 600 years to resign, has died, the Vatican announced Saturday Dec. 31, 2022. He was 95. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)

July 19, 2008: Apologizes to victims of child sex abuse by clergy in Australia

Above, Pope Benedict XVI, left, prays during a Mass in St. Mary's Cathedral in Sydney, Australia, on July 19, 2008. Benedict apologized to victims of child sex abuse by Roman Catholic clergy in Australia, describing their acts as "evil" and a grave betrayal of trust that has brought great shame on the church. 

April 20, 2008: During visit to United States, prays for victims of Sept. 11, 2001 attacks at ground zero.

July 19, 2008: During visit to Australia for World Youth Day, meets with victims of priestly sex abuse and during a Mass apologizes for their suffering.

Above, Pope Benedict XVI prays as New York Cardinal Edward Egan, left, looks on during a ceremony for victims' families, survivors, and first responders from the World Trade Center attacks during a visit to ground zero in New York on April 20, 2008. 

July 17, 2009: Breaks right wrist in late-night fall at summer vacation home.

Above, Pope Benedict XVI, followed by his personal aide Rev. Georg Gaenswein, has his right wrist in a cast after a late-night fall at a summer vacation home, Les Combes d'Introd, near Aosta, northern Italy, on July 29, 2009. 

March 17, 2009: En route to Cameroon, tells reporters aboard papal plane that condoms are not the solution to AIDS and can make problem worse, prompting widespread criticism.

Above, Pope Benedict XVI, center, flanked by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarciso Bertone, left, and spokesman father Federico Lombardi, greets the media at the end of a press conference held on the aircraft on his way to Yaounde, Cameroon on March 17, 2009. 

Sept. 16-19, 2010: During first state visit by a pope to Britain, meets with Queen Elizabeth II, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and beatifies Anglican convert John Henry Newman.

Nov. 20, 2010: Revises controversial condom-AIDS comments in book and says male prostitutes who use condoms may be taking a first step toward a more responsible sexuality.

Above, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Pope Benedict XVI inspect an honor guard of the Royal Company of Archers and the Royal Regiment of Scotland Band as the Pope arrives at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Sept. 16, 2010.

May 1, 2011: Beatifies John Paul II before 1.5 million people.

June 28, 2011: Tweets for the first time, announcing launch of Vatican news information portal.

Above, Pope Benedict XVI delivers his blessing as he is driven past a picture of late John Paul II during his beatification ceremony in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on May 1, 2011. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the German theologian who will be remembered as the first pope in 600 years to resign, has died, the Vatican announced Saturday Dec. 31, 2022. He was 95. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito, File)

Feb. 11, 2013: Reveals in Latin that he is stepping down Feb. 28 during a meeting of Vatican cardinals, surprising even his closest collaborators.

Above, Pope Benedict XVI waves to the faithful during his final general audience in St.Peter's Square at the Vatican on Feb. 27, 2013.

Feb. 28, 2013: Departs Vatican City in a helicopter bound for Castel Gandolfo, where he begins his final journey as a “simple pilgrim.”

Above, a helicopter carrying Pope Benedict XVI flies over St. Peter's Basilica as it leaves the Vatican for Castel Gandolfo on Feb. 28, 2013. 

April 28, 2014: Joins Francis on altar to canonize St. John Paul II and St. John XXIII, the first time a reigning and retired pope celebrate Mass together.

Above, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, center, is assisted by his former personal aide Rev. Georg Gaenswein, right, as he arrives in St. Peter's Square to attend a canonization Mass for two pontiffs, John XXIII and John Paul II, led by Pope Francis, at the Vatican on April 27, 2014. 

April 11, 2019: In an essay, blames the clergy sex abuse scandal on the sexual revolution of the 1960s and an absence of God.

January, 2020: Contributes to a book reaffirming celibacy for priests at a time when Francis was considering an exception, sparking calls for rules governing future “popes emeritus.”

June 18, 2020: Travels to Germany to visit his ailing brother, the Rev. Georg Ratzinger, who dies two weeks later, on July 1.

July 16, 2021: Has his signature relaxation of restrictions on celebration of old Latin Mass reversed by Pope Francis.

Jan. 21, 2022: Is faulted for his handling of four sex abuse cases while bishop of Munich in the 1970s and 1980s by independent report commissioned by German church.

Feb. 8, 2022: Asks forgiveness for any “grievous faults” in handling of Munich priests, but denies personal or specific wrongdoing.

Dec. 28, 2022: Pope Francis announces Benedict is “very ill,” asks for special prayers and visits him at his home.

Dec. 31, 2022: Benedict dies at 9:34 a.m. at his home in the Vatican Gardens at age 95.

Above, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is pushed on a wheelchair onto a bus, to be with his ailing brother, in Regensburg, Germany, on June 18, 2020. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the German theologian who will be remembered as the first pope in 600 years to resign, has died, the Vatican announced Saturday Dec. 31, 2022. He was 95. (Daniel Karmann/DPA via AP, File)