DALLAS — Editor's note: The Associated Press contributed to this article.
The world is mourning the loss of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died Saturday at 95, according to the Vatican.
Benedict resigned from his post as pope on Feb. 11, 2013, when he announced that he no longer had the strength to run the 1.2 billion-strong Catholic Church.
The decision paved the way for Pope Francis to be named his successor. The popes then lived side-by-side in the Vatican gardens, an unprecedented arrangement that set the stage for future “popes emeritus” to do the same.
Leadership from the Diocese of Dallas reflected on Benedict's life Saturday, offering a statement to WFAA:
"With the news of the passing of Pope Benedict XVI into eternal life, we the faithful of the Diocese of Dallas joining Pope Francis and the universal Church offer prayers of thanksgiving for the gift of his life, his Petrine ministry, and his care for the souls of this universal Church and the world. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI appointed me as the Bishop of Juneau, Alaska in 2009. I will forever be grateful for his paternal love and kindness and will always consider him one of the great thinkers and shepherds in the history of the Catholic Church.
It is with a joyful heart I know he is now at peace with the Lord our God and Savior and we pray that perpetual light shine upon him."
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