A photograph of late former Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is seen during a Rosary prayer in the Catholic St Oswald church in his birth town Marktl am Inn, southern Germany, on Jan. 1, 2023, the day after his death. [VOA, Photo]
Pope Francis hailed the "beloved" Benedict XVI in New Year's Day services on Sunday as the Vatican released the first pictures of the former pontiff following his death at the age of 95.