Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, left, and Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick of the Seoul archdiocese second from left, pay tribute to former Pope Benedict XVI at a memorial altar set up in Myeongdong Cathedral in central Seoul, Jan. 1. Yonhap

Korean Catholics on Monday mourned the loss of former Pope Benedict XVI, led by tributes by religious leaders.

Benedict, who served as the head of the Catholic Church from 2005 through 2013, died Saturday morning (local time) in the Vatican monastery at the age of 95. He retired for health reasons to become the first Catholic pope to abdicate in 600 years.

Myeongdong Cathedral set up a memorial altar in the underground sanctuary one day after his death to commemorate Benedict XVI, which will open to the public until Thursday.

Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick of Seoul archdiocese, Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung and other believers have visited the altar to mourn the passing of the former pope.

The Pope's Embassy in Korea and major churches across the nation are preparing to establish memorial altars to remember the late pope.