Benedict XVI (1927 - 2022), born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, was a German Catholic theologian who reigned as pope from 2005 to 2013. One of the most published theological writers to hold the office, he had previously served for nearly a quarter of a century as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. [1] In February 2013 he announced his resignation, citing his declining strength, the first pope to step down voluntarily since Gregory XII in 1415. [2]
Early life and education
Joseph Ratzinger was born on 16 April 1927 in Marktl am Inn, Bavaria, the son of a policeman. His adolescence coincided with the Nazi period in Germany; like other boys of his age he was enrolled in the Hitler Youth as required by law, and he was conscripted into anti-aircraft service and later the infantry in the final phase of the Second World War, deserting near the end and briefly held as a prisoner of war. [1]
He entered seminary after the war and studied theology and philosophy at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and the Ducal Georgianum. Ordained a priest in 1951, he completed a doctorate on Augustine and a habilitation on Bonaventure. [2]
Theologian and cardinal
Ratzinger held chairs at Bonn, Münster, Tübingen and Regensburg and became one of the most prominent German-speaking theologians of his generation. He served as a theological adviser at the Second Vatican Council, where he was associated with the reforming wing, though his later writing emphasised continuity with tradition and criticism of what he saw as relativism in modern culture. [3]
He was appointed Archbishop of Munich and Freising in 1977 and created a cardinal the same year. In 1981 Pope John Paul II named him prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the body responsible for safeguarding Catholic teaching, a post he held until 2005. In that role he issued doctrinal statements on liberation theology, moral questions and the relationship of Catholicism to other faiths, and became Dean of the College of Cardinals in 2002. [1]
Pontificate
Elected on 19 April 2005 following the death of John Paul II, he took the name Benedict XVI. His pontificate emphasised the intellectual foundations of faith and the Christian roots of Europe, expressed in encyclicals including Deus Caritas Est, Spe Salvi and Caritas in Veritate, and in his three-volume study Jesus of Nazareth. [2]
He permitted wider use of the older Latin liturgy, pursued relations with Anglican and Orthodox Christians, and travelled widely, though a 2006 lecture at Regensburg quoting a medieval text on Islam caused significant controversy and prompted him to express regret. [1]
His pontificate was also marked by the continuing crisis over sexual abuse by clergy. Benedict met victims during papal visits, issued a pastoral letter to Catholics in Ireland, and laicised significant numbers of accused priests, while critics held that the response of the Church under both his prefecture and his pontificate had been insufficient. A 2022 report commissioned by the Archdiocese of Munich criticised his handling of cases during his time as archbishop; he denied wrongdoing and asked forgiveness of victims. [1]
Resignation and later life
On 11 February 2013 Benedict announced to the cardinals that he would resign at the end of the month because he no longer had the strength to exercise the office, a step without modern precedent. [2] He took the title pope emeritus and retired to the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery within the Vatican, where he lived quietly and continued to write.
He died there on 31 December 2022 at the age of 95. His theological writing, running to dozens of volumes, remains widely studied, and his resignation established a practical precedent for future popes unable to continue in office. [3]
