Benedict XVI was the 265th man to lead the Catholic Church and the 16th to assume the papal name “Benedict.”
He was the oldest pope to have taken reign of the papacy since Clement XII in 1730.
This article will focus on his personal life, time with the church and notable aspects of his papacy to make it easier for students to learn and retain.
Early Life, World War II and Education.
Joseph Ratzinger was the third of Joseph Sr. and Maria Ratzinger’s three children. After a visit from Cardinal Michael von Faulhaber, when he was only five years old, Joseph was so enthralled with Cardinal Faulhaber’s attire that he decided he wanted to become a cardinal.
Joseph’s childhood was plagued with harassment due to his family’s anti-Nazi politics; this became worse upon turning 14 years old and being drafted into the Hitler Youth. Joseph did his best to become as unproductive as he could.
A few years later, while studying in seminary, Joseph was drafted into the Luftwaffenhelfer, anti-aircraft sector and was subsequently placed within the German infantry. During his time with the infantry, he spent several months interned at a P.O.W. camp. before the war was over.
In November of 1945, Jospeh and Georg Ratzinger both enrolled into Traunstein’s Saint Michael Seminary, then Munich’s Ducal Georgianum within the Ludwig Maximilian University.
List of Events In The Life of Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger)
| Date | Age | Event | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Apr 1927 | Born | ||
| 29 Oct 1950 | 23.5 | Ordained Deacon | Deacon of München und Freising {Munich}, Germany |
| 29 Jun 1951 | 24.2 | Ordained Priest | Priest of München und Freising {Munich}, Germany |
| 24 Mar 1977 | 49.9 | Appointed | Archbishop of München und Freising {Munich}, Germany |
| 28 May 1977 | 50.1 | Ordained Bishop | Archbishop of München und Freising {Munich}, Germany |
| 27 Jun 1977 | 50.1 | Elevated to Cardinal | |
| 27 Jun 1977 | 50.1 | Appointed | Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria Consolatrice al Tiburtino |
| 15 Oct 1977 | 50.4 | Installed | Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria Consolatrice al Tiburtino |
| 25 Nov 1981 | 54.6 | Appointed | Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith |
| 25 Nov 1981 | 54.6 | Appointed | President of the International Theological Commission |
| 25 Nov 1981 | 54.6 | Appointed | President of the Pontifical Biblical Commission |
| 15 Feb 1982 | 54.8 | Resigned | Archbishop of München und Freising {Munich}, Germany |
| 5 Apr 1993 | 65.9 | Appointed | Cardinal-Bishop of Velletri-Segni |
| 16 May 1993 | 66.0 | Installed | Cardinal-Bishop of Velletri-Segni |
| 9 Nov 1998 | 71.5 | Confirmed | Vice-Dean (Sub-Dean) of the College of Cardinals |
| 27 Nov 2002 | 75.6 | Elected | Dean of the College of Cardinals |
| 30 Nov 2002 | 75.6 | Appointed | Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia |
| 30 Nov 2002 | 75.6 | Confirmed | Dean of the College of Cardinals |
| 16 Mar 2003 | 75.9 | Installed | Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia |
| 2 Apr 2005 | 77.9 | Ceased | President of the International Theological Commission |
| 2 Apr 2005 | 77.9 | Ceased | Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith |
| 2 Apr 2005 | 77.9 | Ceased | President of the Pontifical Biblical Commission |
| 19 Apr 2005 | 78.0 | Elected | Pope (Rome, Italy) |
| 24 Apr 2005 | 78.0 | Installed | Pope (Rome, Italy) |
| 28 Feb 2013 | 85.8 | Resigned | Pope (Rome, Italy) |
| 31 Dec 2022 | 95.7 | Died | Pope Emeritus of Rome, Italy |
Career with the Church.
On June 29th, 1951, both Ratzinger boys were ordained by Cardinal Faulhaber. Two years later, Joseph would begin writing a dissertation on St. Augustine. in 1958, one year after completing his dissertation, he became a professor at Freising College.
A year later, Joseph would transfer to the University of Bonn. 1963 would see him change institutions again, moving to the University of Münster.
He also served Vatican II as a peritus, a theological consultant, to Cologne’s Cardinal Frings. Ratzinger was seen as a reformer who cooperated with other theologians. Ratzinger was also fond of Karl Rahner, a well-regarded academic, reform theologian.
1966 would see Ratzinger become the University of Tübingen’s chair in dogmatic theology. In “Introduction to Christianity,” a book he wrote in 1968, Ratzinger stated that the pope must hear all sides of a Church issue before deciding upon a course of action but downplayed the central nature of the position.
This point in his life is also when he moved away from Marxism and the politics of Tübingen. As rioting broke out in the spring of 1968, Ratzinger interpreted the chaos and tumult as a consequence of departing from Catholic doctrine. Despite being a reformist, he was perceived as conservative as liberal ideas began to soak into the Church.
1969 would see him return to his homeland of Bavaria, specifically the University of Regensburg. Three years later, he would co-found Communio, a theological journal that has since become the most prominent journal for contemporary Catholic theology.
Until becoming pope, Ratzinger was the journal’s most prominent contributor. Ratzinger served as the University’s vice president from 1976 until 1977.
Archbishop Ratzinger.
March 24, 1977 saw Ratzinger’s appointment to Archibishop of Munich and Freising. On June 27th, Paul VI named him Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria Consolatrice al Tiburtino. During the Papal Conclave of 2005, Ratzinger was one of 14 cardinals appointed by Paul VI and one of three under age 80.
November 25, 1981 would see Ratzinger become the Prefect of the Roman Inquisition. 12 years later, in 1993, he would become Cardinal Bishop of Velletri-Segni, vice-dean of the College of Cardinals in 1998 and then its dean four years later.
In 1997, at the age of 70, he requested Pope John Paul II to allow him to leave his position as Prefect in order to become an archivist for the Vatican; John Paul II declined.
Papal Legacy.
- Benedict XVI chose his name in honor of the previous Benedict, a pope who fastidiously clung to maintaining and restoring peace during World War I.
- His sermons frequently addressed what friendship with Jesus Christ involved.
- He loathed the growing preference for relativism in faith, where nothing was deemed to be the definitive source. He referred to this trend as the “Dictatorship of Relativism.”
- During a discussion one day before John Paul II’s death, Benedict XVI stated that Christianity was the “Religion of Logos.” Logos is the Greek word for intelligence, logic, meaning, and word.
This was likely a reflection on his pervasive career as an academic and writer and an acknowledgment of Christianity’s influence on the Renaissance. - He became Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI upon retirement.
List of Saints Canonized By Pope Benedict XVI
During his papacy from 2005 to 2013, Pope Benedict XVI canonized 45 individuals as saints, including one by equipollent canonization.
| No. | Saint | Date of Canonisation | Place of Canonisation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Felix of Nicosia | 23 October 2005 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 2. | Józef Bilczewski | 23 October 2005 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 3. | Gaetano Catanoso | 23 October 2005 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 4. | Zygmunt Gorazdowski | 23 October 2005 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 5. | Alberto Hurtado | 23 October 2005 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 6. | Théodore Guérin | 15 October 2006 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 7. | Rafael Guízar Valencia | 15 October 2006 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 8. | Filippo Smaldone | 15 October 2006 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 9. | Rose Venerini | 15 October 2006 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 10. | Anthony of St. Ann Galvão | 11 May 2007 | São Paulo, Brazil |
| 11. | Szymon of Lipnica | 3 June 2007 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 12. | Charles of Mount Argus | 3 June 2007 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 13. | Marie-Eugénie de Jésus | 3 June 2007 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 14. | George Preca | 3 June 2007 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 15. | María Bernarda Bütler | 12 October 2008 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 16. | Gaetano Errico | 12 October 2008 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 17. | Alphonsa Muttathupadathu | 12 October 2008 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 18. | Narcisa de Jesús | 12 October 2008 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 19. | Nuno Álvares Pereira | 26 April 2009 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 20. | Geltrude Comensoli | 26 April 2009 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 21. | Arcangelo Tadini | 26 April 2009 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 22. | Bernardo Tolomei | 26 April 2009 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 23. | Caterina Volpicelli | 26 April 2009 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 24. | Rafael Arnáiz Barón | 11 October 2009 | St. Peter’s Basilica |
| 25. | Francisco Coll Guitart | 11 October 2009 | St. Peter’s Basilica |
| 26. | Damien De Veuster | 11 October 2009 | St. Peter’s Basilica |
| 27. | Zygmunt Szczęsny Feliński | 11 October 2009 | St. Peter’s Basilica |
| 28. | Jeanne Jugan | 11 October 2009 | St. Peter’s Basilica |
| 29. | André Bessette | 17 October 2010 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 30. | Candida Maria of Jesus | 17 October 2010 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 31. | Mary MacKillop | 17 October 2010 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 32. | Giulia Salzano | 17 October 2010 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 33. | Stanisław Kazimierczyk | 17 October 2010 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 34. | Camilla Battista da Varano | 17 October 2010 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 35. | Guido Maria Conforti | 23 October 2011 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 36. | Luigi Guanella | 23 October 2011 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 37. | Bonifacia Rodríguez y Castro | 23 October 2011 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 38. | Hildegard of Bingen | 10 May 2012 | n/a (equipollent) |
| 39. | Jacques Berthieu | 21 October 2012 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 40. | Pedro Calungsod | 21 October 2012 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 41. | Marianne Cope | 21 October 2012 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 42. | Giovanni Battista Piamarta | 21 October 2012 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 43. | María del Monte Carmelo Sallés y Barangueras | 21 October 2012 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 44. | Anna Schäffer | 21 October 2012 | St. Peter’s Square |
| 45. | Kateri Tekakwitha | 21 October 2012 | St. Peter’s Square |
Quick Facts About Pope Benedict XVI.
- He was born in Marktl, Germany on April 16, 1927.
- Prior to taking his papal name, he was known as Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger.
- His papacy began on April 19th, 2005.
- In a refreshing change of pace for most of these study guides, Benedict XVI’s papacy ended due to retirement, instead of death, on February 28, 2013.
- Pope Francis took over for the papacy with Benedict XVI’s retirement.
- Pope Benedict XVI died at the age of 95 in December 2022.
Six Interesting Facts About Pope Benedict XVI.
- Upon becoming pope, he created the @Pontifex Twitter account. After he retired, his tweets were deleted and the account eventually passed on to Pope Francis.
- He was the first pope to retire in nearly six centuries and the first to retire of his own volition since 1294, with Celestine V.
- Upon the moment of his ordination, he recounted a story that a lark flew from the altar and ominously sang a pleasing tune.
- His papal motto was “Cooperators of the Truth,” taken from 3 John 8.
- He published over 60 books.
- He was the oldest man to become pope since Clement XII.
List of Other Popes Named Benedict
There has has been 15 Popes that have taken the name Benedict in the history of the papacy. Below are links to all of them. Also check out all of the other Popes the begin with the letter B.