His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI (Latin: Benedictus PP. XVI; born April 16, 1927 as Joseph Alois Ratzinger) is the 265th and reigning pope, the head of the Roman Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City. He was elected on April 19, 2005, in a papal conclave over which he presided in his capacity as dean of the College of Cardinals. He was formally enthroned during the Rite of Papal Inauguration on April 24, 2005. Pope Palpatine I assumes the throne for the first time upon election on April 19, 2005. ... April 19 is the 109th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (110th in leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... The incumbent, in politics, is the current holder of a political office. ... His Holiness Pope John Paul II (Latin: ), born Karol Józef Wojtyła [1] (May 18, 1920 – April 2, 2005), reigned as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City for almost 27 years, from 16 October 1978 until his death. ... The incumbent, in politics, is the current holder of a political office. ... April 16 is the 106th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (107th in leap years). ... 1927 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... ... With an area of 70,553 km² (27,241 square miles) and 12. ... Ecclesiastical Latin, sometimes called Church Latin, is the Latin language as used in documents of the Roman Catholic Church. ... April 16 is the 106th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (107th in leap years). ... 1927 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... A Reign is a period of time a person serves as a monarch or pope. ... The Pope is the Catholic Bishop and patriarch of Rome, and head of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches. ... Saint Peters Basilica in Rome. ... The adjective sovereign is used to refer to a state of sovereignty. ... April 19 is the 109th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (110th in leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... The Papal conclave of 2005 began on April 18, 2005 and ended the next day after four ballots. ... The Dean of the College of Cardinals is the president of the College of Cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church and as such is always a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church of the episcopal order. ... The Sacred College of Cardinals is the body of all Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church. ... Pope John Paul I s enthronement as Pope on 3rd September 1978. ... Pope John Paul I at the first papal inauguration, in September 1978. ... April 24 is the 114th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (115th in leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

Overview

Pope Benedict XVI

Benedict XVI was elected pope at the age of 78. He is the oldest person to have been elected pope since Clement XII in 1730. He served longer as a cardinal before being elected pope than any pope since Benedict XIII (elected 1724). He is the eighth German pope, the last being the Dutch-German Adrian VI (1522–1523). The last Pope Benedict, Benedict XV, was an Italian who served as pope from 1914 to 1922 and reigned during World War I. The Sistine Chapel is the location of the conclave. ... Since 1500 Related articles List of popes List of popes sorted alphabetically List of 10 longest-reigning popes List of 10 shortest-reigning popes Categories: Popes ... Clement XII, born as Lorenzo Corsini (Florence, April 7, 1652 – Rome, February 6, 1740), (pope 1730‑1740), had been an aristocratic lawyer and financial manager under preceding pontiffs. ... Events Pope Clement XII elected September 17 - Change of emperor of the Ottoman Empire from Ahmed III (1703-1730) to Mahmud I (1730-1754) Anna Ivanova (Anna I of Russia) became czarina Births May 13 - Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. ... A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official in the Roman Catholic Church, ranking just below the Pope and appointed by him as a member of the College of Cardinals, during a consistory. ... For Pedro de Luna, see Antipope Benedict XIII. Benedict XIII, né Pietro Francesco Orsini, later Vincenzo Maria Orsini (Gravina di Puglia, February 2, 1649 - March 2, 1730), was pope from 1724 to 1730. ... Events January 14 - King Philip V of Spain abdicates the throne February 20 - The premiere of Giulio Cesare, an Italian opera by George Frideric Handel, takes place in London June 23 - Treaty of Constantinople signed. ... The house where Adrian VI was born Adrian VI (also known as Hadrian VI or Adriano VI), born Adrian dEdel (March 2, 1459 - September 14, 1523), pope from 1522 to 1523, was born in Utrecht, the Netherlands, and studied under the Brethren of the Common Life either at Zwolle... Events January 9 - Adrian Dedens becomes Pope Adrian VI. February 26 - Execution by hanging of Cuauhtémoc, Aztec ruler of Tenochtitlan under orders of conquistador Hernán Cortés. ... Events April - Battle of Villalors - Forces loyal to Emperor Charles V defeat the Comuneros, a league of urban bourgeois rebelling against Charles in Spain. ... His Holiness Pope Benedict XV, born Giacomo della Chiesa (November 21, 1854 – January 22, 1922), reigned as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from September 3, 1914 to 1922; he succeeded Pope Saint Pius X. Della Chiesa was born in Genoa, Italy, of a noble... 1914 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1922 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ...

Ratzinger was born in Bavaria, Germany. He had a distinguished career as a university theologian before being made the archbishop of Munich; he was subsequently made a cardinal by Pope Paul VI in the consistory of June 27, 1977. He was appointed as the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith by Pope John Paul II in 1981 and was made the cardinal bishop of the suburbicarian diocese of Velletri-Segni on April 5, 1993. In 1998, he was made the sub-dean of the College of Cardinals; later, on November 30, 2002, he became the dean and simultaneously the cardinal bishop of the suburbicarian diocese of Ostia. He was the first dean of the college elected pope since Paul IV in 1555 and the first cardinal bishop elected pope since Pius VIII in 1829. With an area of 70,553 km² (27,241 square miles) and 12. ... Theology is literally reasonable discourse concerning God (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογος, logos, word or reason). By extension, it also refers to the study of other religious topics. ... In Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated bishop heading a diocese of particular importance due to either its size, history, or both, called an archdiocese. ... The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Munich and Freising — known in the German language as Erzbistum München und Freising and in Latin as Archidioecesis Monacensis et Frisingensis — is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Bavaria, Germany. ... His Holiness Pope Paul VI, born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini (September 26, 1897 – August 6, 1978), reigned as Pope and as sovereign of the Vatican City from 1963 to 1978. ... A consistory is a formal meeting of the College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church. ... June 27 is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 187 days remaining. ... 1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ... The word prefect can refer to any of a number of types of official, including: in Latin, praefectus: a high-ranking military or civil official in the Roman Empire; the title now attaches to the heads of some departments of the Roman Curia, who are traditionally Cardinals, and if they... The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) (Congregatio pro Doctrina Fidei) is the oldest of the nine congregations of the Roman Curia. ... His Holiness Pope John Paul II (Latin: ), born Karol Józef Wojtyła [1] (May 18, 1920 – April 2, 2005), reigned as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City for almost 27 years, from 16 October 1978 until his death. ... 1981 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Cardinal Bishops, or Cardinals of the Episcopal Order, are among the most important persons in the Roman Catholic Church. ... The six suburbicarian dioceses are Roman Catholic dioceses located in the suburbs that surround Rome. ... Velletri is a commune in the province of Rome, in Lazio (Latium) It is bounded by other communes of Rocca di Papa Lariano, Cisterna di Latina, Artena, Aprilia, Nemi, Genzano di Roma, Lanuvio. ... Segni, in the Latin language called Signinsis, is an Italian city located in the Province of Rome. ... April 5 is the 95th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (96th in leap years). ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... The Sacred College of Cardinals is the body of all Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church. ... November 30 is the 334th day (335th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 31 days remaining, as the final day of November. ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Dean of the College of Cardinals is the president of the College of Cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church and as such is always a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church of the episcopal order. ... The Temple of the goddess Roma on the Forum of Ostia Ostia, an ancient town on the coast facing the Tyrrhenian Sea, in Latium, Italy, was the harbour of ancient Rome and perhaps its first colonia. ... Paul IV, né Giovanni Pietro Carafa (June 28, 1476 - August 18, 1559) was Pope from May 23, 1555 until his death. ... Events Russia breaks 60 year old truce with Sweden by attacking Finland May 23 - Paul IV becomes Pope. ... Pope Pius VIII, born Francesco Saverio Castiglioni (November 20, 1761 - December 1, 1830), was Pope from 1829 to 1830. ... 1829 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Before becoming pope, Cardinal Ratzinger was already one of the most influential men in the Vatican, and was a close associate of the late John Paul II. He presided over the funeral of John Paul II and also over the Mass immediately preceding the 2005 conclave in which he was elected, in which he called on the assembled cardinals to hold fast to the doctrine of the faith. He was the public face of the church in much of the sede vacante, although he ranked below the camerlengo in administrative authority during that time. Pope John Paul IIs body laid on a bier at St. ... Sede vacante in the canon law of the Roman Catholic Church is the vacancy of the episcopal see of a particular church. ... The title Camerlengo ( Italian for Chamberlain) refers to an official of the Papal court, referring either to the Chamberlain of the Roman Catholic Church, to the Chamberlain of the Sacred College of Cardinals, or to various lesser dignitaries. ...

Benedict XVI's views appear to be similar to those of his predecessor in maintaining the traditional Catholic doctrines on birth control, abortion, and homosexuality and promoting Catholic social teaching. Doctrine, from Latin doctrina, (compare doctor), means a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the body of teachings in a branch of knowledge or belief system. ... Birth control generally refers to any plan or method used to alter or avoid the bodys natural state of fertility, thereby preventing or reducing the probability of pregnancy without abstaining from sexual intercourse; the term is also sometimes used to include abortion and natural family planning. ... Homosexuality may refer to: A sexual orientation characterized by aesthetic attraction, romantic love, and sexual desire primarily for members of the same sex or gender identity. ... Catholic Social Teaching encompasses the teaching of the Catholic Church on all matters dealing with the collective aspect of humanity. ...

Benedict speaks several languages, including German, Spanish, Italian, English and Latin. He is also fluent in French and has been an associate member of the French Académie des sciences morales et politiques since 1992. He recently revealed that he is studying Russian as well. He plays the piano and has a preference for Mozart and Beethoven. He is also known for his fondness for cats.^{[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#endnote_YahooCats)} The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Latin is the language that was originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... The Académie des sciences morales et politiques is a French learned society. ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the modern musical instrument. ... W. A. Mozart, 1790 portrait by Johann Georg Edlinger Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791) is considered one of the greatest composers of European classical music (or more specifically, Viennese Classical music). ... Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptized December 17, 1770 – March 26, 1827) was a German composer of Classical music, who predominantly lived in Vienna, Austria. ...

Early life (1927–1951)

Background and childhood (1927–1943)

Ratzinger was born at a house in Marktl am Inn which survives today.

Ratzinger studied at Saint Michael Seminary in Traunstein, Germany.

Joseph Alois Ratzinger was born on Holy Saturday, at Schulstrasse 11, his parents' home in Marktl am Inn, Bavaria. He was the third and youngest child of Joseph Ratzinger, Sr., a police officer, and his wife, Maria Ratzinger (nee Riger), who worked as a barmaid, and whose family were from South Tyrol (today part of Italy). His father served in both the Bavarian State Police (Landespolizei) and the German national Regular Police (Ordnungspolizei) before retiring in 1937 to the town of Traunstein. The Sunday Times of London described the elder Ratzinger as "an anti-Nazi whose attempts to rein in Hitler’s Brown Shirts forced the family to move several times." ^{[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#endnote_timesonline_a)}. According to the International Herald Tribune, these relocations were directly related to Joseph Ratzinger, Sr.'s continued resistance to Nazism, which resulted in demotions and transfers. ^{[3] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#endnote_iht_demotions)} The pope's brother Georg said: "Our father was a bitter enemy of Nazism because he believed it was in conflict with our faith." ^{[4] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#endnote_nytimes_faith)}. Download high resolution version (1417x1063, 903 KB) Pope Benedicts house where he was born In Martl am Inn File links The following pages link to this file: Pope Benedict XVI Early life of Pope Benedict XVI ... Download high resolution version (1417x1063, 903 KB) Pope Benedicts house where he was born In Martl am Inn File links The following pages link to this file: Pope Benedict XVI Early life of Pope Benedict XVI ... Photo by Kerstin Joensson of Saint Michael Seminary in Traunstein, Germany where Pope Benedict XVI attended school. ... Photo by Kerstin Joensson of Saint Michael Seminary in Traunstein, Germany where Pope Benedict XVI attended school. ... Holy Saturday is the day before Easter in the Christian calendar. ... ... With an area of 70,553 km² (27,241 square miles) and 12. ... Joseph Ratzinger, Sr. ... South Tyrol ( German Autonome Provinz Bozen-Südtirol, Italian Provincia autonoma di Bolzano-Alto Adige, Ladin Provinzia autonóma de Bulsan-Südtirol) is an autonomous province of Italy. ... Landespolizei is a term used in the Federal Republic of Germany to denote the law enforcement services which patrol the German Bundesländer and is the approximite equivalent to the State police in the United States of America. ... Flag of the Ordnungspolizei The Ordnungspolizei was the name for the regular German police force that existed in Nazi Germany between the years of 1936 and 1945. ... 1937 was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Traunstein is a small city in the south-eastern part of Bavaria, Germany, and the capital of the district denominated by the same name. ... The Sunday Times is the name of several Sunday newspapers. ... The Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster which contains Big Ben London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... Hitler addressing SA members in the late 1920s The Sturmabteilung (SA, German for Storm Division and is usually translated as stormtroops or stormtroopers) functioned as a paramilitary organisation of the NSDAP – the German Nazi party. ... The International Herald Tribune (or IHT) is fully owned by the New York Times, which along with its own staff journalists and news agencies supplies it with news and features. ... Georg Ratzinger (born January 15, 1924) is a German musician and Roman Catholic priest, well known as the elder brother of the current pope, Benedict XVI. Ratzinger was born in Bavaria, Germany. ...

Pope Benedict's brother, Georg, is still living. His sister, Maria Ratzinger, who never married, managed her brother Joseph's household until her death in 1991. Their grand uncle Georg Ratzinger was a priest and member of the Reichstag, as the German Parliament was called then. The future pope's relatives agree that his ambitions to reside in the upper echelons of the Church were apparent since childhood. At five years old, Ratzinger was in a group of children who presented the archbishop of Munich with flowers; later that day he announced he wanted to be a cardinal. (See also Early life of Pope Benedict XVI.) Georg Ratzinger (born April 3, 1844 in Rickering at Deggendorf, died December 3, 1899 in Munich) was a German Roman Catholic priest, social reformer, author and politician. ... The term Reichstag [ɹaɪʃtag] (in English: Imperial Diet) is a composition of German Reich (Empire) and tag (which does not mean day here, but is a derivate of the verb tagen, which means assembling for debate). ... In Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated bishop heading a diocese of particular importance due to either its size, history, or both, called an archdiocese. ... Munich: Frauenkirche and Town Hall steeple Munich (German: München (pronounced listen) is the state capital of the German Bundesland of Bavaria. ... This article covers the early life (1927 - 1951) of Pope Benedict XVI (born Joseph Ratzinger). ...

According to his cousin Erika Kopp, Ratzinger had no desire from childhood to be anything other than a priest. When he was 15, she says, he announced that he was going to be a bishop, whereupon she playfully remarked, 'And why not Pope?'.

When Ratzinger turned 14 he was forced by law to join the Hitler Youth (membership was legally required since December 1936^{[5] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#endnote_HistoryPlace)}.) According to the National Catholic Reporter correspondent and biographer John Allen, Ratzinger was an unenthusiastic member who refused to attend meetings. Ratzinger has mentioned that a Nazi mathematics professor arranged reduced tuition payments for him at seminary. This normally required documentation of attendance at Hitler Youth activities; however, according to Ratzinger, his professor arranged so that he did not need to attend to receive a scholarship. Flag of the Hitler Youth The Hitler Youth (German: Hitler-Jugend, abbreviated HJ) was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party that existed from 1922 to 1945. ... The National Catholic Reporter is an independent newspaper published by laypeople, nuns and priests of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States and enjoys circulation within the various American dioceses. ...

Military service (1943–1945)

In 1943, when he was 16, Ratzinger was drafted with many of his classmates into the FlaK (anti-aircraft artillery corps). They were guarding various facilities including a BMW aircraft engine plant north of Munich and, later, the jet fighter base at Gilching, where Ratzinger served in telephone communications. After his class was released from the Corps in September 1944, Ratzinger was put to work setting up anti-tank defences in the Hungarian border area of Austria in preparation for the expected Red Army offensive. When his unit was released from service in November 1944, he went home for three weeks, and then was drafted into the German army at Munich to receive basic infantry training in the nearby Traunstein. His unit served at various posts around the city and was never sent to the front. 1943 is a common year starting on Friday. ... American troops man an anti-aircraft gun near the Algerian coastline in 1943 Anti-aircraft, or air defense, is any method of combating military aircraft from the ground. ... American troops man an anti-aircraft gun near the Algerian coastline in 1943 Anti-aircraft, or air defense, is any method of combating military aircraft from the ground. ... Historically, artillery refers to any engine used for the discharge of projectiles during war. ... 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Red Army flag The short forms Red Army and RKKA refer to the Workers and Peasants Red Army, (Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия - Raboche-Krestyanskaya Krasnaya Armiya in Russian), the armed forces organised by the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War in 1918. ... 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...

In late April or early May, days or weeks before the German surrender, Ratzinger deserted. Desertion was widespread during the last weeks of the war, even though punishable by death (executions, frequently extrajudicial, continued to the end); diminished morale and the greatly diminished risk of prosecution from a preoccupied and disorganized German military contributed to the growing wave of soldiers looking toward self-preservation. On his way home he ran into soldiers on guard, but they let him go. When the Americans arrived in the village, they arrested all who had served in the German army. Ratzinger was briefly interned in a prisoner-of-war camp near Ulm and was repatriated on June 19, 1945. The family was reunited when his brother, Georg, returned after being released from a prisoner-of-war camp in Italy. Desertion is the act of abandoning or withdrawing support from someone or something to which you owe allegiance, responsibility or loyalty. ... A Prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of persons captured by the enemy in time of war. ... Ulm is a city in Germany, part of the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg (about 100 km south-east of Stuttgart). ... June 19 is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 195 days remaining. ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Education (1946–1951)

After he was repatriated in 1945, he and his brother entered Saint Michael Seminary in Traunstein, and then studied at the Ducal Georgianum (Herzogliches Georgianum) of the Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich. According to an interview with Peter Seewald, he and his fellow students were particularly influenced by the works of Gertrud von le Fort, Ernst Wiechert, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Elisabeth Langgässer, Theodor Steinbüchel, Martin Heidegger and Karl Jaspers. The young Ratzinger saw the last three in particular as a break with the dominance of Neo-Kantianism, with the key work being Steinbüchel's Die Wende des Denkens (The Change in Thinking). By the end of his studies he was drawn more to the active Saint Augustine than to Thomas Aquinas, and among the scholastics he was more interested in Saint Bonaventure. Fyodor Dostoevsky. ... Martin Heidegger Martin Heidegger (September 26, 1889 – May 26, 1976) was a German philosopher. ... Karl Jaspers Karl Theodor Jaspers (February 23, 1883 - February 26, 1969), a German psychiatrist and philosopher, had a strong influence on modern theology, psychiatry and philosophy. ... Neo-Kantianism means a revived or modified type of philosophy along the lines of that laid down by Immanuel Kant in the eighteenth century. ... St. ... St Thomas Aquinas. ... Saint Bonaventura, John of Fidanza, Franciscan theologian, was born in 1221 at Bagnarea in Tuscany. ...

On June 29, 1951, he and his brother were ordained by Michael Cardinal von Faulhaber of Munich. His dissertation (1953) was on Saint Augustine, entitled "The People and the House of God in Augustine's Doctrine of the Church," and his Habilitationsschrift (a dissertation which serves as qualification for a professorship) was on Saint Bonaventure. It was completed in 1957 and he became a professor of Freising college in 1958. June 29 is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 185 days remaining. ... 1951 was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... His Eminence Michael Cardinal von Faulhaber (born March 3, 1869 in Unterfranken, died June 12, 1952 in Munich) was a Cardinal in the Catholic Church and Arch Bishop of Munich during 35 years, from 1917 to his death in 1952. ... Munich: Frauenkirche and Town Hall steeple Munich (German: München (pronounced listen) is the state capital of the German Bundesland of Bavaria. ... 1953 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Habilitation is a term used within the university system in Germany, Austria, and some other European countries such as the German-speaking part of Switzerland, in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia. ... 1957 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Freising (List of European cities with alternative names) is a city in Bavaria, Germany, capital of the district Freising. ... 1958 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Early church career (1951–1981)

Ratzinger as a young priest celebrates mass in Ruhpolding, Germany in 1952.

Ratzinger offers an oath of submission at the September 1978 papal inauguration of John Paul I.

Ratzinger is given a formal farewell as he leaves the Archdiocese of Munich to become the new Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on February 28, 1982.

Ratzinger with John Paul II in 2003.

Ratzinger debates with German philosopher Jürgen Habermas at the Catholic Academy of Bavaria, Germany in 2004.

Ratzinger became a professor at the University of Bonn in 1959; his inaugural lecture was on "The God of Faith and the God of Philosophy." In 1963 he moved to the University of Münster, where his inaugural lecture was given in a packed lecture hall, as he was already well known as a theologian. At the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), Ratzinger served as a peritus or theological consultant to Josef Cardinal Frings of Cologne, Germany, and has continued to defend the council, including Nostra Aetate, the document on respect of other religions and the declaration of the right to religious freedom. He was viewed during the time of the council as a reformer. (Later, as the Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Ratzinger most clearly spelled out the Catholic Church's position on other religions in the document Dominus Iesus (2000) which also talks about the proper way to engage in ecumenical dialogue.) Vatican released photograph of Pope Benedict XVI as a priest, celebrating mass in the mountains of Ruhpolding, GGermany in 1952. ... Vatican released photograph of Pope Benedict XVI as a priest, celebrating mass in the mountains of Ruhpolding, GGermany in 1952. ... This file has been listed on Wikipedia:Images and media for deletion. ... This file has been listed on Wikipedia:Images and media for deletion. ... Photo by Diether Endlicher of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger leaving Munich on February 28, 1982 as he is summoned to the Vatican by Pope John Paul II for his appointment as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. ... Photo by Diether Endlicher of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger leaving Munich on February 28, 1982 as he is summoned to the Vatican by Pope John Paul II for his appointment as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. ... Pope John Paul II, right, greets Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect of the Catholic Churchs Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, during the traditional exchange of Christmas greetings at the Vatican in this Dec. ... Pope John Paul II, right, greets Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect of the Catholic Churchs Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, during the traditional exchange of Christmas greetings at the Vatican in this Dec. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The main building, viewed from the Hofgarten. ... 1959 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1963 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The University of Münster (German Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, WWU) is a public university located in the city of Münster in Germany. ... The Second Vatican Council, or Vatican II, was an Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church opened under Pope John XXIII in 1962 and closed under Pope Paul VI in 1965. ... 1962 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1965 was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... Josef Frings (6 February 1887 - 17 December 1978), previously also known as Joseph Richard Frings was appointed Archbishop of Köln on 1 May 1942, and was elevated to Cardinal on 18 February 1946. ... Cologne skyline at night. ... Nostra Aetate is the Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions of Vatican II. Passed by a vote of 2,221 to 88 of the assembled bishops, this declaration was promulgated on October 28, 1965 by Pope Paul VI. The title means in our time in... Dominus Iesus (Latin for Lord Jesus) is a document by Pope Benedict XVI, written when he was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and the Congregations then secretary, Tarcisio Bertone. ... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The word ecumenical comes from a Greek word that means pertaining to the whole world. ...

In 1966, he took a chair in dogmatic theology at the University of Tübingen, where he was a colleague of Hans Küng. In his 1968 book Introduction to Christianity, he wrote that the pope has a duty to hear differing voices within the church before making a decision, and downplayed the centrality of the papacy. He also wrote that the church of the time was too centralized, rule-bound and overly controlled from Rome. These sentences, however, did not appear in later editions of the book. During this time, he distanced himself from the atmosphere of Tübingen and the Marxist leanings of the student movement of the 1960s, that in Germany quickly radicalised in the years 1967 and 1968, culminating in a series of disturbances and riots in April and May 1968. Ratzinger came increasingly to see these and associated developments (decreasing respect for authority among his students, the rise of the German gay rights movement) as related to a departure from traditional Catholic teachings. Increasingly, his views, despite his reformist bent, contrasted with those liberal ideas gaining currency in the theological academy.^{[6] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#endnote_nytimes_campus)} In 1969 he returned to Bavaria, to the University of Regensburg. 1966 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen (German Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen) is a state-supported university. ... Hans Küng (born March 19, 1928) is an eminent Swiss theologian, and a prolific author. ... 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... Marxism is the political practice and social theory based on the works of Karl Marx, a 19th century German philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary, along with Friedrich Engels. ... Events and trends The 1960s was a turbulent decade of change around the world. ... 1967 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... The gay rights movement is a collection of loosely aligned civil rights groups, human rights groups, support groups and political activists seeking acceptance, tolerance and equality for non-heterosexual, (homosexual, bisexual), and transgender people - despite the fact that it is typically referred to as the gay rights movement, members also... 1969 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... Regensburg (English formerly Ratisbon, Latin Ratisbona, Czech Řezno) is a city (population 146,824 in 2002) in Bavaria, south-east Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. ...

In 1972, he founded the theological journal Communio with Hans Urs von Balthasar, Henri de Lubac , Walter Kasper and others. Communio, now published in seventeen editions (German, English, Spanish and many others), has become one of the most important journals of Catholic thought. He remains one of the journal's most prolific contributors. 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... The theological journal Communio was founded in 1972 by Joseph Ratzinger (later elected Pope Benedict XVI), Hans Urs von Balthasar, Henri de Lubac and others. ... Hans Urs von Balthasar was a Catholic theologian. ... Henri de Lubac (February 20, 1896-September 4, 1991), a French Jesuit, can be considered to be one of the most influential theologians of post-modern time. ... His Eminence Walter Cardinal Kasper (born March 5, 1933) is a Cardinal Deacon and President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity in the Roman Catholic Church. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... A journal (through French from late Latin diurnalis, daily) is a daily record of events or business. ...

In March 1977 Ratzinger was named archbishop of Munich and Freising. According to his autobiography, Milestones, he took as his episcopal motto Cooperatores Veritatis, co-workers of the Truth, from 3 John 8. 1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ... In Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated bishop heading a diocese of particular importance due to either its size, history, or both, called an archdiocese. ... Munich: Frauenkirche and Town Hall steeple Munich (German: München (pronounced listen) is the state capital of the German Bundesland of Bavaria. ... Freising (List of European cities with alternative names) is a city in Bavaria, Germany, capital of the district Freising. ... The Third Epistle of John is a book of the Bible New Testament. ...

In the consistory of June 1977 he was named a cardinal by Pope Paul VI. By the time of the 2005 Conclave, he was one of only 14 remaining cardinals appointed by Paul VI, and one of only three of those under the age of 80 and thus eligible to participate in that conclave. A consistory is a formal meeting of the College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church. ... A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official in the Roman Catholic Church, ranking just below the Pope and appointed by him as a member of the College of Cardinals, during a consistory. ... His Holiness Pope Paul VI, born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini (September 26, 1897 – August 6, 1978), reigned as Pope and as sovereign of the Vatican City from 1963 to 1978. ...

Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (1981 – 2005)

On November 25, 1981, Pope John Paul II named Ratzinger prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, formerly known as the Holy Office of the Inquisition. He resigned the Munich archdiocese in early 1982. Already a cardinal priest, he was raised to Cardinal Bishop of Velletri-Segni in 1993. He became vice-dean of the College of Cardinals in 1998, and dean in 2002. November 25 is the 329th (in leap years the 330th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1981 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) (Congregatio pro Doctrina Fidei) is the oldest of the nine congregations of the Roman Curia. ... Pedro Berruguete. ... In some Christian churches, the diocese is an administrative territorial unit governed by a bishop, sometimes also referred to as a bishopric or episcopal see, though more often the term episcopal see means the office held by the bishop. ... 1982 is a number and represents a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar Events January January 6 - William Bonin is convicted of being the freeway killer. January 8 - AT&T agrees to divest itself of twenty-two subdivisions January 11 - Mark Thatcher, son of the British Prime... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... The Sacred College of Cardinals is the body of all Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church. ... 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In office, Ratzinger usually took traditional views on topics such as birth control, homosexuality, and inter-religious dialogue. Among other things, he played a key role in silencing outspoken liberation theologians and clergy in Latin America in the 1980s. Birth control generally refers to any plan or method used to alter or avoid the bodys natural state of fertility, thereby preventing or reducing the probability of pregnancy without abstaining from sexual intercourse; the term is also sometimes used to include abortion and natural family planning. ... Homosexuality may refer to: A sexual orientation characterized by aesthetic attraction, romantic love, and sexual desire primarily for members of the same sex or gender identity. ... The word ecumenism (ek-yoo-muh-niz-uhm) is derived from the Greek oikoumene, which means the inhabited world. The term is usually used with regard to movements toward religious unity. ... Liberation theology is an important and controversial school in the theology of the Roman Catholic Church after the Second Vatican Council. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ...

(See also Theology of Pope Benedict XVI.) Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI has taken positions similar to his predecessor, John Paul II, and has been a staunch defender of Catholic doctrine. ...

Health

In the early 1990s Ratzinger suffered a stroke which slightly impaired his eyesight. The existence of the stroke had been known during the conclave that elected him pope. In May 2005, the Vatican revealed that he had subsequently suffered another mild stroke - it did not reveal when, other than that it occurred between 2003 and 2005. France's Philippe Cardinal Barbarin further revealed that since the first stroke, Ratzinger has suffered from a heart condition. Because of his health problems, Ratzinger had hoped to retire, but had continued in his position in obedience to the wishes of Pope John Paul II.^{[7] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#endnote_SundayTimes)} Events and trends The 1990s are generally classified as having moved slightly away from the more conservative 1980s, but keeping the same mind-set. ... A stroke or cerebrovascular accident (CVA) occurs when the blood supply to a part of the brain is suddenly interrupted by occlusion (an ischemic stroke- approximately 90%of strokes) or by hemorrhage (a hemorrhagic stroke - approximately 10% of strokes). ... Philippe Barbarin His Eminence Philippe Xavier Christian Ignace Marie Cardinal Barbarin (born October 17, 1950 in Rabat, Morocco) is the current archbishop of Lyon, France, and a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. ...

Response to sex abuse scandal

Regarding the Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal, he was seen by critics as at best, indifferent to the abuse and at worst, complicit in covering it up, both in specific cases and as a matter of policy. As prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), such abuses were ultimately his responsibility to investigate within the Church after 2001, when that charge was given to the CDF by Pope John Paul. ^{[8] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#endnote_Observer-240505b_a)} In the late 20th century, and especially at the turn of the 21st, the Catholic Church in several countries was confronted with a series of allegations concerning sexual abuse of children under the legal age of consent ¹ by Catholic clergy, the overwhelming majority of whom are priests. ...

On May 18, 2001, Ratzinger, as part of the implementation of the norms enacted and promulgated ^{[9] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#endnote_vatican_motu)} on April 30, 2001 by Pope John Paul II, sent a Latin language letter ^{[10] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#endnote_vatican_2001letter)} to every bishop in the Catholic church reminding them of the strict penalties facing those who revealed confidential details concerning enquiries into allegations against priests of certain grave ecclesiastical crimes, including sexual abuse, reserved to the jurisdiction of the CDF. The letter extended the prescription (statute of limitations) for these crimes to ten years. However, when the crime is sexual abuse of a minor, the "prescription begins to run from the day on that which the minor completes the eighteenth year of age." ^{[11] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#endnote_vatican_norms)} Lawyers acting for two alleged victims of abuse in Texas claim that by sending the letter the cardinal conspired to obstruct justice. ^{[12] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#endnote_Observer-240505a)} However, the letter did not discourage victims from reporting the abuse itself to the police; the secrecy related to the internal investigation. "The letter said the new norms reflected the CDF’s traditional “exclusive competence” regarding delicta graviora—Latin for “graver offenses.” According to canon law experts in Rome, reserving cases of clerical sexual abuse of minors to the CDF is something new. In past eras, some serious crimes by priests against sexual morality, including pedophilia, were handled by that congregation or its predecessor, the Holy Office, but this has not been true in recent years." ^{[13] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#endnote_CNSb)} The promulgation of the norms by Pope John Paul II and the subsequent letter by the then Prefect of the CDF were published in 2001 in Acta Apostolicae Sedis ^{[14] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#endnote_AAS)} which, in accordance with the Code of Canon Law ^{[15] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#endnote_CIC)}, is the Holy See's official journal, disseminated monthly to thousands of libraries and offices around the world. ^{[16] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#endnote_CLI)} May 18 is the 138th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (139th in leap years). ... 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years), with 245 days remaining, as the last day in April. ... 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Sexual abuse is physical or psychological abuse or harm that involves sexual behavior. ... A statute of limitations is a statute in a common law legal system setting forth the maximum period of time, after certain events, that legal proceedings based on those events may begin. ... In Western culture, canon law is the law of the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. ...

In 2002, Ratzinger told Catholic News Service that "less than one percent of priests are guilty of acts of this type." ^{[17] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#endnote_ZE02120324)} Opponents saw this as ignoring the crimes of those who committed the abuse; others saw it as merely pointing out that this should not taint other priests who live respectable lives. ^{[18] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#endnote_vatican_transcript)} A report by the Catholic Church itself estimated that some 4,450 of the Roman Catholic clergy who served between 1950 and 2002 have faced credible accusations of abuse. ^{[19] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#endnote_Observer-240505b_c)} His Good Friday reflections in 2005 were interpreted as strongly condemning and regretting the abuse scandals, which largely put to rest the speculation of indifference. Shortly after his election, he told Francis Cardinal George, the Archbishop of Chicago, that he would attend to the matter. ^{[20] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#endnote_Observer-240505b_d)} 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Good Friday is a special day celebrated by Christians on the Friday before Easter or Pascha. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... Cardinal George is the current Archbishop of Chicago. ...

Dialogue with other faiths

In 2000, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a document entitled Dominus Iesus, which generated much controversy. Some religious groups took offense to wild claims regarding the document, that supposedly stated that, "only in the Catholic Church is there eternal salvation."^{[21] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#endnote_theaustralian)} However, this statement appears nowhere in the document. Like his speech, "Relativism: The Central Problem for Faith Today," the document condemned "relativistic theories" of religious pluralism and described other faiths as "gravely deficient" in the means of salvation. The document was primarily aimed at reining in liberal Catholic theologians like Jacques Dupuis, who argued that other religions could contain God-given means of salvation not found in the Church of Christ, but it offended many religious leaders. Jewish religious leaders boycotted several interfaith meetings in protest. 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dominus Iesus (Latin for Lord Jesus) is a document by Pope Benedict XVI, written when he was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and the Congregations then secretary, Tarcisio Bertone. ... Jacques Dupuis (1923-2004) was a Belgian Jesuit priest who wrote several significant works on Catholicism and religious pluralism, including Toward a Christian Theology of Religious Pluralism (1997). ...

A remarkable but unappreciated aspect of Dominus Iesus can be found in the official Latin text (http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20000806_dominus-iesus_lt.html), in which the famous "filioque" clause ("and the Son") is quietly omitted. The changed Latin sentence reads "Et in Spiritum Sanctum (...), qui ex Patre procedit" ("and in the Holy Spirit (...), who proceeds from the Father") instead of "qui ex Patre Filioque procedit" ("who proceeds from the Father and the Son"). The filioque clause has been a source of conflict between Roman Catholic and Orthodox Church for about one thousand years. Leaving it out may be seen as Ratzinger's attempt to reach a hand by across the theological/historical chasm separating Eastern and Western Churches. In Christian theology the filioque clause (and the Son) is a disputed part of the Nicene Creed. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Eastern Orthodoxy (also called Greek Orthodoxy and Russian Orthodoxy) is a Christian tradition which represents the majority of Eastern Christianity. ...

Already in 1987, Cardinal Ratzinger had stated that Jewish history and scripture reach fulfillment only in Christ—a position critics denounced as "theological anti-Semitism," although it is very much in the general tradition of Christian views of the Old Testament and the Jews. Despite this, groups such as the World Jewish Congress commended his election as Pope as "welcome" and extolled his "great sensitivity".^{[22] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#endnote_worldjewishcongress)} 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The World Jewish Congress (WJC) is an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations. ...

Though his advent was congratulated by Buddhist leaders around the world,^{[23] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#endnote_phayul)} critics remembered that in March 1997 Cardinal Ratzinger predicted that Buddhism would over the coming century replace Marxism as the main "enemy" of the Catholic Church. Some also criticized him for calling Buddhism an "autoerotic spirituality" that offered "transcendence without imposing concrete religious obligations" ^{[24] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#endnote_iht)}, though that might be a mistranslation from the French auto-erotisme, which more properly translates to self-absorption, or narcissism ^{[25] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#endnote_dharmaForest)}. Also the quote did not address Buddhism as such, but rather about how Buddhism "appears" to those Europeans who are using it to obtain some type of self-satisfying spiritual experience.^{[26] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#endnote_monastic)} 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Statues of Buddha such as this, the Tian Tan Buddha statue in Hong Kong, remind followers to practice right living. ... Autoeroticism is the practice of fulfilling ones own sexual needs without a partner. ... Narcissus, the fictional Greek hero after whom narcissism is named, became obsessed with his own reflection Narcissism is the pattern of characteristics and behaviours which involve infatuation and obsession with ones self to the exclusion of others and the egotistic and ruthless pursuit of ones gratification, dominance and...

In an interview in 2004 for Le Figaro magazine, Ratzinger said Turkey, a country Muslim by heritage and staunchly Secularist by its state constitution, should seek its future in an association of Islamic nations rather than the EU, which has Christian roots. He said Turkey had always been "in permanent contrast to Europe" and that linking it to Europe would be a mistake.^{[27] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#endnote_csmonitor)} 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Le Figaro is one of the leading French morning daily newspapers. ... A Muslim is a believer in or follower of Islam. ... Secularism means: in philosophy, the belief that life can be best lived by applying ethics, and the universe best understood, by processes of reasoning, without reference to a god or gods or other supernatural concepts. ... Islam ( Arabic al-islām الإسلام,  listen?) the submission to God is a monotheistic faith and the worlds second-largest religion. ... The term Christian means belonging to Christ and is derived from the Greek noun Χριστός Khristós which means anointed one, which is itself a translation of the Hebrew word Moshiach (Hebrew: משיח, also written Messiah), (and in Arabic it is pronounced Maseeh مسيح). ... World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ...

His defenders argue that it is to be expected that a leader within the Catholic Church would forcefully and explicitly argue in favor of the superiority of Catholicism over other religions. Others also maintain that single quotes from Dominus Iesus are not indicative of intolerance or an unwillingness to engage in dialogue with other faiths, and this is clear from a reading of the entire document. They point out that Ratzinger has been very active in promoting inter-faith dialogue. Specifically, they argue that Ratzinger has been instrumental at encouraging reconciliation with Lutherans. In defending Dominus Iesus, Benedict himself has stated that his belief is that inter-faith dialogue should take place on the basis of equal human dignity, but that equality of human dignity should not imply that each side is equally correct. Dominus Iesus (Latin for Lord Jesus) is a document by Pope Benedict XVI, written when he was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and the Congregations then secretary, Tarcisio Bertone. ... Look up Faith in Wiktionary, the free dictionary The word faith has various uses; its central meaning is similar to belief, trust or confidence, but unlike these terms, faith tends to imply a transpersonal rather than interpersonal relationship - with God or a higher power. ... The Lutheran movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity by the original definition. ...

Papacy

Not knowing that within a few weeks he would ascend the Throne of St. Peter himself, Ratzinger presided over the 2005 Easter Vigil Mass at St. Peter's Basilica in place of Pope John Paul II.

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger celebrated Easter Vigil mass at St. ... Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger celebrated Easter Vigil mass at St. ...

Election to the Papacy

Prediction

On January 2, 2005, Time magazine quoted unnamed Vatican sources as saying that Ratzinger was a frontrunner to succeed John Paul II should the pope die or become too ill to continue as pope. On the death of John Paul II, the Financial Times gave the odds of Ratzinger becoming pope as 7–1, the lead position, but close to his rivals on the liberal wing of the church. In April 2005, before his election as pope, he was identified as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine. Ratzinger himself had repeatedly stated he would like to retire to a Bavarian village and dedicate himself to writing books, but more recently, he told friends he was ready to "accept any charge God placed on him." January 2 is the 2nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... (Clockwise from upper left) Notable Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ... Official papal image of John Paul II. His Holiness Pope John Paul II, né Karol Józef Wojtyła (born May 18, 1920 in Wadowice, Poland), is the current Pope — the Bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church. ... Official papal image of John Paul II. His Holiness Pope John Paul II, né Karol Józef Wojtyła (born May 18, 1920 in Wadowice, Poland), is the current Pope — the Bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church. ... The Financial Times building The Financial Times (FT) is an international business newspaper printed on distinctive salmon pink broadsheet paper. ... 2005 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Ongoing events • Iraqi legislative election • Bill C-38 (Canada gay marriage) • Tsunami relief • Cedar Revolution in Lebanon • Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan • German Visa Affair 2005 • Expo 2005 in Nagoya, Japan • Terri Schiavo controversy • Pope John Paul II... Leaders and revolutionaries Mahmoud Abbas - new President of the Palestinian Authority Gordon Brown - British Chancellor of the Exchequer George W. Bush — President of the United States Hugo Chávez - President of Venezuela Chen Shui-bian - President of the Republic of China; leader of Taiwan. ...

Piers Paul Read wrote in The Spectator on March 5, 2005: The Spectator is a conservative British political magazine, established 1828, published weekly. ... March 5 is the 64th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (65th in leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

There can be little doubt that his courageous promotion of orthodox Catholic teaching has earned him the respect of his fellow cardinals throughout the world. He is patently holy, highly intelligent and sees clearly what is at stake. Indeed, for those who blame the decline of Catholic practice in the developed world precisely on the propensity of many European bishops to hide their heads in the sand, a pope who confronts it may be just what is required. Ratzinger is no longer young—he is 78 years old: but Angelo Roncalli, who revolutionized Catholicism by calling the Second Vatican Council was almost the same age (76) when he became pope as John XXIII. As Jeff Israely, the correspondent of Time, was told by a Vatican insider last month, "The Ratzinger solution is definitely on."

However, Papal predictions in modern history had usually been wrong, with the most popular candidates often losing the election in favor of a more unknown, obscure cardinal. For example following the death of Pope Paul VI many in the media predicted the next pope would be a non-Italian, only to have this prediction proven wrong with the election of Albino Luciani as John Paul I. Likewise, when John Paul died many predicted his successor would in turn be another Italian, yet this also was proven wrong with the election of the Polish Karol Wojtyla. The Blessed Pope John XXIII, born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli (November 25, 1881–June 3, 1963), reigned as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from October 28, 1958 until his death in 1963. ... John Paul I, seen here on the papal throne, is wearing an inexpensive silver pectoral cross, not the standard golden cross worn by Popes and his uncut hair, simply brushed back, was considered unusual but more genuine and modest than the dandy coifs of the other Cardinals. ...

Election

Benedict XVI appears on the balcony shortly after his election.

With a tapestry bearing the coat of arms of John Paul II hanging over the balcony, Benedict XVI is introduced to the crowd gathered in Saint Peter's Square.

On April 19, 2005 Cardinal Ratzinger was elected as the successor to Pope John Paul II on the second day of the papal conclave after four ballots. Coincidentally, April 19 is the feast of St. Leo IX, a German pope and saint. Subject: Pope Benedict XVI Source: REUTERS/Osservatore Romano-Arturo Mari From: http://story. ... Subject: Pope Benedict XVI Source: REUTERS/Osservatore Romano-Arturo Mari From: http://story. ... Image: Pope Benedict XVI is introduced to those gathered at St. ... Image: Pope Benedict XVI is introduced to those gathered at St. ... April 19 is the 109th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (110th in leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... The Papal conclave of 2005 began on April 18, 2005 and ended the next day after four ballots. ... April 19 is the 109th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (110th in leap years). ... Leo IX, né Bruno dEguisheim-Dagsbourg (June 21, 1002 - April 19, 1054) was pope from February 12, 1049 to his death. ...

Cardinal Ratzinger had hoped to retire peacefully and said that "At a certain point, I prayed to God 'please don't do this to me'...Evidently, this time He didn't listen to me." (quote) (http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/04/25/pope.monday/)

Before his first appearance at the balcony of Saint Peter's Basilica after becoming pope, he was announced by Jorge Cardinal Medina Estévez, the protodeacon of the College of Cardinals. Cardinal Medina Estévez first addressed the massive crowd as "dear(est) brothers and sisters" in Italian, Spanish, French, German and English — each language receiving cheers from the international crowd — before continuing in Latin. Interior view, with the nave of the Cattedra in the back St. ... Jorge Arturo Cardinal Medina Estévez (born December 23, 1926) is a retired cardinal from Santiago, Chile. ...

At the balcony, Benedict's first words to the crowd, before he gave the traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing, were: Urbi et Orbi, literally to the City (of Rome) and to the World, was a standard opening of Roman proclamations. ...

Dear brothers and sisters, after the great Pope John Paul II, the Cardinals have elected me, a simple and humble labourer in the vineyard of the Lord.

The fact that the Lord knows how to work and to act even with inadequate instruments comforts me, and above all I entrust myself to your prayers.

In the joy of the Risen Lord, let us move forward, confident of his unfailing help. The Lord will help us and Mary, his Most Holy Mother, will be on our side. Thank you. (translation from original Italian).

He then gave the blessing to the people.

Choice of name

The choice of the name Benedict (Latin "the blessed") is significant. Benedict XVI used his first General Audience in St. Peter's Square, on April 27, 2005, to explain to the world on why he chose the name: April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

"Filled with sentiments of awe and thanksgiving, I wish to speak of why I chose the name Benedict. Firstly, I remember Pope Benedict XV, that courageous prophet of peace, who guided the Church through turbulent times of war. In his footsteps I place my ministry in the service of reconciliation and harmony between peoples. Additionally, I recall Saint Benedict of Norcia, co-patron of Europe, whose life evokes the Christian roots of Europe. I ask him to help us all to hold firm to the centrality of Christ in our Christian life: May Christ always take first place in our thoughts and actions!" ^{[28] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#endnote_vatican_FirstGenAud)}

His Holiness Pope Benedict XV, born Giacomo della Chiesa (November 21, 1854 – January 22, 1922), reigned as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from September 3, 1914 to 1922; he succeeded Pope Saint Pius X. Della Chiesa was born in Genoa, Italy, of a noble...

Early days of Papacy

Papal Arms of Pope Benedict XVI. The papal tiara was replaced with a bishop's mitre.

Pope Benedict has confounded the expectations of many in the early days of his papacy by his gentle public persona and his promise to listen. It is notable that he has used an open popemobile, saying that he wants to be closer to the people. This is the rendering of the arms of Pope Benedict XVI done by Archbishop Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo for the Popes personal use only. ... This is the rendering of the arms of Pope Benedict XVI done by Archbishop Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo for the Popes personal use only. ... 1834 Tiara of Pope Gregory XVI The Papal Tiara, also known as the Triple Tiara, in Latin as the Triregnum, or in Italian as the Triregno,[1] is the three-tiered jewelled papal crown of Byzantine and Persian origin that is the symbol of the papacy. ... The mitre or miter is a traditional, ceremonial head-dress of bishops in the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion and Eastern Orthodoxy. ... The popemobile is an informal term for the specially designed vehicle used by the pope during public appearances. ...

Benedict's coat of arms initially omitted the papal tiara, traditionally appearing in the background to designate the Pope's position and replaced it with a simple mitre. However, papal documents since his inauguration have been appearing with the papal tiara present. Since it is the shield and not the background which is unique to the individual Pope, various backgrounds are possible (though rarely used) for even a single shield. Initial rendering of the arms of Pope Benedict XVI The coat of arms of Pope Benedict XVI were designed by Archbishop Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo soon after the papal election. ... 1834 Tiara of Pope Gregory XVI The Papal Tiara, also known as the Triple Tiara, in Latin as the Triregnum, or in Italian as the Triregno,[1] is the three-tiered jewelled papal crown of Byzantine and Persian origin that is the symbol of the papacy. ... The mitre or miter is a traditional, ceremonial head-dress of bishops in the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion and Eastern Orthodoxy. ...

During his inaugural Mass, the previous custom of all the cardinals submitting was replaced by having 12 people, representing cardinals, clergy, religious, a married couple and their child, and newly confirmed people, submit to him. However, all the cardinals had already sworn their obedience upon his election. In a return to tradition, Benedict chose to resurrect the ancient tradition of the papal slippers and to delegate the celebration of the beatification liturgies. Confirmation can refer to: Confirmation (sacrament) Confirmation (epistemology) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Papal Slippers with Gauntlets of HH Paul VI Pius VII wearing papal slippers The Papal Slippers are a historical vestment of the Roman Catholic Church traditionally worn by the pope on his feet. ...

In an address to a conference of the Diocese of Rome held at St. John Lateran basilica on June 6, 2005, Benedict remarked on the issues of same-sex marrage and abortion: June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 208 days remaining. ...

"The various forms of the dissolution of matrimony today, like free unions, trial marriages and going up to pseudo-matrimonies by people of the same sex, are rather expressions of an anarchic freedom that wrongly passes for true freedom of man...from here it becomes all the more clear how contrary it is to human love, to the profound vocation of man and woman, to systematically close their union to the gift of life, and even worse to suppress or tamper with the life that is born," he said.^{[29] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#endnote_AP)}

Curial appointments

Upon becoming the Pope, Benedict reappointed all former officers of the Roman Curia under John Paul II to new terms. This assured an easy transition into new government. The highest of those appointments are those considered to be Benedict XVI's prime ministers: Angelo Cardinal Sodano of Italy who serves as Secretary of State and Edmund Cardinal Szoka of the United States who serves as Governor of Vatican City. The Roman Curia is the complex of the organs and the authorities that constitute the administrative apparatus of the Holy See, coordinating and providing the necessary organisation for the correct functioning of the Roman Catholic Church and the achievement of its goals. ... A prime minister may be either: the chief or leading member of the cabinet of the top-level government in a country having a parliamentary system of government; or the official, in countries with a semi-presidential system of government, appointed to manage the civil service and execute the directives... Cardinal Angelo Sodano with Condoleezza Rice His Eminence Angelo Cardinal Sodano (born November 23, 1927) is the Cardinal Secretary of State, first appointed by Pope John Paul II and then reappointed by Pope Benedict XVI. In April 2005 he succeeded Benedict as Dean of the College of Cardinals. ... The Cardinal Secretary of State presides over the Secretariat of State, which is the most important dicastery of the Roman Curia. ... Edmund Casimir Cardinal Szoka (born September 14, 1927) is Archbishop emeritus of Detroit, Michigan, President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, and President of the Governatorate of Vatican City. ... The Governor of Vatican City is concurrently the President of the Governatorate of Vatican City and sometimes called the President of Vatican City. ...

Benedict XVI's only major new appointment was that of his successor as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Early speculation included the names of Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, prelate archbishop of the Archdiocese of Vienna in Austria and Francis Cardinal George, prelate archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago in the United States. Both were renowned for their knowledge of Church doctrine and were considered among the more conservative members of the College of Cardinals. Christoph Cardinal Schönborn His Eminence Christoph Cardinal Schönborn OP (who would have been Count Christoph Maria Michael Hugo Damian Peter Adalbert von Schönborn if Austrian law on nobility were not in place), born on January 22, 1945 at Skalken castle west of Leitmeritz, in Bohemia, which is... The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Austria. ... Cardinal George is the current Archbishop of Chicago. ... The seal of the Archdiocese of Chicago. ...

On May 13, 2005, Benedict XVI appointed a non-Cardinal, William Joseph Levada, prelate archbishop of the Archdiocese of San Francisco in the United States. Renowned for his knowledge of Church doctrine due to his office as principal editor of the current Catechism of the Catholic Church, Levada is considered by some to be even more staunchly conservative than all the Pope's choices within the College of Cardinals. Levada relinquishes his see in San Francisco on August 17, 2005 and is expected to be raised in consistory to the title of Cardinal. May 13 is the 133rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (134th in leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... William Joseph Levada is the appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. ... The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco is the ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the northern California region of the United States. ... The Catechism of the Catholic Church, or CCC, is an official exposition of the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, first published in French in 1992 with the authorization of Pope John Paul II.[1] To correspond exactly with the official text in Latin,[2] which appeared in 1997, five... August 17 is the 229th day of the year (230th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

Due to the immense influence wielded by the office of Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith — arguably more immense than that of the Pope's own prime ministers — Benedict XVI's appointment of an American in effect raises the United States into greater prominence in the universal Church. That fact sparked many fears that the United States was being given too much power in the Church; people worldwide generally express uneasiness considering that the United States already dominates global politics. It is because of that reason that Americans are never considered papabile.

Beatifications and canonizations

Benedict XVI oversaw his first beatification on May 14, 2005, honoring Mother Marianne Cope of Hawaii with the title Blessed. He wore a traditional Hawaiian maile lei as a stole for the occasion.

On May 13, 2005, Benedict XVI made his first promulgation of the beatification process. The honoree of the process was his predecessor, John Paul II. Normally five years pass before the beatification process begins for a person after his or her death but due to the popularity of John Paul II — devotees chanted "Santo subito!" meaning "Saint now!" during the late pontiff's funeral — Benedict XVI waived the custom and officially styled the late pope with the title given to all those being scrutinized in the beatification process, Servant of God. On May 14, 2005, Pope Benedict XVI is presented with a maile lei for the beatification of Mother Marianne Cope of Hawaii. ... On May 14, 2005, Pope Benedict XVI is presented with a maile lei for the beatification of Mother Marianne Cope of Hawaii. ... May 13 is the 133rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (134th in leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... In Catholicism, beatification (from Latin beatus, blessed, via Greek μακαριος, makarios) is a recognition accorded by the church of a dead persons accession to Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name (intercession of saints). ... Servant of God is the title given to a person of the Roman Catholic Church upon whom a pope has opened a cause of sainthood. ...

Upon the confirmation after scrutiny that the late pontiff's life is found morally clean and manifest heroic virtues, a decree of heroicity will be proclaimed and John Paul II will be declared Venerable on the road to beatification. Before changes in canon law in 1917, the title Venerable was given at the same time a person was declared Servant of God. Upon the confirmation of miracles attributed to the honoree, John Paul II would then be declared Blessed. A person is strictly prohibited from being officially celebrated in Mass until he or she achieves the title of Blessed. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Venerable (Greek: Όσιος for men and Οσία for women) is a title attributed to saints that had lived a monastic or eremitic life, and it is considered equal or sometimes superior to plain Saint. In the Church of England, Venerable is the title given to... In Western culture, canon law is the law of the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. ... 1917 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... According to many religions, a miracle is an intervention by God in the universe. ... Blessed is a dancehall album by Jamaican musician Beenie Man, released in 1995 (see 1995 in music). ...

The next day on May 14, Benedict XVI made his first official beatification, raising Mother Marianne Cope — who served with Blessed Damien of Molokai helping those suffering from leprosy in what is now the Diocese of Honolulu in Hawaii — to the title of "Blessed Marianne of Molokai." She was the first addition to the calendar of saints by Benedict XVI announcing an optional feast to be celebrated in her honor annually on January 23. Blessed Damien and Blessed Marianne are the patrons of HIV/AIDS and outcasts. Both are expected to become the first saints of the Hawaiian Islands. Mother Ascensión Nicol Goñi was also beatified on the same day. May 14 is the 134th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (135th in leap years). ... Mother Marianne Cope, also known as Mother Marianne Kopp, was a nun of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States who, as superior of her religious order, became famous for her work with the lepers of Molokai in the former Kingdom of Hawaii. ... Father Damien is the patron of lepers, outcasts, those with HIV/AIDS and the State of Hawaii. ... Father Damien was a Roman Catholic missionary who helped lepers on Hawaii and also died of the disease. ... Pope Pius XI blesses Bishop Stephen Alencastre as fifth Apostolic Vicar of the Hawaiian Islands in a Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace window. ... State nickname: The Aloha State Other U.S. States Capital Honolulu Largest city Honolulu Governor Linda Lingle Official languages Hawaiian and English Area 28,337 km² (43rd)  - Land 16,649 km²  - Water 11,672 km² (41. ... The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organising a liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with a saint, and referring to the day as the saints day of that saint. ... January 23 is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... In several forms of Christianity, a patron saint has special affinity for a trade or group. ... HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a retrovirus that infects cells of the human immune system. ... AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, sometimes written Aids) is a human disease characterized by weakening of the bodys immune system and capacity to fight infection and certain cancers. ... Outcast is an action/adventure computer game by French developer Appeal, released in 1999 by publisher Infogrames. ... Map of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of islands that stretches 2,400 km in a northwesterly direction from the southern tip of the Island of Hawai‘i. ... Mother Ascensión Nicol Goñi is a candidate for sainthood. ...

Unlike his predecessor, Benedict XVI delegated the beatification liturgical service to a principal aide, José Cardinal Saraiva Martins, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. It was noted by Vatican watchers that the practice of delegating prominent functions enjoyed by the late John Paul II would become the norm for Benedict XVI, who seems to prefer the duties of Church manager as opposed to having more of a public face. This may also reflect the need for Benedict to maintain a more restricted public appearance schedule, due to his recent health history, which is considerably less robust than that of John Paul II at the time of his election. His Eminence José Cardinal Saraiva Martins (born 6 January 1932) is a Cardinal Deacon and Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in the Roman Catholic Church. ... Governing the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope makes use of the Roman Curia, the administrative apparatus of the Holy See. ...

The first Mass of Canonization for Benedict XVI is scheduled for October 23, 2005 in St. Peter's Square. Benedict XVI will bestow the honor of the title of Saint to: Jozef Bilczewski of Poland and Ukraine, Archbishop of Lviv (Lvov); Gaetano Catanoso of Italy, priest and founder of the Congregation of the Daughters of St. Veronica (also known as the Missionaries of the Holy Face); Zygmunt Gorazdowski of Poland and Ukraine, priest and founder of the Congregation of Sisters of St. Joseph; Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga of Chile, priest of the Society of Jesus; Felice Da Nicosia of Italy, lay member of the Capuchins. October 23 is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 69 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga was a Jesuit priest of Chile. ... The Society of Jesus — also known by its Latin name Societas Iesu or its English variant Jesuit Order — is a Christian religious order of the Roman Catholic Church in direct service to the Pope. ... For other uses, see Capuchin (disambiguation). ...

See also

• Georg Gaenswein - private secretary
• Dominus Iesus - document authored by Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
• Pope Benedict - list of other popes and antipopes using the name
• Prophecy of the Popes - document by Saint Malachy
• Theology of Pope Benedict XVI - philosophical and theological beliefs of Pope Benedict XVI
• Works of Pope Benedict XVI - literature authored by Pope Benedict XVI

Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikiquote is a sister project of Wikipedia, using the same MediaWiki software. ... File links The following pages link to this file: Abraham Lincoln Aristotle Ayn Rand Adolf Hitler Al Gore A Modest Proposal Articles of Confederation Arthur Schopenhauer Albert Einstein Amhrán na bhFiann Arthur Conan Doyle Ada programming language Antarctic Treaty System Andrew Jackson Andrew Johnson Adam Smith Bill Clinton Bible... Wikisource is a sister project to Wikipedia that aims to create a free wiki library of primary source texts, and translations of source texts in any language. ... File links The following pages link to this file: Abu Dhabi Abraham Lincoln Australia Adolf Hitler Animation Andorra Alaska Anatomy Asia Albert Einstein Asterales Automobile Aircraft Alexander Graham Bell Apple Computer American Civil War Ancient Egypt Asteraceae Alps Arches National Park Aarhus Almond Caesar Augustus Acacia Acropolis Acupuncture Amaranth Alexander... The Wikimedia Commons is (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free images, sound and other multimedia files. ... Wikinews logo. ... Wikinews is a free content news source and a project of the Wikimedia Foundation. ... Georg Gaenswein is the private secretary to Pope Benedict XVI. Georg Gaenswein (born 1957 in Riedern am Wald, Baden-Württemberg) is a priest of the Roman Catholic Church in Germany. ... Dominus Iesus (Latin for Lord Jesus) is a document by Pope Benedict XVI, written when he was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and the Congregations then secretary, Tarcisio Bertone. ... Pope Benedict is the regnal name of the current Roman pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI (2005–present) and has been the name of fifteen other popes: Pope Benedict I (575–579) Pope Benedict II (684–685) Pope Benedict III (855–858) Pope Benedict IV (900–903) Pope Benedict V (964) Pope... The Prophecy of the Popes according to Saint Malachy is a list of 112 short phrases in Latin. ... Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI has taken positions similar to his predecessor, John Paul II, and has been a staunch defender of Catholic doctrine. ... These are the works written by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, elected Pope Benedict XVI: As Joseph Kardinal Ratzinger (German editions) Werte in Zeiten des Umbruchs(En: Values in a Time of Changes), Freiburg im Breisgau 2005, ISBN 3-451-05592-9 Unterwegs zu Jesus Christus (En: On the Way to Jesus...

Notes

1. ^  Matthew Schofield, "In German town, Benedict XVI known for love of cats, conversation (http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/11455054.htm)," Knight Ridder, April 21, 2005.
2. ^  Justin Sparks, John Follain, and Christopher Morgan, "Papal hopeful is a former Hitler Youth (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-1572667,00.html)," The Sunday Times, April 17, 2005.
3. ^  Richard Bernstein, and Mark Landler, "A cardinal's visit put boy on path to the Vatican (http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/04/21/news/portrait.html)," New York Times, April 22, 2005.
4. ^  Richard Bernstein, and Mark Landler, " A future pope is recalled: A lover of cats and Mozart, dazzled by church as a boy (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/22/international/worldspecial2/22germany.html?pagewanted=1&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1114340564-13zVUfWUfsfMLXhqWFxrDA)," New York Times, April 22, 2005.
5. ^  "Hitler Youth: Prelude to War (1933–1938) (http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/hitleryouth/hj-prelude.htm)," The History Place.
6. ^  Daniel J Wakin, " Turbulence on Campus in 60's Hardened Views of Future Pope (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/24/international/worldspecial2/24ratzinger.html?position=&incamp=article_popular_5&pagewanted=print&position=)," New York Times, April 24, 2005 (accessed June 8, 2005)
7. ^  "Pope has had second stroke" (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-1592856,00.html), The Sunday Times, (London) May 1, 2005.
8. ^  Jamie Doward, "The Pope, the letter and the child sex claim (http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1469005,00.html)," The Guardian, April 24, 2005.
9. ^  Sacramentorum sanctitatis tutela (http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/motu_proprio/documents/hf_jp-ii_motu-proprio_20020110_sacramentorum-sanctitatis-tutela_lt.html), The Vatican, April 30, 2001.
10. ^  Epistula ad totius Catholicae Ecclesiae Episcopos aliosque Ordinarios et Hierarchas interesse habentes de delictis gravioribus eidem Congregationi pro Doctrina Fidei reservatis (http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20010518_epistula_graviora%20delicta_lt.html), The Vatican, May 18, 2001.
11. ^  www.bishop-accountability.org  (http://www.bishop-accountability.org/resources/resource-files/churchdocs/SacramentorumAndNormaeEnglish.htm) Unofficial translation of Sacramentorum sanctitatis tutela by the USCCB and a translation of the Norms by Gregory Ingels, both revised by Joseph R. Punderson and Charles J. Scicluna. The new norms (like the American norms) consider a minor to be anyone under the age of 18—a wider definition than in the Code of Canon Law, where minors are below the age of 16.
12. ^  Jamie Doward, "Pope 'obstructed' sex abuse inquiry (http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1469055,00.html)," The Guardian, April 24, 2005.
13. ^  "Signs of the Times: Doctrinal Congregation Takes Over Priestly Pedophilia Cases (http://www.americamagazine.org/catholicnews.cfm?articleTypeID=29&textID=1352&issueID=355)", Catholic News Service, December 17, 2001.
14. ^  Acta Apostolicae Sedis 93 (2001): 737–39, 785–88.
15. ^  Code of Canon Law: Canon 8, §1 (http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P3.HTM), The Vatican.
16. ^  CanonLaw.info (http://mywebpages.comcast.net/enpeters/blog.htm), April 29, 2005 update to Much Ado About Nothing by Dr Edward Peters, JCD, JD
17. ^  "Cardinal Ratzinger ... Sees Agenda Behind the Reporting in U.S. (http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=28487)," Zenit News Agency, December 3, 2002.
18. ^  Vatican Transcript of Meditation on the Ninth Station of the Cross (http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/2005/via_crucis/en/station_09.html), The Vatican.
19. ^  See note 8 above.
20. ^  See note 8 above.
21. ^  Justin Sparks, and John Follain, "Nazi link may dog favourite (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,15003155%255E39835,00.html)," The Australian, April 18, 2005.
22. ^  "Election of Cardinal Ratzinger as new Pope welcomed (http://www.worldjewishcongress.org/nfo/article.cfm?id=3908)," World Jewish Congress, April 19, 2005.
23. ^  "His Holiness the Dalai Lama Greets New Pope (http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=9643&article=His+Holiness+the+Dalai+Lama+Greets+New+Pope)," Phayul.com, April 20, 2005; Korean Catholics Welcome New Pontiff (http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200504/200504200016.html)," english.chosun.com, April 20, 2005.
24. ^  "Benedict XVI: Ratzinger's positions on issues facing the Catholic Church (http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/04/20/news/issues.html)," International Herald Tribune, April 21, 2005.
25. ^  "Pope Benedict XVI's Buddhist Encounter (http://paramita.typepad.com/dharma_forest/2005/04/pope_benedict_x.html)," Dharma Forest, April 20, 2005.
26. ^  Donald Mitchell, review of John Paul II and Interreligious Dialogue (http://monasticdialog.com/a.php?id=577&t=p), by Pope John Paul II, ed. Byron L. Sherwin and Harold Kasimow, Monastic Interreligious Dialogue, March 2000.
27. ^  Jim Bencivenga, "Navigating a clash of civilizations: Examining the new pope's old comments on Turkey's entry into the European Union (http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0422/dailyUpdate.html)," Christian Science Monitor, April 22, 2005.
28. ^  Pope Benedict XVI's General Audience Speech (http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2005/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20050427_en.html), The Vatican, April 27, 2005.
29. ^  Nicole Winfield, "Pope Benedict XVI condemns same-sex unions (http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5056168,00.html)," The Guardian, June 6, 2005.

Literature

• Allen, John L.: Cardinal Ratzinger: the Vatican's enforcer of the faith. – New York: Continuum, 2000
• Nichols OP, Aidan: Theology of Joseph Ratzinger. – Edinburgh; T&T Clark, 1988
• Wagner, Karl: Kardinal Ratzinger: der Erzbischof in München und Freising in Wort und Bild. – München : Pfeiffer, 1977
• Pater Prior Maximilian Heim: Joseph Ratzinger - Kirchliche Existenz und existenzielle Theologie unter dem Anspruch von Lumen gentium (diss.).
• Herrmann, Horst: Benedikt XVI. Der neue Papst aus Deutschland. – Berlin 2005

Biographies

• Allen, John L. (2005) Pope Benedict XVI: A Biography of Joseph Ratzinger New York: Continuum International Publishing Group. ISBN 0826417868
• Bunson, Matthew. (2005) We Have a Pope! Benedict XVI Huntington IN: Our Sunday Visitor. ISBN 1592761801
• Tobin, Greg. (2005) Holy Father : Pope Benedict XVI: Pontiff for a New Era Sterling. ISBN 1402731728

External links and references

Official

• Vatican: the Holy See (http://www.vatican.va) – Vatican web site
• The Holy See - The Holy Father - Benedict XVI (http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/index.htm) – Vatican web site about the Holy Father Benedict XVI
• Vatican: Election (http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/elezione/index_en.htm) Vatican web page about election
• Communio (http://www.communio-icr.com/) magazine, founded by Ratzinger and others. Contains recent articles by him.
• Official email address: (see link 'Greetings to the Holy Father' (http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/elezione/index_en.htm))

Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

Biographical

• Pope Benedict XVI: BBC Profile (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4445279.stm)
• Deutsche Welle Dossier on Benedict XVI (http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,1558777,00.html)
• Washington Times Analysis: Ratzinger in the ascendance (http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20050401-033437-4653r.htm)
• WSWS.org - Pope Benedict XVI’s political resume: theocracy and social reaction (http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/apr2005/pope-a22.shtml)
• The Vatican’s Enforcer (http://www.natcath.com/NCR_Online/archives/041699/041699a.htm) – The National Catholic Reporter's 1999 Cover Story on the history of then Cardinal Ratzinger
• World War II years (http://www.catholicculture.org/docs/doc_view.cfm?recnum=663)

The first days of his papacy

• Pope News Roundup (http://www.punditguy.com/2005/04/german_pope.html)
• American Catholic - Pope Benedict XVI Starts His Papacy (http://www.americancatholic.org/news/BenedictXVI)
• Windows Media video of Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez announcing Habemus Papam (We have a Pope!) (http://www.angelfire.com/tv2/benedictxvi/)

General

• The Pope Benedict XVI Fan Club (http://www.popebenedictxvifanclub.com/index.html) (see also The Cardinal Ratzinger Fan Club (http://www.ratzingerfanclub.com/))
• The Pope Blog: Pope Benedict XVI (http://thepopeblog.blogspot.com)
• Catholic Apologetics of America (http://catholicapologeticsofamerica.blogspot.com/)
• The Pope Benedict Blog Site (http://www.epopebenedict.com/)
• Amici di Joseph Ratzinger (http://www.ratzinger.it) (in Italian)
• Portal Papst Benedikt XVI. (http://www.papst-benedikt16.org) (in German)
• Papst News: Papst Benedikt XVI (http://www.papst-benedikt.be) (in German)
• Ratzinger page at www.cardinalrating.com (http://www.cardinalrating.com/cardinal_84.htm)