Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI (Latin: Benedictus PP. XVI; Italian: Benedetto XVI; German: Benedikt XVI; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as pope occurred in the 2005 papal conclave that followed the death of Pope John Paul II. Benedict chose to be known as "Pope emeritus" upon his resignation, and he retained this title until his death in December 2022.[9][10]

Quick facts: Pope Benedict XVI, Church, Papacy began, Papa... ▼

Pope Benedict XVI
Bishop of Rome
Benedict XVI in 2010
Church	Catholic Church
Papacy began	19 April 2005
Papacy ended	28 February 2013
Predecessor	John Paul II
Successor	Francis
Orders
Ordination	29 June 1951 by Michael von Faulhaber
Consecration	28 May 1977 by Josef Stangl
Created cardinal	27 June 1977 by Paul VI
Personal details
Born	Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger (1927-04-16)16 April 1927 Marktl, Bavaria, German Reich
Died	31 December 2022(2022-12-31) (aged 95) Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, Vatican City
Nationality	German (with Vatican citizenship)
Previous post(s)	Dean of the College of Cardinals (2002–2005) Cardinal Bishop of Ostia (2002–2005) Cardinal Bishop of Velletri–Segni (1993–2005) Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (1982–2005) President of the International Theological Commission (1982–2005) President of the Pontifical Biblical Commission (1982–2005) Cardinal Priest of Santa Maria Consolatrice al Tiburtino (1977–1993) Archbishop of Munich and Freising (1977–1982)
Motto	Cooperatores veritatis (Latin for 'Cooperators of the truth')
Signature
Coat of arms
Philosophy career
Notable work	Jesus of Nazareth Introduction to Christianity Eschatology: Death and Eternal Life Deus caritas est
Era	Contemporary philosophy
Region	Western philosophy
School	Augustinism
Main interests	Christian theology ecclesiology
Notable ideas	Rejection of dehellenization Hermeneutic of continuity
Influences Aristotle St. Paul Plato John Paul II Boethius[1] Bonaventure Justin Martyr Clement of Alexandria[2] Aquinas Albertus Magnus Augustine Pseudo-Dionysius[3] John of Damascus John of Patmos[4] Marcus Aurelius Proclus of Constantinople[5] Teresa of Ávila[6] Origen[7] Solovyov[8] Socrates Spaemann
Ordination history
History Diaconal ordination Ordained by Johannes Neuhäusler [de] Date 29 October 1950 Place Freising Cathedral, Freising Priestly ordination Ordained by Michael von Faulhaber Date 29 June 1951 Place Freising Cathedral, Freising Episcopal consecration Principal consecrator Josef Stangl Co-consecrators Rudolf Graber [de] Ernst Tewes [de] Date 28 May 1977 Place Frauenkirche, Munich Cardinalate Elevated by Pope Paul VI Date 27 June 1977
Episcopal succession Bishops consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI as principal consecrator Alberto Bovone 12 May 1984 Zygmunt Zimowski 25 May 2002 Josef Clemens 6 January 2004 Bruno Forte 8 September 2004 Mieczysław Mokrzycki 29 September 2007 Francesco Giovanni Brugnaro 29 September 2007 Gianfranco Ravasi 29 September 2007 Tommaso Caputo 29 September 2007 Sergio Pagano 29 September 2007 Vincenzo Di Mauro 29 September 2007 Gabriele Giordano Caccia 12 September 2009 Franco Coppola 12 September 2009 Pietro Parolin 12 September 2009 Raffaello Martinelli 12 September 2009 Giorgio Corbellini 12 September 2009 Savio Hon 5 February 2011 Marcello Bartolucci 5 February 2011 Celso Morga Iruzubieta 5 February 2011 Antonio Guido Filipazzi 5 February 2011 Edgar Peña Parra 5 February 2011 Charles John Brown 6 January 2012 Marek Solczyński 6 January 2012 Angelo Vincenzo Zani 6 January 2013 Fortunatus Nwachukwu 6 January 2013 Georg Gänswein 6 January 2013 Nicolas Thévenin 6 January 2013
Other popes named Benedict

Quick facts: Papal styles of Pope Benedict XVI, Reference ... ▼

Papal styles of Pope Benedict XVI
Reference style	His Holiness
Spoken style	Your Holiness
Religious style	Holy Father

Ordained as a priest in 1951 in his native Bavaria, Ratzinger embarked on an academic career and established himself as a highly regarded theologian by the late 1950s. He was appointed a full professor in 1958 at the age of 31. After a long career as a professor of theology at several German universities, he was appointed Archbishop of Munich and Freising and created a cardinal by Pope Paul VI in 1977, an unusual promotion for someone with little pastoral experience. In 1981, he was appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, one of the most important dicasteries of the Roman Curia. From 2002 until he was elected pope, he was also Dean of the College of Cardinals. Before becoming pope, he was "a major figure on the Vatican stage for a quarter of a century"; he had an influence "second to none when it came to setting church priorities and directions" as one of John Paul II's closest confidants.[11]

Benedict's writings were prolific and generally defended traditional Catholic doctrine, values, and liturgy.[12] He was originally a liberal theologian but adopted conservative views after 1968.[13] During his papacy, Benedict advocated a return to fundamental Christian values to counter the increased secularisation of many Western countries. He viewed relativism's denial of objective truth, and the denial of moral truths in particular, as the central problem of the 21st century. Benedict also revived several traditions, including the Tridentine Mass.[14] He strengthened the relationship between the Catholic Church and art, promoted the use of Latin,[15] and reintroduced traditional papal vestments, for which reason he was called "the pope of aesthetics".[16] He was described as "the main intellectual force in the Church" since the mid-1980s.[17]

On 11 February 2013, Benedict announced his resignation, citing a "lack of strength of mind and body" due to his advanced age. His resignation was the first by a pope since Gregory XII in 1415, and the first on a pope's initiative since Celestine V in 1294. He was succeeded by Francis on 13 March 2013 and moved into the newly renovated Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in Vatican City for his retirement. In addition to his native German language, Benedict had some level of proficiency in French, Italian, English, and Spanish. He also knew Portuguese, Latin, Biblical Hebrew, and Biblical Greek.[18][19][20] He was a member of several social science academies, such as the French Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques. He played the piano and had a preference for Mozart and Bach.[21]

Benedict's handling of sexual abuse cases within the Catholic Church and opposition to usage of condoms in areas of high HIV transmission led to substantial criticism from public health officials, anti-AIDS activists, and victim's rights organizations.[22][23]