Pope Benedict XVI

For other persons of the same name, see Pope Benedict.

Benedict XVI
Papacy began	19 April 2005
Predecessor	John Paul II
Personal details
Birth name	Joseph Alois Ratzinger
Born	16 April 1927 Marktl am Inn, Bavaria, Germany
Nationality	German and Vatican
Signature
Other Popes named Benedict

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Pope Benedict XVI (Latin: Benedictus PP. XVI; Italian: Benedetto XVI; German: Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Alois Ratzinger on 16 April 1927) is the 265th Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the head of the Catholic Church and, as such, Sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2005 until his resignation in 2013. He was elected on 19 April 2005 in a papal conclave, celebrated his Papal Inauguration Mass on 24 April 2005, and took possession of his cathedral, the Basilica of St. John Lateran, on 7 May 2005. A native of Bavaria, Pope Benedict XVI has both German and Vatican citizenship. He succeeded Pope John Paul II.

Benedict XVI is theologically conservative, and his teaching and prolific writings defend traditional Catholic doctrine and values. After a long career as an internationally noted academic, serving as a professor of theology at various German universities, he was appointed Archbishop of Munich and Freising and cardinal by Pope Paul VI in 1977. In 1981, he settled in Rome when he became Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, one of the most important offices of the Roman Curia. At the time of his election as Pope, he was also Dean of the College of Cardinals, and as such the primus inter pares among the cardinals.

During his papacy, Benedict XVI emphasized what he sees as a need for Europe to return to fundamental Christian values in response to increasing de-Christianisation and secularisation in many developed countries. For this reason, he proclaimed relativism's denial of objective truth—and more particularly, the denial of moral truths—as the central problem of the 21st century. He taught the importance for the Catholic Church and for humanity of contemplating God's redemptive love and reaffirmed the "importance of prayer in the face of the activism and the growing secularism of many Christians engaged in charitable work." Pope Benedict XVI also revived a number of traditions, and notably gave the Tridentine Mass a more prominent position.

Pope Benedict was also the founder and patron of the Ratzinger Foundation, a charitable organisation, which makes money from the sale of books and essays written by the Pope, in order to fund scholarships and bursaries for students across the world.

See also

• List of books by Pope Benedict XVI
• Works of Pope Benedict XVI - literature written by Pope Benedict XVI
• Theology of Pope Benedict XVI - philosophical and theological beliefs of Pope Benedict XVI
• Georg Gänswein - private secretary to Benedict
• Dominus Iesus - document written by Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
• The Message of Fatima - document on the release of the Third Secret of Fatima
• Pope Benedict - list of other popes and antipopes using the name Benedict
• List of encyclicals of Pope Benedict XVI
• Papal regalia and insignia - papal attire

Further reading

Books by Pope Benedict

• Daughter Zion: Meditations on the Church's Marian Belief (1983)
• Schauen auf den Durchbohrten: Versuche zu einer spirituellen Christologie — The Theological Basis for a Spiritual Christology (1984) (English title Behold the Pierced One, Ignatius, 1986)
• Ratzinger, Joseph (1985). The Ratzinger Report. San Francisco: Ignatius Press. ISBN 0898700809. 
• Dogma and Preaching (Franciscan Herald, 1985)
• Feast of Faith: Approaches to a Theology of the Liturgy (Ignatius, 1986)
• Principles of Christian Morality (Ignatius, 1986)
• Journey Towards Easter: Retreat Given in the Vatican in the Presence of Pope John Paul II (1987)
• Principles of Catholic Theology: Building Stones for a Fundamental Theology (Ignatius, 1987)
• Ratzinger, Joseph (1988). Johann Auer and Joseph Ratzinger. ed. Eschatology, Death and Eternal Life. Dogmatic Theology. 9. Washington: Catholic University of America Press. ISBN 0813206332. 
• Mary: God's Yes to Man : Pope John Paul II Encyclical Letter : Mother of the Redeemer (Ignatius, 1988)
• "In the Beginning...": A Catholic Understanding of the Story of Creation and the Fall (Our Sunday Visitor, 1990)
• To Look on Christ: Exercises in Faith, Hope, and Love (Crossroad, 1991)
• Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year (Ignatius, 1992)
• The Meaning of Christian Brotherhood (Ignatius, 1993)
• A Turning Point for Europe?: The Church in the Modern World-Assessment and Forecast (Ignatius, 1994)
• The Nature and Mission of Theology: Essays to Orient Theology in Today's Debates (Ignatius, 1995)
• Called to Communion: Understanding the Church Today (Ignatius, 1996)
• Gospel, Catechesis, Catechism: Sidelights on the Catechism of the Catholic Church (Ignatius, 1997)
• Ratzinger, Joseph (1997). Salt of the Earth: an interview with Peter Seewald. San Francisco: Ignatius Press. ISBN 0898706408. 
• Catechism of the Catholic Church: Corrigenda (1998)
• Ad Tuendam Fidem — to Protect the Faith (1998)
• Milestones: Memoirs 1927-1977 (Ignatius, 1998)
• Many Religions, One Covenant: Israel, the Church, and the World (1999)
• The Spirit of the Liturgy (2000)
• Introduction to Christianity, revised ed. (Ignatius, 2004)
• God and the World: A Conversation With Peter Seewald (Ignatius, 2002)
• God Is Near Us: The Eucharist, the Heart of Life (Ignatius, 2003)
• Truth and Tolerance: Christian Belief And World Religions (Ignatius, 2004)
• Way of the Cross at the Colosseum on Good Friday 2005, Introduction, and Meditations and prayers on the 14 Stations of the Cross.
• The End of Time?: The Provocation of Talking about God (2005)
• Pilgrim Fellowship Of Faith: The Church As Communion (Ignatius, 2005)
• On the Way to Jesus Christ (Ignatius, 2005)
• God's Revolution (Ignatius, 2006)
• Christianity and the Crisis of Cultures (Ignatius, 2006)
• Values in a Time of Upheaval (Ignatius, 2006)
• The Dialectics of Secularization: On Reason and Religion, co-authored with Jürgen Habermas, (Ignatius, 2007)
• Pope Benedict XVI (2006). God Is Love(Deus Caritas Est), First Encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI. City: USCCB Publisher. ISBN 1574557580. 
• Pope Benedict XVI (2007). Jesus of Nazareth: from the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration. Garden City: Doubleday. ISBN 0385523416. 
• Pope Benedict XVI (2007). The Apostles. Huntington: Our Sunday Visitor. ISBN 9781592764051. 
• Pope Benedict XVI (2005). Robert Moynihan. ed. Let God's Light Shine Forth:The Spiritual Vision of Pope Benedict XVI. Garden City: Doubleday. ISBN 0385507925. 

Literature about Pope Benedict

• Allen, John L.: Cardinal Ratzinger: the Vatican's enforcer of the faith. – New York: Continuum, 2000
• Herrmann, Horst: Benedikt XVI. Der neue Papst aus Deutschland. – Berlin 2005
• Nichols OP, Aidan: Theology of Joseph Ratzinger. – Edinburgh; T&T Clark, 1988
• Pater Prior Maximilian Heim: Joseph Ratzinger — Kirchliche Existenz und existenzielle Theologie unter dem Anspruch von Lumen gentium (diss.).
• Twomey, D. Vincent, S.V.D.: Pope Benedict XVI: The Conscience of Our Age (A Theological Portrait). – San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2007
• Wagner, Karl: Kardinal Ratzinger: der Erzbischof in München und Freising in Wort und Bild. – München : Pfeiffer, 1977

Biographies

• Allen, John L. The Rise of Benedict XVI: The Inside Story of How the Pope Was Elected and Where He Will Take the Catholic Church. NY: Doubleday, 2005. ISBN 0-385-51320-8.
• Allen, John L. Pope Benedict XVI: A Biography of Joseph Ratzinger. New York: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2005. ISBN 0-8264-1786-8. This is a reprint of Allen's 2000 book Cardinal Ratzinger: the Vatican's Enforcer of the Faith, reprinted without Allen's permission.
• Bardazzi, Marco. In the Vineyard of the Lord : The Life, Faith, and Teachings of Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI. New York: Rizzoli International, 2005. ISBN 0-8478-2801-8
• Bunson, Matthew. We Have a Pope! Benedict XVI Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor. ISBN 1-59276-180-1.
• Pursell, Brennan, Benedict of Bavaria: An Intimate Portrait of the Pope and His Homeland (Circle Press, 2008). ISBN: 1-933271-17-5.
• Tobin, Greg. Holy Father : Pope Benedict XVI: Pontiff for a New Era. Sterling, 2005. ISBN 1-4027-3172-8.
• Weigel, George. God's Choice: Pope Benedict XVI and the Future of the Catholic Church, Harper Collins, 2005. ISBN 0-06-621331-2.

Documentaries

• The Keys of the Kingdom, from John Paul II to Benedict XVI, produced by Vatican Television Center, distributed by HDH Communications, 2006.

External

Encyclicals by Benedict XVI

• Deus Caritas Est – encyclical God is Love
• Spe Salvi – encyclical In hope we were saved
• Caritas in Veritate – encyclical In Charity and Truth

General

• Vatican: the Holy See – Vatican web site
• The Holy See - The Holy Father - Benedict XVI – Vatican web site about the Holy Father Benedict XVI
• Vatican: Election Vatican web page about the Papal Conclave and Benedict's first acts as Pope
• The Vatican (Official YouTube channel from the Vatican about main activities of the Pope and relevant Vatican events)

Episcopal Lineage
Consecrated by:	Josef Stangl
Date of consecration:	28 May 1977
Consecrator of
Bishop	Date of consecration
Alberto Cardinal Bovone	12 May 1984
Zygmunt Zimowski	25 May 2002
Josef Clemens	6 January 2004
Bruno Forte	8 September 2004

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Julius Cardinal Döpfner	Archbishop of Munich and Freising 1977 – 1982	Succeeded by Friedrich Cardinal Wetter
Preceded by Franjo Cardinal Šeper	Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1981 – 2005	Succeeded by William Cardinal Levada
Preceded by Bernardin Cardinal Gantin	Dean of the College of Cardinals 2002 – 2005	Succeeded by Angelo Cardinal Sodano
Preceded by John Paul II	Pope 2005 – present	Incumbent

This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original article was at Pope Benedict XVI. The list of authors can be seen in the page history.