31 December 2022(2022-12-31) (aged 95) Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, VaticanCity
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
Augustinianism
Nouvelle théologie
Main interests
Christian theology
ecclesiology
Notable ideas
Rejection of dehellenization
Hermeneutic of continuity
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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
Papal styles of Pope Benedict XVI
Reference style
His Holiness
Spoken style
Your Holiness
Religious style
Holy Father
Pope BenedictXVI (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 2022.[9][10]
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 had been "a major figure on the Vatican stage for a quarter of a century"; he had 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 and permitted greater use of 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] Benedict's handling of sexual abuse cases within the Catholic Church and opposition to usage of condoms in areas of high HIV transmission was substantially criticised by public health officials, anti-AIDS activists, and victim's rights organizations.[17][18]
On 11 February 2013, Benedict announced his (effective 28 February 2013) 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.[19][20][21] 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.[22]
^Pope Benedict XVI (12 March 2008), Boethius and Cassiodorus, archived from the original on 28 December 2008, retrieved 4 November 2009
^"Udienza Generale del 18 aprile 2007: Clemente Alessandrino | Benedetto XVI". w2.vatican.va.
^"General Audience of 14 May 2008: Pseudo-Dionysius, the Areopagite | Benedict XVI". w2.vatican.va.
^"General Audience, 23 August 2006: John, "the Seer of Patmos" | Benedict XVI". w2.vatican.va.
^"General Audience of 4 May 2011: Man in Prayer (1) | Benedict XVI". w2.vatican.va.
^"Benedict XVI, General Audience: Saint Teresa of Avila". Vatican.va. Vatican Publishing House. 2 February 2011.
^Pope Benedict XVI 2007, pp. 24–27.
^"Vladimir Soloviev, the Mystic Admired by Popes". NCR. 24 February 2017.
^Cite error: The named reference pope emeritus was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Petin, Edward (26 February 2013). "Benedict's New Name: Pope Emeritus, His Holiness Benedict XVI, Roman Pontiff Emeritus". Retrieved 23 June 2018.
^Walsh, Mary Ann (2005). From Pope John Paul II to Benedict XVI: an inside look at the end of an era, the beginning of a new one, and the future of the church. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 135. ISBN 1-58051-202-X.
^Owen, Richard (6 June 2008). "Vatican to publish entire work by bestselling author Pope Benedict XVI". The Times. London. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
^"Disillusioned German Catholics: From Liberal to Conservative". Der Spiegel. 20 September 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
^Gledhill, Ruth "Pope set to bring back Latin Mass that divided the Church", The Times, 11 October 2006. Retrieved 21 November 2010 WebCitation archive
^Tom Kington in Rome (31 August 2012). "Pope Benedict to open new Latin academy in the Vatican". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
^Allen, Charlotte (17 February 2013). "Pope Benedict XVI, the pontiff of aesthetics". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
^Parker, Claire (31 December 2022). "The significant – and controversial – statements that shaped Pope Benedict XVI's legacy". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
^Winfield, Nicole (31 December 2022). "Benedict XVI, pope who resigned to spend final years in quiet, dies at 95". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
^"In 6 Languages, Benedict XVI Gets Comfortable With His Audience". The New York Times. 27 April 2005. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
^Babbel.com; GmbH, Lesson Nine. "The Tale of the Polyglot Pope". Babbel Magazine. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
^"Pope Benedict XVI: Quick Facts". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Archived from the original on 16 June 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2007.
^Willey, David (13 May 2005). "Pope Benedict's creature comforts". BBC News. Archived from the original on 24 March 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2010.
PopeBenedictXVI (Latin: Benedictus PP. XVI; Italian: Benedetto XVI; German: Benedikt XVI; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December...
resignation of PopeBenedictXVI took effect on 28 February 2013 at 20:00 CET, following his announcement of it on 11 February. It made him the first pope to relinquish...
Time (UTC+1), former PopeBenedictXVI died at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in Vatican City at the age of 95. He had been pope emeritus since his resignation...
papal tenure, PopeBenedictXVI focused on building on the outreach of his predecessors towards Islam, particularly on the efforts of Pope John Paul II...
The theology of PopeBenedictXVI, as promulgated during his pontificate, consists mainly of three encyclical letters on love (2005), hope (2007), and...
lecture or Regensburg address was delivered on 12 September 2006 by PopeBenedictXVI at the University of Regensburg in Germany, which sparked international...
The canonisation Mass for Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII, was celebrated by Pope Francis (with Pope Emeritus BenedictXVI), on 27 April 2014 in St...
(575–579) PopeBenedict II (684–685) PopeBenedict III (855–858) PopeBenedict IV (900–903) PopeBenedict V (964) PopeBenedict VI (972–974) PopeBenedict VII...
City in the aftermath of the Vatican leaks scandal, the film follows PopeBenedictXVI, played by Anthony Hopkins, as he attempts to convince Jorge Mario...
The relations between PopeBenedictXVI and Judaism remained fairly good, although concerns were raised by Jewish leaders over the political impact of...
PopeBenedictXVI, who led the Roman Catholic Church as Pope from 2005 to 2013, continued manouevring the Church through the dynamics of modernity, which...
The personal papal coat of arms of PopeBenedictXVI was designed by Archbishop Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo (who was later created a Cardinal)...
years?" In 2009, PopeBenedictXVI laicised the former spiritual director of the alleged seers Tomislav Vlašić. In 2010, PopeBenedictXVI has set up an...
PopeBenedict XV (Latin: Benedictus XV; Italian: Benedetto XV), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa (Italian: [ˈdʒaːkomo ˈpaːolo dʒoˈvanni...
- The Piscatory Ring (Anulus piscatoris) of PopeBenedictXVI". [The ring] was passed to PopeBenedictXVI by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Angelo...
visit of PopeBenedictXVI to the United Kingdom was held from 16 to 19 September 2010 and was the first visit by a Pope to Britain after Pope John Paul...
of Pope Emeritus BenedictXVI | BENEDICTXVI". www.vatican.va. "Pope Says God Not 'A Magician, With A Magic Wand'". NPR.org. 28 October 2014. "Pope says...
course of his papacy, BenedictXVI (r. 2005–2013) issued two documents altering certain details of the procedures for electing a pope: De electione romani...
sometimes met with, but PopeBenedictXVI declared it inappropriate to speak of the 1962 version and that published by later Popes as if they were two "rites"...
and of the Vatican City State, though not on the pope's personal coat of arms since PopeBenedictXVI replaced the tiara on his official coat of arms with...
considered him to be a political rival. Following the resignation of PopeBenedictXVI on 28 February 2013, a papal conclave elected Bergoglio as his successor...
of his political doctrines. PopeBenedictXVI, citing his heroic virtue, proclaimed him venerable on 20 December 2012. Pope Francis beatified Paul VI on...
procedures were established by Pope John Paul II in his apostolic constitution, Universi Dominici gregis, as amended by PopeBenedictXVI in 2007 and 2013. A two-thirds...
by Pope John XXIII in 1959. Pope John Paul II authorized the coronation through a decree dated 16 March 2004 — Prot. n. 387/04/L PopeBenedictXVI, Congregation...
cornerstones of human dignity, solidarity and subsidiarity". According to PopeBenedictXVI, its purpose "is simply to help purify reason and to contribute, here...
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