1927-2022 – Ex-Pope Benedict XVI. (95) passed away

The incumbent head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, described him as a saint, for one of his closest confidants, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, he was a “gift to the Church”. Stations of an eventful life full of successes – and setbacks.

Joseph Ratzinger was born on April 16, 1927 in Martkl am Inn in Upper Bavaria near the Austrian border and grew up the son of a police officer and a cook. He spent his childhood and youth mainly in Traunstein. In 1943, Ratzinger was called up as an air force helper, after which he was assigned to the Reich Labor Service to build the southeastern wall.

A seminarian at the boys’ seminary, he graduated from high school in 1946. He then completed his studies in theology and philosophy in Freising and Munich. Together with his brother Georg, he was ordained a priest on June 29, 1951. In 1959 he was appointed to the University of Bonn and in 1963 to Münster. Pope Paul VI appointed Ratzinger Archbishop of Munich and Freising on March 25, 1977. Three months later, the only 50-year-old received the cardinal dignity.

Images of Benedict XVI

First German-speaking pope in nearly 500 years
In November 1981, Pope John Paul II appointed Cardinal Ratzinger Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and thus Supreme Guardian of the Faith. He held this office until his election as pope in 2005. He was the first German-speaking pope in nearly 500 years.

Ratzinger was considered the favorite for the papal office
Unlike the Polish predecessor John Paul II in 1978 and the Argentinian successor Francis in 2013, the outcome of the 2005 conclave was no great surprise. Ratzinger was considered the favorite for the papal office. In the fourth ballot on April 19, 2005, the 115 cardinals elected the long-serving prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith as head of the world Catholic Church.

successes and setbacks
On the Theological Legacy of Benedict XVI. contains his three-volume book Jesus of Nazareth, which he wrote largely during his time as pope. With many speeches, documents and also on trips he promoted ecumenism and interreligious dialogue – with both successes and setbacks. His “Regensburg speech” with a quote from a Byzantine emperor criticizing Muhammad caused riots and violence in the Islamic world.

He initiated important reforms in the Vatican: he led the Vatican Bank IOR out of the scandal zone and subjected the economic and financial areas to international control mechanisms. But above all, he intensified his fight against the abuse scandals in the church, which he had already led as a cardinal, and tried to prevent and help the victims.

Abuse scandal and cover-ups
This picture was shaken by the Munich abuse report published last January. After the pope emeritus gave false information in a statement about the report, criticism intensified. Benedict and his advisers declared what many considered a deliberate misrepresentation of self-protection as an explainable error—only to add, in the person of his private secretary Georg Gänswein, that there was another campaign against Benedict in Germany. He resolutely rejected concrete allegations of a cover-up.

Reform efforts are putting pressure on health
Benedict XVI drew groundbreaking conclusions from this: Seeing that his strength was no longer sufficient, he resigned his office on March 1, 2013 – as the first pope in 719 years – a sensation.

After the election of his successor Francis, it became quieter around Benedict, who has since lived in the Mater Ecclesiae monastery in the Vatican. Only in a few cases was he discussed again, such as with the publication of his biography “Benedict XVI. – Ein Leben”, in which he clearly distanced himself from marriages between homosexuals.

Austria and Benedict XVI.
Benedict XVI was closely associated with Austria throughout his life. He loves Austria and this “since the Sunday walks we took with our mother over the Salzach Bridge to Ostermiething, to Sankt Radegund and to other places on the Austrian side of the Salzach in the early 1930s,” the then pope wrote in a letter.

From 7 to 9 September 2007 he spent three days in Austria and visited Vienna and the Abbey of Heiligenkreuz. The highlight of his “pilgrimage” was the mass in the Styrian pilgrimage town of Mariazell on the occasion of the 850th anniversary. The three-day visit was overshadowed by bad weather. Nevertheless, 32,000 pilgrims came to the pilgrimage site of Upper Styria. However, there were no large crowds of visitors during his visit.

Personnel decisions clouded the joy
When the arch-conservative Gerhard Maria Wagner was to become auxiliary bishop of Linz in early 2009, not only the people of the church were annoyed. Dealing with the initiative of the Austrian pastors must have been no fun for the pope either. The “disobedient” church rebels tried to talk to the Holy Father several times – without success.