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RATZINGER, Joseph Alois (1927-
Birth.
April 16, 1927, Holy Saturday, at 4:15 a.m., Marktl, diocese of Passau, Germany. Son of Joseph Ratzinger, was a member of the rural police, and Maria Peintner; before marrying she worked as a cook in several hotels. His grand uncle Georg Ratzinger was a priest and member of the Reichstag, as the German Parliament was called then. He was baptized on that same day at 8: 30 a.m., in the parish of Saint Oswald in Marktl, by Fr. Josef Stangl (1), vicar of Marktl. Received the sacrament of confirmation on June 9, 1937 in Traunstein from Cardinal Michael von Faulhaber, archbishop of München und Freising. He speaks eight languages among them his native German, English, French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. He is an accomplished pianist. He has a brother, Georg, who is a priest; and a sister, Maria, who died in 1991. His middle name is also listed as Aloysius.
Education:
Superior School of Philosophy, Freising;
University of München, München (doctorate in theology).
Priesthood:
Ordained, June 29, 1951, cathedral of Freising, by Cardinal Michael von Faulhaber, archbishop of München und Freising; his brother Georg was ordained in the same ceremony.
Further studies, 1951-1952.
Faculty member at the Superior School of Philosophy and Theology, Freising, 1952-1959.
Faculty member at the University of Bonn, 1959-1963.
Participated in the Second Vatican Council, 1962-1965, as an expert.
Faculty member at the University of Münster, 1963-1969.
Faculty member at the University of Tübingen, 1966-1969.
Faculty member at the University of Ratisbon, 1969-1977;
its vice-president, 1969-1977.
Member of the International Theological Commission, Vatican City, 1969-1977.
Episcopate:
Elected archbishop of München und Freising, March 24, 1977.
Consecrated, May 28, 1977, cathedral of München, by Josef Stangl, bishop of Würzburg, assisted by Rudolf Graber, bishop of Regensburg, and by Ernst Tewes, C.O., titular bishop of Villamagna in Proconsulari, auxiliary of München und Freising.
Cardinalate:
Created cardinal priest in the consistory of June 27, 1977;
received the red biretta and the title of S. Maria Consolatrice al Tiburtino, June 27, 1977.
Attended the IV Ordinary Assembly of the World Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 30 to October 29, 1977.
Participated in the conclave of August 25-26, 1978.
Special papal envoy the to 3rd National Marian Congress, Guayaquil, Ecuador, September 16 to 24, 1978.
Participated in the conclave of October 14 to 16, 1978.
Attended the I Plenary Meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinal, Vatican City, November 5 to 9, 1979;
the V Ordinary Assembly of the World Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 26 to October 25, 1980;
its relator general; member of its general secretariat, 1980-1983.
Prefect of the S.C. for the Doctrine of the Faith, president of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, and president of the International Theological Commission, November 25, 1981 to April 2, 2005.
Resigned the pastoral government of the archdiocese, February 15, 1982.
Attended the VI Ordinary Assembly of the World Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 29 to October 28, 1983;
its president delegate; member of its general secretariat, 1983-1986.
Attended the II Extraordinary Assembly of the World Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, November 24 to December 8, 1985;
member of its general secretariat until 1987.
Attended the VII Ordinary Assembly of the World Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, October 1 to 30, 1987;
member of its general secretariat, 1987-1990.
Attended the VIII Ordinary Assembly of the World Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 30 to October 28, 1990;
member of its general secretariat, 1990-1994.
Attended the Special Assembly of the World Synod of Bishops for Europe, Vatican City, November 28 to December 14, 1991.
Named bishop of title of suburbicarian see of Velletri-Segni, April 5, 1993.
Attended the Special Assembly of the World Synod of Bishops for Africa, Vatican City, April 10 to May 8, 1994;
the IX Ordinary Assembly of the World Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, October 2 to 29, 1994.
Attended the Special Assembly for America of the World Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, November 16 to December 12, 1997;
the Special Assembly for Asia of the World Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, April 29 to May 14, 1998.
Vice-dean of College of Cardinals, November 9, 1998.
Attended the Special Assembly for Oceania of the World Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, November 22 to December 12, 1998.
Special papal envoy to the 12th centenary celebrations of the creation of the diocese of Paderborn, Germany, January 3, 1999.
Attended the II Special Assembly for Europe of the World Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, October 1 to 23, 1999;
the X Ordinary Assembly of the World Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 30 to October 27, 2001.
Special papal envoy to the jubilar celebrations in the diocese of Regensburg, Germany, October 6, 2002.
Dean of the College of Cardinals and bishop of the title of the suburbicarian see of Ostia, proper of the dean, added to Velletri-Segni, November 30, 2002.
Papal legate to the celebrations of the 750th anniversary of the canonization of St. Stanislaus, bishop and martyr, Kraków, Poland, May 11, 2003.
Participated in the conclave of April 18 to 19, 2005 and was elected pope.
Papacy.
Elected pope on April 19, 2005;
took the name Benedict XVI.
The ceremony to mark the beginning of his pontificate
took place on April 24, 2005, at 10 a.m.
Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estévez, protodeacon of S. Saba, bestowed the pallium;
and Cardinal Angelo Sodano, bishop of the title of the suburbicarian see of Albano,
the ring of the fisherman.
Celebrated mass and took possession of the patriarchal Lateran basilica on May 7, 2005.
Reference:
Bibliography.
Allen, John L. Pope Benedict XVI : a biography of Joseph Ratzinger. New York ; London : Continuum, 2005;
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. New York : Doubleday, 2005;
Bardazzi, Marco. In the vinyard of the Lord. The life, faith, and teachings of Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI. New York : Rizzoli, 2005; Let God's light shine forth. The spiritual vision of Pope Benedict XVI. Edited and with and introduction by Robert Moynihan. New York; London ; Toronto ; Sydney; Auckland : Doubleday, 2005; Ratzinger, Joseph. Milestones. Memoirs: 1927-1977. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1998.
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