The scandalous Pope, the Transitional Pope, the Nazi Pope and the "cat lover" - as soon as they did not call Pope Benedict XVI, who took the throne at the age of 78. He became the second pontiff in history to renounce the papacy of his own free will. His biography and the stormy papacy are fanned by a mass of scandals.
During the eight years of his pontificate, the Catholic Church experienced a series of pedophilic revelations, found itself on the verge of conflict with the Muslim world and met with a truly world sensation - the voluntary renunciation of the Holy See. What is the memory of Pope Benedict XVI, whose reign coincided with the crisis of civilization and faith, the world community?
Youth
In the world, Joseph Alois Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI, was born into the family of a German gendarme on April 16, 1927 in German Bavaria, in a town called Marktl am Inn. The youngest of three children, named after his father, at the age of two he moved with his family to the city of Auschau, in the picturesque Alps. His father, not a fanatic of National Socialism, chose the classical gymnasium in Traunstein for his son to study. After graduation, Josef enters the theological seminary.
Nazi past
A controversial and controversial fact of the biography of the future Pope is his entry into the youthful paramilitary National Socialist organization "Hitler Youth". Benedict XVI does not hide this fact and explains it by the advice of his mathematics teacher, who was a Nazi, but nevertheless a decent person. Attendance at meetings of this organization and membership in it gave the fourteen-year-old teenager the basis for a significant reduction in tuition fees.
Josef Ratzinger did not hide, but was not proud of the fact that in 1943, as part of an auxiliary unit of anti-aircraft troops, he defended the BMW aircraft engine plant from attacks by opponents of Nazi Germany. In 1944, he also installed anti-tank mines on the Austro-Hungarian border. But at the end of the war, his military biography ended - the young man deserted. After surviving about two months in American captivity, Josef returned to Bavaria, where he graduated from the theological seminary.
Mature years of the future Pope
The future Pope received his higher education, specializing in theology and philosophy, at the Theological Institute at the University of Munich from 1946 to 1951. Immediately after this, the Archbishop of Freising and Munich, Cardinal Michael Faulbacher, ordained Josef to the priesthood. At the same university, he will defend a dissertation in theology. "People and Home in the Ecclesiology of Augustine" will include the then simple priest in the list of the best theologians in Germany.
Since 1959, Josef began teaching at the University of Bonn, and ten years later he became the leading expert on theological tenets at the University of Tübinham.
From a simple clergyman to the Pope
In 1977, Pope Paul VI appoints Josef Cardinal and Archbishop of Munich and Freising. Until 1981, he continued his pastoral work in Germany, which he regretfully leaves and moves to Rome. Once in the Vatican, he holds the position of prefect of the ideological department of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, with a bishopric in the small Velletri Segni.
Having passed several steps on the career ladder of a clergyman, since 2002, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, a member of the College of Cardinals and the Ecclesia Dei commission, has become the chief theologian of the Vatican, voicing his official position.
New Pope
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger became the 265th Pope at the age of 78 on April 19, 2005, after which he took the name Benedict XVI ("Blessed"), traditionally honoring the memory of St. Benedict of Nursia (480-547) and Pope Benedict XV (1854 -1922). His candidacy was supported by the College of Cardinals from the fourth time. He himself commented on his election very modestly, saying that he did not ask for this and hoped to retire modestly. He realized his desire in 2013, voluntarily leaving the post of pontiff.
For the first time in a thousand years, a German from Bavaria, and not an Italian, became the Pope for the first time. For the second time in the history of the pontificate, the papal throne was occupied by a person of such advanced age (the first was in 1730 by Pope Clement XII, the same age as Benedict XVI).
Conservative Cardinal
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was famous as a staunch conservative, a tough opponent of abortion and homosexual relationships, divorce and genetic cloning. He was an active opponent of feminism, as he believed that it undermines the family and marriage, destroys the God-given differences between women and men. His strong rhetoric against euthanasia, stem cell research and the ordination of women has added both supporters and detractors to him.
Muslims and the Pontiff
While still studying at the University of Regensburg (2006), Benedict XVI almost became a target of terrorists. Visions of the situation regarding Emperor Manuel II nearly led to tragedy. By quoting the Byzantine king on the subject of Muhammad's words to spread the faith with the help of the sword, the pontiff caused a wave of indignation in Muslim circles.
Pakistan and India have voiced criticism of the Pope, and al-Qaeda has announced a desire for reprisals. The conflict was settled when the Pope explained that the quotation was intended to emphasize the groundlessness of the holy war. The terrorist organization renounced its promises, and the pontiff called on the world to abandon the massacre of Saddam Hussein and not invade Iranian territory.
Scandal related to pedophilia
Back in his tenure as Cardinal, Benedict XVI initiated changes to canon church law: the statute of limitations for sexual crimes was abolished, the list of crimes against children and child abuse expanded, and the procedure for defrocking for such actions was simplified. But this did not save the church from pedophilic scandals.
The largest of them broke out in 2010, when a special commission began an investigation into Irish priests accused of pedophilia. Benedict XVI sent a letter to Ireland, where he condemned their actions and expressed his idea that criminals should answer to people, and before the law, and before God. But the victims of the violence accused the latter of obstructing the investigation of the cases and filed a lawsuit with the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
In 2012, Gianluigi Nuzzi's book His Holiness, based on the correspondence of the Pope's secretary Paolo Gabriele, saw the light of day. The book describes the behind-the-scenes struggles and intrigues in the Catholic Church. As a result of this revelation, Claudio Sharpeletti (a programmer for the Vatican's secretariat of state) and Paolo Gabriele answered before the law, although the pontiff publicly forgave them.
Writer dad
The author of many theosophical works is Benedict XVI (gesammelte schriften, his impressive collected works). He was a highly educated man, fluent in ten languages. He also wrote a fictional novel, namely the book "Josef and Chico", where the story of the life stages of the future pontiff comes from the perspective of a neighbor's cat.
The book "Introduction to Christianity" is still a world-class bestseller and has been translated into dozens of languages around the world. Irreconcilability with liberalism in the bosom of the Church, the position of rigid Catholic traditionalism, upholding one's convictions - these are the qualities of the personality that Benedict XVI is. "Enemies are not outside," dad emphasizes. By the way, it was this phrase that became the reason to give the clergyman the nickname Panzerkardinal, which means "armadillo cardinal." He received another nickname, already being a pontiff for defending the orthodox views of the church - "God's Rottweiler".
Nothing human is alien
Benedict XVI is a loyal supporter and fan of the Bayern football club. He continues to support the club's team and the German national football team and could even become an honorary member of Bayern if he accepted the proposal of the club president. He actively promoted the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, but his team did not win, unfortunately for the Pope.
The pontiff plays the piano well. He prefers works by Mozart and speaks unflatteringly about modern pop culture. In 2009, he even recorded an album of prayer songs accompanied by classical music. From the time of his cardinality, the love for cats, especially homeless ones, has also been preserved.
Worldwide upheaval - voluntary renunciation
Benedict XVI will be remembered by the church, the laity and the public for his unprecedented voluntary departure. At the consistory on February 11, 2013, after the canonization of the Martyrs of Otranto, the Pope announced his voluntary resignation, his speech was broadcast by Vatican Radio. From that moment on, like a snowball, versions about the true reasons for this act swarmed. After all, he became the first Pope to resign in the last six hundred years, since Gregory VII in 1415.
The pontiff himself explained his unconventional decision by age and fatigue. As a representative of the world community comments on the issues of the crisis of faith, professor of theologian AI Osipov, Benedict XVI is too conservative, and such a position does not fit in with the liberalization of public consciousness.
What crippled the health of 86-year-old Benedict XVI, because while in office, he survived one heart attack. Age or those scandals that fell during his reign? Perhaps the world will learn more from the book that the Pope writes in retirement.
After dad
Benedict XVI retains the name and title of "Honorary Pope". On a well-deserved rest, he lives in a former monastery in the gardens of the Vatican, devoting all the time to his favorite reading and writing books. In 2016, the fourth book by this author, “Last Conversations,” was published, written in collaboration with the German journalist Peter Seewald. These are the only memoirs in which the former Pope talks about the time of his pontificate.
Mind and logic, backed up by high efficiency and perseverance inherent in the German nation - this will be remembered by Benedict XVI to posterity. An enthusiastic Bible student, writer and excellent teacher, the Pope even today, despite his venerable age, retains intellectual vivacity and physical vigor.
Date of Birth: April 16, 1927 Country: Vatican Biography:Born April 16, 1927 in the small Bavarian town of Markt am Inn on Holy Saturday. The son of a police officer who was critical of the Nazis.
In 1943 he was drafted from the seminary into the air defense corps, in 1944 into the army, he did not take part in hostilities.
In the spring of 1945 he deserted from the army and headed home. After the end of the war, he spent several weeks in a prisoner of war camp, after his release he returned to the seminary.
On June 29, 1951, he was ordained a priest. Between 1946 and 1951 studied theology and philosophy at the University of Munich, as well as at the higher school in Freising. In 1953 he became a doctor of theology.
He taught the doctrine of dogmas and fundamental theology in Freising, Bonn, Münster. Since 1969 - professor and vice-president of the University of Regensburg.
He took an active part in the work of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) as a theological adviser to Cardinal Joseph Fringus, having a reputation as one of the most progressive theologians, whose lectures were held in crowded halls.
In March 1977, he was appointed Archbishop of Munich and Freysin by Pope Paul VI. On May 28, 1977, he was ordained a bishop.
In June of the same year he became a cardinal, and in November 1981 - prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and president of the Biblical Commission, as well as head of the Pontifical International Theological Commission. After six years of work, he presented a new catechism of the Catholic Church to the head of the Vatican.
In November 1998 he was elected Vice Dean of the College of Cardinals, and in November 2002 he became its Dean.
]. The Ratzingers have long been engaged in farming, but the father of the future pontiff, Joseph Ratzinger Sr., served in the police and adhered to anti-fascist views: in the early 1930s, he tried to prevent the Nazis from organizing pogroms in his city,,,. Josef's mother was Maria Pentner (Maria Peintner): she met Ratzinger Sr. in 1920 through a marriage advertisement in a newspaper. Joseph Ratzinger had an older sister Maria (Maria, she died in 1991) and brother Georg (Georg), a priest and musician,.
Ratzinger Jr. studied at the seminary in the village of Traunstein on the border with Austria, where he moved with his family,. He was forced to join the paramilitary Nazi youth organization "Hitler Youth" (Hitler Youth, Hitlerjugend) at the age of ten (according to other sources - at fourteen), and during the Second World War, Ratzinger was drafted into the air defense unit in Munich, which defended BMW aircraft engine plant,,. His unit was then sent to Hungary, where Ratzinger set up anti-tank barriers. Ratzinger claimed not to have fired a single shot during the war. In April 1944, he deserted and spent some time in captivity with the allied forces,.
In the postwar years, Ratzinger's theological career began. From 1946 to 1951 he studied philosophy and theology at the Graduate School of Philosophy and Theology in the Bavarian city of Freising and later at the University of Munich. In 1951 he was ordained a priest in the Catholic Church. In 1953, Ratzinger received his doctorate in theology, four years later he was certified to teach at the university. He lectured on dogmatic and fundamental theology in Freising, Bonn, Münster and Tübingen. In 1969, he became vice-president of the University of Regensburg and headed the department of dogmatic theology and the history of dogmas,,. During his teaching at universities, Ratzinger fought against the leftist mood of students and was already considered an extremely influential cleric: in 2005 it turned out that at least eight agents of the East German intelligence service Stasi were following him.
On March 25, 1977, Ratzinger was appointed Archbishop of Munich and Freising and on May 28 he was ordained bishop,,,. Already in June of the same year, Pope Paul VI made Ratzinger a cardinal,. Ratzinger took part in the conclaves that elected Pope John Paul I and later John Paul II in 1978. Ratzinger's views were similar to the conservative views of John Paul II, and on November 25, 1981, the pope appointed him prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, an office that inherited some of its functions from the Inquisition,,,. In February 1982, Ratzinger left his archbishopric in Bavaria. In 1987, Ratzinger made a statement about Judaism and Jews that the main result of all Jewish history was the birth of Christ, subsequently he was accused of "theological anti-Semitism" for this.
From 1986 to 1992, Ratzinger directed the commission that worked on the text of the new catechism of the Catholic Church. On April 5, 1993, he became head of the suburban diocese of Velletri-Segni, and in 2002, the suburban diocese of Ostia. Since 1998 the priest has been Vice Dean and since 2002 Dean of the College of Cardinals. Ratzinger held various posts in the papal curia. In the last years of the life of John Paul II, he remained the hierarch closest to him, and in April 2005, after the death of the pontiff, he was elected to his place, receiving the name Benedict XVI, and the title of Bishop of Rome, vicar of Jesus Christ, successor of St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles, Supreme High Priest of the Universal Church, Patriarch of the West, Primate of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province, Head of the Vatican State and Servant of the Servants of God.
Benedict XVI is considered a conservative pontiff. He has long been opposed to socialist ideology, homosexuality, contraception and abortion,,. He also opposed the liberalization of church orders, he was criticized for condemning the ordination of women, homosexuals and married men to the priesthood,. He opposed genetic experiments: in his opinion, genetic scientists "took on the role of God." In 2006, Benedict XVI fired the head of the Vatican observatory, Jesuit priest George Coyne, for rejecting creationism (the doctrine that the earth and life on it were created by God) and supporting the Catholic Church's acceptance of the theory of evolution. In 2007, Benedict XVI issued a special encyclical condemning atheism and the activities of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin.
As a cardinal, Benedict XVI spoke negatively about popular culture, in particular about rock musician Bob Dylan (Bob Dylan) and the Harry Potter series of books by writer Joanne Rowling (Joanne Rowling).
During a visit to Germany in mid-September 2006, Benedict XVI in one of his speeches quoted the Byzantine emperor Manuel Palaiologos, who said that the prophet Muhammad brought only evil and inhumanity to the world. These words caused discontent and mass protests among Muslims, despite the subsequent apologies from the pontiff,,.
Like John Paul II, Benedict XVI paid much attention to relations with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). Representatives of the Vatican stated that he was ready to come to Moscow to meet with its primate-patriarch, while the Russian Orthodox Church claimed that the Vatican was still pursuing an aggressive policy of luring believers into Uniateism on the territory of Ukraine, and before the solution of this problem they were not going to invite the pontiff to Russia. John Paul II did not come to Russia earlier without an official invitation from the Russian Orthodox Church. Nevertheless, Benedict XVI met with Patriarch Kirill, who at that time was the head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate,.
In November 2006, Benedict XVI visited Turkey, where he met with Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople: the heads of the churches celebrated Mass together. The Patriarch greeted the Pope with words that he was grieving for the schism of the churches.
In 2007, Benedict XVI met Russian President Vladimir Putin. As the pontiff said, "Russia is a truly great country, great in many respects: it is great with its open spaces, centuries-old history, its highest spirituality and multifaceted culture."
In October 2008, after the start of the global recession, Benedict XVI said that this crisis testifies to the futility of money and the futility of accumulating wealth.
In May 2012, the media wrote about the scandal that erupted after the publication of the book of journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi (Gianluigi Nuzzi) "His Holiness: The Secret Letters of Benedict XVI" (Sua Santita. Le Carte Segrete Di Benedetto XVI), based on fragments of confidential correspondence of the pope and announced by representatives Vatican "slanderous" and "criminal", . Benedict XVI's valet Paolo Gabriele was blamed for the leak. In October of the same year, the Vatican court Gabriele for the theft of documents, and in November, Claudio Sciarpelletti, an employee of the Vatican secretariat, was convicted of participating in the same crime,.
Benedict XVI is fond of classical music and can play the piano himself. The press also wrote that he is a big cat lover.
Used materials
Vatileaks, il tecnico Claudio Sciarpelletti condannato a due mesi. - Quotidiano.net, 10.11.2012
Vatileaks: 18 mesi per Paolo Gabriele "Ho agito per amore della Chiesa". - Corriere della Sera, 06.10.2012
Lettere a Benedetto XVI finite in un libro Il Vaticano denuncera furto e ricettazione. - La Repubblica, 19.05.2012
Who can be elected as the new head of the Russian Orthodox Church. - NEWSru.com, 05.12.2008
The former pontiff is said to look refreshed and rested, leaving politics in the past and devoting himself entirely to prayer and playing the piano. Vatican authorities claim that Benedict has no intention of returning to the world stage.
Before permanently relinquishing the title of head of the Holy See, the former Pope stated that he was going to lead a modest and even reclusive lifestyle. Since he addressed all believers with his farewell speech, Benedict has only been caught in the camera lenses of journalists twice: when he went to the papal residence (Castel Gandolfo) and when he visited his brother George (Georg) in one of the Roman hospitals.
A year after his voluntary departure from the throne of the Holy See, the former pontiff Benedict only once truly reminded himself.
He wrote a letter to an atheist Italian, Piergiorgio Odifreddi, in response to his publication criticizing the Catholic Church.
“I live like a monk,” the former head of the Catholic Church told reporters about his life. “I pray and read. And I feel good.”
Those close to Benedict XVI claim that in ordinary worldly life the pontiff loves to listen to music and play the piano, and the German cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller even told the media that the 86-year-old Pope is seriously thinking about writing an autobiography.
The former head of the Holy See does not live alone. Most of the time, his 90-year-old brother visits him, and sometimes his friends visit Benedict. The former Pope and the current representative of the Catholic Church have developed a very pleasant and friendly relationship, despite the fact that Benedict admits that he does not always approve of the actions of his follower. The former Argentine cardinal occasionally mentions the name of the former pontiff in his speeches, and sometimes calls him on the phone.
Several times Francis met with his predecessor for breakfast. “It's like a trip to my grandfather,” he admitted to reporters after meeting with Benedict. "Sometimes I feel the need to ask him for advice."
However, the new head of the Holy See never mentioned the name of the previous pope, speaking of the scandals in which the latter was embroiled. We are talking about recently surfaced, in which the clergy of the church are accused.
Only a year later it became known that the former pontiff released from the rank more than 400 priests, bishops and even cardinals, who in one way or another were accused of pedophilia.
The press service of the Vatican says that Pope Francis brought with his arrival "new ideas and views" to reform the church. So, for example, he stands for its maximum openness and disinterestedness. The pontiff himself set an excellent example more than once. He refused the benefits intended for him by status, washed the feet of Muslim women, and also insisted that they should not be condemned for their non-traditional orientation.
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