Pope Benedict XVI, also known as Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, is a retired pope of the Catholic church who served as the pope and the sovereign of the Vatican City State from April 19 2005 until his resignation on February 28 2013.
He was born on April 16 1927 in Marktl, Bavaria, Germany. He now lives in retirement at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in Vatican City.
| Pope Benedict XVI Biography | |
|---|---|
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| Date of Birth | April 16 1927 |
| Place of Birth | Marktl, Bavaria, Germany |
| Profession | Retired Pope of the Catholic Church |
| Place of Work | Rome |
Pope Benedict XVI Life History
Pope Benedict XVI’s election as pope took place in 2005 when the papal conclave was convened after the death of Pope John Paul II.
Benedict was ordained as a priest on June 29 1951 in Bavaria by Michael Cardinal Ritter von Faulhaber, the Archbishop of Munich.
Pope Benedict XVI was an academician who in the 1950s established himself as a theologian of very high regard.
In 1958, he became a full professor at only 31 years of age. He taught theology for a long time in several German universities until May 28 1977 when he was appointed the Archbishop of Munich and Freising.
On June 27 1977, one month after being consecrated as a bishop, he was created a cardinal by Pope Paul VI.
He was appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1981, and from 2002 until his election as pope, he was the Dean of the College of Cardinals and also the Bishop of Ostia, Rome.
On February 11 2013, Pope Benedict XVI unexpectedly resigned from his position as pope citing a “lack of strength of mind and body” occasioned by his advanced age. This resignation became effective on February 28 2013.
Benedict became the first pope to tender his resignation since Pope Gregory XII in 1415. He was succeeded by Pope Francis on March 13 2013, and now lives in retirement at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican and chose to be known by the title “pope emeritus”.
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