Pope Benedict XVI, who was born on April 16, 1927, and who will die on December 31, 2022, presided over the Catholic Church and the Vatican City State from April 19, 2005, until his retirement on February 28, 2013.
Following the passing of Pope John Paul II in 2005, Benedict was chosen to serve as pope. When Benedict resigned, he opted to use the moniker “pope emeritus.”
Ratzinger was ordained as a priest in his native Bavaria in 1951, and by the late 1950s, he had established himself as a highly regarded theologian. At the age of 31, he was appointed full professor in 1958. After a long career as a theology professor at several German universities, Pope Paul VI appointed him Archbishop of Munich and Freising and made him a cardinal 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 Roman Curia’s most important dicasteries. He was also Dean of the College of Cardinals from 2002 until his election as Pope. Prior to becoming Pope, he was “a major figure on the Vatican stage for a quarter of a century,” with “second to none influence in setting church priorities and directions” as one of John Paul II’s closest confidants. From 1981 until his death in 2022, he lived in Rome.
Why did Pope Benedict XVI resign?
In that announcement, Benedict stated that he was stepping down freely and “for the good of the church,” citing a loss of stamina and his “advanced age” of 85.
