Biography of pope emeritus benedict xvi pictures of women

Benedict, who passed away on Saturday at the age of 95, was the first pope to resign in nearly years, citing declining health. His resignation in sparked debate and discussion about the role and responsibilities of the papacy, as well as the circumstances under which a pope may choose to step down. Leading the Catholic Church since his election in , Benedict made the unusual decision to be called Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI after his abdication, instead of reverting to his given name of Joseph Ratzinger.

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives. From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. Then, more than three million people descended on Rome, with half a million people attending the ceremony and hundreds of thousands more watching on screens around the city.

In , Ratzinger was required to join the Hitler Youth while he was a seminarian, later a source of controversy during the early years of his papacy.

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In he was ordained alongside his brother, Georg. Ratzinger was appointed by the Vatican as a cardinal three months after becoming archbishop of Munich in , said The Times. After the death of his long-time friend and predecessor Pope John Paul II in , Ratzinger was elected to the papacy after just two days of voting and against the predicitions of most experts.