Pope Benedict XVI: Difference between revisions

Browse history interactively ← Previous edit Next edit →Content deleted Content addedVisual WikitextInline

Revision as of 05:40, 20 May 2005 view sourceSharavanabhava (talk \| contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers6,327 edits →Overview ← Previous edit		Revision as of 05:52, 20 May 2005 view source 69.251.148.122 (talk)No edit summaryNext edit →
Line 1:		Line 1:
	{{Infobox pope \|
	English name = Benedict XVI \|
	image = ]\|
	birth_name = Joseph Alois Ratzinger\|
	term_start = ], ]\|
	term_end = '']''\|
	predecessor = ]\|
	successor = '']''\|
	birth_date = ], ]\|
	birthplace = ], ], ]\|
	dead = alive\|
	death_date = \|
	deathplace = \|
	}}
	] '''Pope Benedict XVI''' (]: ''Benedictus PP. XVI'') was born '''Joseph Alois Ratzinger''' on ], ] in ], ]. He is the 265th ], serving as the bishop of ], ] of the West, head of the ] and ] of ]. He was elected on ], ], in the ] which he presided in his capacity as ]. He was formally ] during the ] on ], ].

	==Overview==
	]
	Benedict XVI was ] at the age of 78. He was the ] person to be elected pope since ] in ]. He served longer as a ] before being elected pope than any pope since ] (elected ]). He is the eighth ] pope, the last being ] (]–]). The last Pope Benedict, ], was an ] who served as pope from ] to ] and reigned during ].

	Ratzinger had a distinguished career as a university ] before being made the ] of ]; he was subsequently made a cardinal by ] in the ] of ], ]. He was appointed as the ] of the ] by ] in ] and was made the ] of the ] of ]-] on ], ]. In ], he was made the sub-dean of the ]; later, on ], ], he became the ] and simultaneously the cardinal bishop of the suburbicarian diocese of ]. He was the first dean of the college elected pope since ] in ] and the first cardinal bishop elected pope since ] in ].

	Before becoming pope, Cardinal Ratzinger was already one of the most influential men in the ], and was a close associate of the late pope, John Paul II. He presided over the ] of John Paul II and also over the 2005 conclave in which he himself was elected. He was the public face of the church in much of the '']'', although he ranked below the '']'' in administrative authority during that time.

	Benedict XVI's views appear to be similar to those of his predecessor in maintaining the traditional Catholic ]s on ], ], and ] and promoting ].

	Benedict speaks several languages, including ], ], ], ] and ]. He is also fluent in ] and has been an associate member of the French '']'' since ]. He plays the ] and has a preference for ] and ]. He is also known for his fondness for cats.{{ref\|YahooCats}}

	== Early life (1927–1951) ==
	{{main\|Early life of Pope Benedict XVI}}
	===Background and childhood (1927–1943)===
	<!--
	Please consider developing the separate article instead!
	This section is to be reduced in size.
	-->
	]
	]
	Joseph Alois Ratzinger was born on ], at Schulstrasse 11, his parents' home in ], ]. He was the third and youngest child of ], a police officer, and his wife, ] (nee Riger), who worked as a barmaid, and whose family were from ] (today part of ]). His father served in both the Bavarian State Police ('']'') and the German national Regular Police (]) before retiring in ] to the town of ]. The '']'' of ] described the elder Ratzinger as "an anti-Nazi whose attempts to rein in Hitler’s ] forced the family to move several times." {{ref\|timesonline_a}}. According to the '']'', these relocations were directly related to Joseph Ratzinger, Sr.'s continued resistance to Nazism, which resulted in demotions and transfers. {{ref\|iht_demotions}} The pope's brother ] said: "Our father was a bitter enemy of Nazism because he believed it was in conflict with our faith." {{ref\|nytimes_faith}}.

	His brother, Georg, who also became a priest as well as a musician and medievalist, is still living. His sister, Maria Ratzinger, who never married, managed her brother Joseph's household until her death in 1991. Their grand uncle ] was a priest and member of the ], as the German Parliament was called then. The future pope's relatives agree that his ambitions to reside in the upper echelons of the Church were apparent since childhood. At five years old, Ratzinger was in a group of children who presented the ] of ] with flowers; later that day he announced he wanted to be a cardinal. (See also ].)

	When Ratzinger turned 14 he joined the ], membership of which was legally required from March 25, 1939.{{ref\|HistoryPlace}} According to the '']'' correspondent and biographer John Allen, Ratzinger was an unenthusiastic member who refused to attend meetings. Ratzinger has mentioned that a Nazi mathematics professor arranged reduced tuition payments for him at seminary. This normally required documentation of attendance at Hitler Youth activities; however, according to Ratzinger, his professor arranged so that he did not need to attend to receive a scholarship.

	===Military service (1943–1945)===
	In ], when he was 16, Ratzinger was drafted with many of his classmates into the ] (] ] corps). They were guarding various facilities including a BMW aircraft engine plant north of Munich and, later, the jet fighter base at Gilching, where Ratzinger served in telephone communications. After his class was released from the Corps in September ], Ratzinger was put to work setting up anti-tank defences in the ] border area of ] in preparation for the expected ] offensive. While there, he saw Jews being herded to death camps.{{ref\|timesonline_b}} When his unit was released from service in November ], he went home for three weeks, and then was drafted into the German army at Munich to receive basic infantry training in the nearby Traunstein. His unit served at various posts around the city and was never sent to the front. (See also ].)

	In late April or early May, days or weeks before the ], Ratzinger deserted. ] was widespread during the last weeks of the war, even though punishable by death (executions, frequently extrajudicial, continued to the end); diminished morale and the greatly diminished risk of prosecution from a preoccupied and disorganized German military contributed to the growing wave of soldiers looking toward self-preservation. On his way home he ran into soldiers on guard, but they let him go. When the Americans arrived in the village, they arrested all who had served in the German army. Ratzinger was briefly interned in a ] near ] and was released on ], ]. The family was reunited when his brother, Georg, returned after being released from a prisoner-of-war camp in Italy. (See also ].)

	===Education (1946–1951)===
	<!--
	Please consider developing the separate article instead!
	This section is to be reduced in size.
	-->
	]
	]
	]
	After he was repatriated in 1945, he and his brother entered Saint Michael Seminary in Traunstein, and then studied at the ''Herzogliches Georgianum'' of the Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich. According to an interview with Peter Seewald, he and his fellow students were particularly influenced by the works of ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. The young Ratzinger saw the last three in particular as a break with the dominance of ], with the key work being Steinbüchel's ''Die Wende des Denkens'' (The Change in Thinking). By the end of his studies he was drawn more to the active ] than to ], and among the scholastics he was more interested in ].

	On ], ], he and his brother were ordained by ] of ]. His dissertation (]) was on Saint Augustine, entitled "The People and the House of God in Augustine's Doctrine of the Church," and his '']sschrift'' (a dissertation which serves as qualification for a professorship) was on Saint Bonaventure. It was completed in ] and he became a professor of ] college in ].

	==Early church career (1951–1981)==
	Ratzinger became a professor at the ] in ]; his inaugural lecture was on "The God of Faith and the God of Philosophy." In ] he moved to the ], where his inaugural lecture was given in a packed lecture hall, as he was already well known as a theologian. At the ] (]–]), Ratzinger served as a ''peritus'' or theological consultant to ] of ], Germany, and has continued to defend the council, including ''],'' the document on respect of other religions and the declaration of the right to religious freedom. He was viewed during the time of the council as a reformer. (Later, as the Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Ratzinger most clearly spelled out the Catholic Church's position on other religions in the document '']'' (]) which also talks about the proper way to engage in ''] dialogue''.)

	In ], he took a chair in dogmatic theology at the ], where he was a colleague of ]. In his ] book ''Introduction to Christianity'', he wrote that the pope has a duty to hear differing voices within the church before making a decision, and downplayed the centrality of the papacy. He also wrote that the church of the time was too centralized, rule-bound and overly controlled from Rome. These sentences, however, did not appear in later editions of the book. During this time, he distanced himself from the atmosphere of Tübingen and the ] leanings of the student movement of the ], that in Germany quickly radicalised in the years ] and ], culminating in a series of disturbances and riots in April and May 1968. Ratzinger came increasingly to see these and associated developments (decreasing respect for authority among his students, the rise of the German ] movement) as related to a departure from traditional Catholic teachings. Increasingly, his views, despite his reformist bent, contrasted with those liberal ideas gaining currency in the theological academy.{{ref\|nytimes_campus}} In ] he returned to Bavaria, to the University of ].

	]
	In ], he founded the theological journal '']'' with ], ] , ] and others. ''Communio,'' now published in seventeen editions (], ], ] and many others), has become one of the most important ]s of Catholic thought. He remains one of the journal's most prolific contributors.

	In March ] Ratzinger was named ] of ] and ]. According to his autobiography, ''Milestones'', he took as his episcopal motto ''Cooperatores Veritatis'', co-workers of the Truth, from ] 8.

	In the ] of June 1977 he was named a ] by ]. By the time of the 2005 Conclave, he was one of only 14 remaining cardinals appointed by Paul VI, and one of only three of those under the age of 80 and thus eligible to participate in that conclave.

	== Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (1981 – 2005) ==
	]
	]
	On ], ], Pope John Paul II named Ratzinger prefect of the ], formerly known as the Holy Office of the ]. He resigned the Munich ] in early ]. Already a cardinal priest, he was raised to Cardinal Bishop of Velletri-Segni in ]. He became vice-dean of the ] in ], and dean in ].

	In office, Ratzinger usually took traditional views on topics such as ], ], and ]. Among other things, he played a key role in silencing outspoken ] and clergy in ] in the 1980s.

	(See also ].)

	===Health===
	In the early ] Ratzinger suffered a ] which slightly impaired his eyesight. The existence of the stroke had been known during the conclave that elected him pope. In May 2005, the Vatican revealed that he had subsequently suffered another mild stroke - it did not reveal when, other than that it occured between 2003 and 2005. ]'s ] further revealed that since the first stroke, Ratzinger has suffered from a heart condition. Because of his health problems, Ratzinger had hoped to retire, but had continued in his position in obedience to the wishes of Pope John Paul II.{{ref\|SundayTimes}}

	===Response to sex abuse scandal===
	Regarding the ], he was seen by critics as at best, indifferent to the abuse and at worst, complicit in covering it up, both in specific cases and as a matter of policy. As prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), such abuses were ultimately his responsibility to investigate within the Church. {{ref\|Observer-240505b_a}}

	On ] ], Cardinal Ratzinger, as part of the implementation of the norms enacted and promulgated {{ref\|vatican_motu}} on ] ] by Pope John Paul II, sent a ] letter {{ref\|vatican_2001letter}} to every bishop in the Catholic church reminding them of the strict penalties facing those who revealed confidential details concerning enquiries into allegations against priests of certain grave ecclesiastical crimes, including ], reserved to the jurisdiction of the CDF. The letter established a prescription (]) of 10 years for these crimes. However, when the crime is sexual abuse of a minor, the "prescription begins to run from the day on which the minor completes the eighteenth year of age." {{ref\|vatican_norms}} According to Catholic News Service, "One bishop who is well informed on the issue and asked not to be named said the secrecy demanded by the new norms gives the appearance of a “cover-up” by the church." {{ref\|CNSa}} Lawyers acting for two alleged victims of abuse in Texas claim that by sending the letter the cardinal conspired to obstruct justice. {{ref\|Observer-240505a}} However, the letter did not discourage victims from reporting the abuse itself to the police; the secrecy related to the internal investigation. "The letter said the new norms reflected the CDF’s traditional “exclusive competence” regarding delicta graviora—Latin for “graver offenses.” According to canon law experts in Rome, reserving cases of clerical sexual abuse of minors to the CDF is something new. In past eras, some serious crimes by priests against sexual morality, including pedophilia, were handled by that congregation or its predecessor, the Holy Office, but this has not been true in recent years." {{ref\|CNSb}} The promulgation of the norms by Pope John Paul II and the subsequent letter by the then Prefect of the CDF were published in 2001 in ''Acta Apostolicae Sedis'' {{ref\|AAS}} which, in accordance with the ] {{ref\|CIC}}, is the ]'s official journal, disseminated monthly to thousands of libraries and offices around the world. {{ref\|CLI}}

	On ] ], ''The Independent'' reported that Ratzinger had since ] ignored specific sex abuse allegations made by nine different people against Friar ], the founder of the ]. Cardinal Ratzinger is quoted as having said "One can't put on trial such a close friend of the Pope's as Marcial Maciel." {{ref\|Maciel}} After the nine brought claims—many corroborated by each other's detailed testimonies—before the Vatican's courts in the mid-], on ] ], Ratzinger's secretary, Father Gianfranco Girotti, wrote to the men saying that the Vatican considered the matter closed. In a last-ditch attempt to persuade Ratzinger to change his mind, another letter was dispatched to him in ] through an intermediary. It went unanswered. {{ref\|Observer-240505b_b}} Cardinal Ratzinger re-opened the investigation in December of ].

	In ] Cardinal Ratzinger told Catholic News Service that "less than one percent of priests are guilty of acts of this type." {{ref\|ZE02120324}} Opponents saw this as ignoring the crimes of those who committed the abuse; others saw it as merely pointing out that this should not taint other priests who live respectable lives. {{ref\|vatican_transcript}} A report by the Catholic Church itself estimated that some 4,450 of the Roman Catholic clergy who served between ] and ] have faced credible accusations of abuse. {{ref\|Observer-240505b_c}} His ] reflections in ] were interpreted as strongly condemning and regretting the abuse scandals, which largely put to rest the speculation of indifference. Shortly after his election, he told ], ], that he would attend to the matter. {{ref\|Observer-240505b_d}}

	===Dialogue with other faiths===
	In ], the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a a document entitled '']'', which created a lot of controversy. Some religious groups took offense to wild claims regarding the document, that supposedly stated that, "only in the Catholic Church is there eternal salvation."{{ref\|theaustralian}} However this statement appears nowhere in the document. Like his speech, ''],'' the document condemned "relativistic theories" of religious pluralism and described other faiths as "gravely deficient" in the means of salvation. The document was primarily aimed at reining in liberal Catholic theologians like ], who argued that other religions could contain God-given means of salvation not found in the Church of Christ, but it offended many religious leaders. Jewish religious leaders boycotted several interfaith meetings in protest.

	A remarkable but unappreciated aspect of ''Dominus Iesus'' can be found in , in which the famous ] ("and the Son") is quietly ''left out'' without notice. The changed Latin sentence is "Credo in Spiritum Sanctum qui ex patre filioque procedit" ("I believe in the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and the Son"). The filioque clause has been a source of conflict between ] and ] Church since it was added to the ] in 447. The removal of it may be seen as Ratzinger's attempt to reach a hand by across the theological/historical chasm separating Eastern and Western Churches.

	Already in ], Cardinal Ratzinger had stated that Jewish history and scripture reach fulfillment only in Christ—a position critics denounced as "theological anti-Semitism," although it is very much in the general tradition of Christian views of the Old Testament and the Jews. Despite this, groups such as the ] commended his election as Pope as "welcome" and extolled his "great sensitivity".{{ref\|worldjewishcongress}}

	Though his advent was congratulated by Buddhist leaders around the world,{{ref\|phayul}} critics remembered that in March ] Cardinal Ratzinger predicted that ] would over the coming century replace Marxism as the main "enemy" of the Catholic Church. Some also criticized him for calling Buddhism an "] spirituality" that offered "transcendence without imposing concrete religious obligations" {{ref\|iht}}, though that might be a mistranslation from the French ''auto-erotisme'', which more properly translates to self-absorption, or narcissism {{ref\|dharmaForest}}. Also the quote did not address Buddhism as such, but rather about how Buddhism "appears" to those Europeans who are using it to obtain some type of self-satisfying spiritual experience.{{ref\|monastic}}

	In an interview in ] for '']'' magazine, Ratzinger said ], a country ] by heritage and staunchly ] by its state constitution, should seek its future in an association of ] nations rather than the ], which has ] roots. He said Turkey had always been "in permanent contrast to ]" and that linking it to Europe would be a mistake.{{ref\|freerepublic}}

	His defenders argue that it is to be expected that a leader within the Catholic Church would forcefully and explicitly argue in favor of the superiority of Catholicism over other religions. Others also maintain that single quotes from '']'' are not indicative of intolerance or an unwillingness to engage in dialogue with other ]s, and this is clear from a reading of the entire document. They point out that Ratzinger has been very active in promoting inter-faith dialogue. Specifically, they argue that Ratzinger has been instrumental at encouraging reconciliation with ]s. In defending ''Dominus Iesus'', Benedict himself has stated that his belief is that inter-faith dialogue should take place on the basis of equal human dignity, but that equality of human dignity should not imply that each side is equally correct.

	== Papacy ==
	=== Election to the Papacy ===
	==== Prediction ====
	]</small>]]

	On ], ], '']'' magazine quoted unnamed Vatican sources as saying that Ratzinger was a frontrunner to succeed ] should the pope die or become too ill to continue as pope. On the death of ], the '']'' gave the odds of Ratzinger becoming pope as 7–1, the lead position, but close to his rivals on the liberal wing of the church. In ], before his election as pope, he was identified as one of the ] by ''Time'' magazine. Ratzinger himself had repeatedly stated he would like to retire to a Bavarian village and dedicate himself to writing books, but more recently, he told friends he was ready to "accept any charge God placed on him."

	Piers Paul Read wrote in '']'' on ], ]:
	:''There can be little doubt that his courageous promotion of orthodox Catholic teaching has earned him the respect of his fellow cardinals throughout the world. He is patently holy, highly intelligent and sees clearly what is at stake. Indeed, for those who blame the decline of Catholic practice in the developed world precisely on the propensity of many European bishops to hide their heads in the sand, a pope who confronts it may be just what is required. Ratzinger is no longer young — he is 78 years old: but Angelo Roncalli, who revolutionized Catholicism by calling the Second Vatican Council was almost the same age (76) when he became pope as ]. As Jeff Israely, the correspondent of Time, was told by a Vatican insider last month, "The Ratzinger solution is definitely on."''

	However, Papal predictions in modern history had usually been wrong, with the most popular candidates often losing the election in favor of a more unknown, obscure cardinal. For example following the death of Pope Paul VI many in the media predicted the next pope would be a non-Italian, only to have this prediction proven wrong with the election of ] as John Paul I. Likewise, when John Paul died many predicted ''his'' successor would in turn be another Italian, yet this also was proven wrong with the election of the Polish Karol Wojtyla.

	==== Election ====
	On ], ] Cardinal Ratzinger was elected as the successor to Pope John Paul II on the second day of the ] after four ballots. Coincidentally, ] is the feast of St. ], a German pope and saint.

	Cardinal Ratzinger had hoped to retire peacefully and said that "At a certain point, I prayed to God 'please don't do this to me'...Evidently, this time He didn't listen to me."

	Before his first appearance at the balcony of ] after becoming pope, he was announced by the ], protodeacon of the College of Cardinals. Cardinal Medina Estévez first addressed the massive crowd as "dear(est) brothers and sisters" in Italian, Spanish, French, German and English — each language receiving cheers from the international crowd — before continuing in Latin.

	]]]

	At the balcony, Benedict's first words to the crowd, before he gave the traditional '']'' blessing, were:

	:''Dear brothers and sisters, after the great Pope John Paul II, the Cardinals have elected me, a simple and humble labourer in the vineyard of the Lord.''
	:''The fact that the Lord knows how to work and to act even with inadequate instruments comforts me, and above all I entrust myself to your prayers.''
	:''In the joy of the Risen Lord, let us move forward, confident of his unfailing help. The Lord will help us and Mary, his Most Holy Mother, will be on our side. Thank you.'' (translation from original Italian).

	He then gave the blessing to the people.

	===Choice of name===

	The choice of the name Benedict (Latin "the blessed") is significant. Benedict XVI used his first ] in St. Peter's Square, on ], ], to explain to the world on why he chose the name:
	:''"Filled with sentiments of awe and thanksgiving, I wish to speak of why I chose the name Benedict. Firstly, I remember ], that courageous prophet of peace, who guided the Church through turbulent times of war. In his footsteps I place my ministry in the service of reconciliation and harmony between peoples. Additionally, I recall Saint Benedict of Norcia, co-patron of Europe, whose life evokes the Christian roots of Europe. I ask him to help us all to hold firm to the centrality of Christ in our Christian life: May Christ always take first place in our thoughts and actions!" ''{{ref\|vatican_FirstGenAud}}

	=== Early days of Papacy ===

	Pope Benedict has confounded the expectations of many in the early days of his papacy by his gentle public persona and his promise to listen. It is notable that he has used an open ], saying that he wants to be closer to the people. Also, his ] dropped the ] which was replaced by a simple ]. During his inaugural Mass, the previous custom of all the cardinals submitting was replaced by having 12 people, representing cardinals, clergy, religious, a married couple and their child, and newly ] people, submit to him.

	=== Successor to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith ===

	On ], ], Pope Benedict appointed San Francisco metropolitan archbishop ] as the next ] for the ], making Levada the highest ranking American in the church hierarchy.

	=== Beatifications and canonizations===
	]
	On ], ], Benedict XVI made his first promulgation of the beatification process. The honoree of the process was his predecessor, John Paul II. Normally five years pass before the beatification process begins for a person after his or her death but due to the popularity of John Paul II — devotees chanted "Santo subito!" meaning "Saint now!" during the late pontiff's funeral — Benedict XVI waived the custom and officially styled the late pope with the title given to all those being scrutinized in the beatification process, "Servant of God."

	The next day on ], Benedict XVI made his first official beatification, raising ] — who served with ] helping those suffering from ] in what is now the ] in ] — to the title of "Blessed Marianne of Molokai." She was the first addition to the ] by Benedict XVI announcing an optional feast to be celebrated in her honor annually on ]. Blessed Damien and Blessed Marianne are the ] of ]/] and ]s. Both are expected to become the first saints of the ]. ] was also beatified on the same day.

	Unlike his predecessor, Benedict XVI delegated the beatification liturgical service to a principal aide, ], Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. It was noted by Vatican watchers that the practice of delegating prominent functions enjoyed by the late John Paul II would become the norm for Benedict XVI, whom seems to prefer the duties of Church manager as opposed to having more of a public face.

	==See also==
	* ] for his views on homosexuality, AIDS, abortion and politics, treatment of animals and other issues
	* Prof. Dr. ], private secretary to Pope Benedict
	* The list of ]
	* About the document '']'' by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and the Congregation's secretary, Tarcisio Bertone
	* ] by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Later Pope Benedict XVI), 1986
	* ] by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Later Pope Benedict XVI), 1988
	* ]
	* List of popes and ]s known as ]

	==Notes==
	<!-- Instructions for adding a footnote.
	NOTE: Footnotes in this article use names, not numbers, see ] for details.
	1) Assign your footnote a unique name, for example TheSun_Dec9.
	2) Add the macro {{ref\|TheSun_Dec9}} to the body of the article, where you want the new footnote.
	3) Put footnotes in the order they appear in the body.
	Avoid duplicates.
	-->

	#{{Note\|YahooCats}}. Knight Ridder Newspapers. April 21, 2005
	#{{Note\|timesonline_a}} April 17, 2005. ''Papal hopeful is a former Hitler Youth''
	#{{Note\|iht_demotions}} ] April 22, 2005. ''A boy's dreams lead from a village to the Vatican'' (reprinted from the ])
	#{{Note\|nytimes_faith}} April 21, 2005. ''A Future Pope Is Recalled: A Lover of Cats and Mozart, Dazzled by Church as a Boy''
	#{{Note\|HistoryPlace}} ''Hitler Youth -- Prelude to War. 1933-1938''
	#{{Note\|timesonline_b}} , April 17, 2005, op. cit.
	#{{Note\|nytimes_campus}} April 24, 2005. ''Turbulence on Campus in 60's Hardened Views of Future Pope''
	#{{Note\|SundayTimes}} , ''The Sunday Times'', London, May 1, 2005
	#{{Note\|Observer-240505b_a}} April 24, 2005. ''The Pope, the letter and the child sex claim''
	#{{Note\|vatican_motu}} April 30, 2001. ''Sacramentorum sanctitatis tutela''
	#{{Note\|vatican_2001letter}} May 18, 2001. ''Epistula ad totius Catholicae Ecclesiae Episcopos aliosque Ordinarios et Hierarchas interesse habentes de delictis gravioribus eidem Congregationi pro Doctrina Fidei reservatis''
	#{{Note\|vatican_norms}} Unofficial translation of ''Sacramentorum sanctitatis tutela'' by the USCCB and a translation of the Norms by Gregory Ingels, both revised by Joseph R. Punderson and Charles J. Scicluna. The new norms (like the American norms) consider a minor to be anyone under the age of 18—a wider definition than in the Code of Canon Law, where minors are below the age of 16.
	#{{Note\|CNSa}} December 17, 2001. ''Doctrinal Congregation Takes Over Priestly Pedophilia Cases''
	#{{Note\|Observer-240505a}} April 24, 2005. ''Pope 'obstructed' sex abuse inquiry''
	#{{Note\|CNSb}} , December 17, 2001; op. cit.
	#{{Note\|AAS}} ] 93 (2001) pp. 737-739 and pp. 785-788 respectively
	#{{Note\|CIC}} Canon 8, §1
	#{{Note\|CLI}} April 29, 2005 update to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' by Dr Edward Peters, JCD, JD
	#{{Note\|Maciel}} April 23, 2005. ''Pope "ignored sex abuse claim against John Paul's friend"''
	#{{Note\|Observer-240505b_b}} April 24, 2005; op. cit.
	#{{Note\|ZE02120324}} December 3, 2002. ''Cardinal Ratzinger ... Sees Agenda Behind the Reporting in U. S.''
	#{{Note\|vatican_transcript}} Vatican Transcript of Meditation on the Ninth Station of the Cross
	#{{Note\|Observer-240505b_c}} April 24, 2005; op. cit.
	#{{Note\|Observer-240505b_d}} April 24, 2005; ''ibid.''
	#{{Note\|theaustralian}} April 18, 2005. ''Nazi link may dog favourite''
	#{{Note\|worldjewishcongress}} April 19, 2005. ''Election of Cardinal Ratzinger as new Pope welcomed''
	#{{Note\|phayul}} April 20, 2005. ''His Holiness the Dalai Lama Greets New Pope'', April 20, 2005. ''Korean Catholics Welcome New Pontiff''
	#{{Note\|iht}} April 21, 2005. ''Benedict XVI: Ratzinger's positions on issues facing the Catholic Church''
	#{{Note\|dharmaForest}} April 20, 2005. ''Pope Benedict XVI's Buddhist Encounter''
	#{{Note\|monastic}} March 2000. ''Book Review: John Paul II and Interreligious Dialogue''
	#{{Note\|freerepublic}} April 20, 2005. ''New Pope's Views on Turkey/EU Stir Unease in Ankara''
	#{{Note\|vatican_FirstGenAud}} April 27, 2005. The General Audience speech
	<!--READ ME!! PLEASE DO NOT JUST ADD NEW NOTES AT THE BOTTOM. See the instructions above on ordering. -->

	==Literature==
	* Allen, John L.: ''Cardinal Ratzinger: the Vatican's enforcer of the faith''. – New York: Continuum, 2000
	* Nichols OP, Aidan: ''Theology of Joseph Ratzinger''. – Edinburgh; T&T Clark, 1988
	* Wagner, Karl: ''Kardinal Ratzinger: der Erzbischof in München und Freising in Wort und Bild''. – München : Pfeiffer, 1977
	* Pater Prior Maximilian Heim: ''Joseph Ratzinger - Kirchliche Existenz und existenzielle Theologie unter dem Anspruch von Lumen gentium'' (diss.).
	* Herrmann, Horst: ''Benedikt XVI. Der neue Papst aus Deutschland''. – Berlin 2005

	==External links and references==
	{{wikiquote}}
	{{wikisource author}}
	{{commons\|Benedictus XVI}}
	{{wikinews\|German Cardinal Ratzinger elected Pope Benedict XVI}}
	=== Official ===
	* – Vatican web site
	* – Vatican web site about the Holy Father Benedict XVI
	* Vatican web page about election
	* '''' magazine, founded by Ratzinger and others. Contains recent articles by him.
	*Official email address: ] (see )

	===Biographical===
	*
	*
	*
	*
	* – The National Catholic Reporter's 1999 Cover Story on the history of then Cardinal Ratzinger
	*

	===The first days of his papacy===
	*
	*
	*

	===General===
	* With over 180 pages, add it to your site!
	* (see also )
	*
	*
	*
	* (in Italian)
	* (in German)
	*

	{{Pope\|
	Predecessor=]\|
	Successor=Incumbent\|Dates=since 2005}}

	<!--Categories-->
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]

	<!--Interlanguage links-->

	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]

Revision as of 05:52, 20 May 2005