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February Thursday 23 Holy See and the Sultanate of Oman establish diplomatic ties The Holy See and Oman have established full diplomatic relations, leaving only six countries worldwide without any diplomatic connection to the Vatican. The announcement on February 23 did not come as a surprise as, in November during Pope Francis’ trip to Bahrain, there [...]
Early Teenage Years In his 1998 book Milestones: Memoirs 19271977, Joseph Ratzinger recounts the circumstances surrounding his entry into the minor seminary at age 12: For us, the seizure of power in Austria by the brown rulers [the Nazi party, in 1938] had a positive aspect. The borders of this neighboring country had been closed by [...]
Against the dramatic backdrop of Hitler's Germany, a boy's faith—and vocation—mature Located in Bavaria, the most densely Catholic region of Germany, the Ratzinger family’s home life was imbued with the Catholic faith. Hitler had come to power when young Joseph was only five, but the family’s faith and spiritual practices fortified them through the difficulties that [...]
By Federico Lombardi Joseph Ratzinger was born on April 16, 1927, in Marktl am Inn, Bavaria. Joseph came into the world into a Bavarian family of deep-rooted Catholic tradition and modest circumstances – his father, also named Joseph, was a policeman, and his mother Maria was a housewife, but occasionally worked as a cook for the [...]
By Tracey Rowland When in 1946 Joseph Ratzinger entered the seminary for the Archdiocese of Munich-Freising along with his older brother Georg, fellow students distinguished the pair by the names “Organ-Ratz” and “Bücher-Ratz” (the organ-playing Ratzinger and the bookish Ratzinger). Joseph was the scholar, Georg the musician. Joseph completed both his doctorate and Habilitationsschrift dissertations under [...]
January 5, 2023 — St. Peter’s Square. After Archbishop Georg Gänswein has placed the Gospel and kissed the coffin, the Funeral Mass for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, presided over by Pope Francis, begins. One hundred-thirty cardinals, 400 bishops and 3,700 priests participated (Photos Grzegorz Galazka) Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s last words were “Lord, I [...]
From his "Commentary on Dei Verbum, Articles 8-10," 1967, written while holding the Chair of Dogmatic Theology at the University of Tübingen, Germany Article 9 takes us to the focal point of the controversy, the question of a mutual relation of Scripture and tradition. The text shows clear signs of the firm position taken during the [...]
Ratzinger's 1968 book Introduction to Christianity Translated into twenty languages, Introduction to Christianity originated as lectures delivered by Fr. Joseph Ratzinger at the University of Tübingen in 1967. A few features of Introduction to Christianity are worth highlighting since they remain relevant even today. First, the clearsightedness with which Ratzinger saw, within a few years of [...]
"Pray for me that the Lord will admit me in spite of my sins" Dated August 29, 2006, only a year and four months after he assumed the Throne of Peter, Benedict felt moved to write a “Spiritual Testament” to be released only after his death. At this late hour of my life, as I look [...]
In 2022, the frail but still intellectually vigorous 95-year-old pontiff sent a personal letter, released by its recipient, to Franciscan University of Steubenville president Fr. Dave Pivonka on the occasion of an academic symposium being held there. In the letter, he reveals some of his thoughts about the “necessity” of Vatican Council II. October 7, 2022 [...]
