April 19, 2005

ROME – Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, will now be known to the world as Pope Benedict XVI.

The German prelate, who entered the conclave as the dean of the College of Cardinals, and the main focus of attention among prognosticators, emerged as the 265th Roman Pontiff, in one of the quickest conclave decisions in recent Church history.

Born in the village of Markt am Inn in Bavaria on April 16, 1927 – he celebrated his 78th birthday just before the opening of the conclave – was pressed into military service in World War II, when he was already a seminary student. Assigned to an anti-aircraft unit, he deserted and returned home, where he was eventually taken into custody by Allied troops and held briefly before the release of prisoners at the war's end.

After the war, Joseph Ratzinger continued his studies in philosophy and theology at the Freising diocesan seminar, during a time of effervescence in European Catholic theological circles. Ordained to the priesthood in 1951, he obtained a doctorate in theology two years later, writing a dissertation on the ecclesiology of St. Augustine.

After a year of parish work, during which he traveled around Munich by bicycle, he became one of the youngest and most popular theology professors in Germany. His academic career included teaching assignments in Bonn, Münster, Tübingen, and Ratisbon, finally becoming vice-president of the University of Ratisbon.

He then became a theological aide to Cardinal Joseph Frings of Cologne. Still a young man, he helped the German cardinal prepare for his participation in the Second Vatican Council. Interestingly, one of his assignments was to help Cardinal Frings prepare a statement on the Holy Office – which would later be known as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the dicastery Cardinal Ratzinger would head for over 23 years.

An enthusiastic supporter of ecclesiastical reforms during Vatican II, he began to worry about trends in popular theology soon after the Council. His concern heightened as German theological faculties became heavily influenced by Marxist ideology. Although he had been one of the founders of the international theological review Concilium, his disquiet over the liberal trends in that publication eventually led him to join the founders of another competing publication, Communio, which argued for adherence to the actual teachings of Vatican II. During this time of controversy, Ratzinger also wrote his Introduction to Christianity, a thoroughly modern and yet classical approach to theological, philosophical, and Biblical issues, on the basis of a series of lectures he had delivered at Tübingen.

In 1977, at the age of 50, he was named Archbishop of Munich-Freising by Pope Paul VI, and elevated to the College of Cardinals later that year. In later years he would reflect that had chosen a scholar's life for himself, but the Holy Spirit and the needs of the Catholic Church prodded into the life of a prelate.

During the Synod of Bishops in 1977, and then again at the two papal conclaves of 1978, Cardinal Ratzinger became well acquainted with Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, a fellow scholar with whom he had been in correspondence for several years. The two prelates became fast friends, drawn to each other by their shared intellectual concerns as well as the simplicity and cordiality that marked both men.

When Cardinal Wojtyla became Pope John Paul II (bio – news), he soon asked his friend to come to Rome, to become prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: the head of the Vatican office charged with guarding the authentic teaching of Catholic doctrine. He arrived in Rome to take that post in November 1981. Cardinal Ratzinger reportedly offered his resignation to Pope John Paul II at least twice during his tenure there, saying that he would prefer to return home to Bavaria; on each occasion, John Paul II prevailed upon him to stay.

His post as the Vatican's chief theologian put Cardinal Ratzinger frequently in contrast – and often in conflict – with contemporary ideologies. At the same time, his close work with Pope John Paul II made him the obvious heir to the late Pope's legacy. Every Wednesday during the past pontificate, Cardinal Ratzinger would meet with John Paul II to discuss issues such as bioethics, ecumenism, liberation theology, and trends in modern thought. Under his guidance the publication of the newCatechism of the Catholic Church was completed in 1992, in one of the landmark achievements of the last pontificate.

During his term of service in Rome, Cardinal Ratzinger has continued his own theological work, writing and speaking frequently on doctrinal topics. In recent years he has become increasingly concerned about the liturgy, making that a regular topic of his own work. Perhaps his most striking work was The Ratzinger Report, a book-length interview in which he reflected on the crisis facing the Church at the close of the 20th century.

Occasionally serving as a doctrinal enforcer for the Vatican, Cardinal Ratzinger became the focus of criticism by liberal theologians and secular commentators who disagreed with Church teachings. His public image as a stern disciplinarian contrasts sharply, for those who know him, with his personal demeanor – which is meek, humble, and friendly.

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