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Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. Look back at his life from childhood through his papacy.
The life of Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI
Updated at 10:51 a.m. ET:
The pope announces he will step down on February 28 because of his failing health. TODAY's Matt Lauer speaks with NBC's Claudio Lavanga in Rome, who says the resignation "came as a shock," and George Weigel, NBC New Vatican consultant.
- April 16, 1927: Joseph Ratzinger is born in Marktl Inn, Bavaria.
- 1939: Enters the minor seminary in Traunstein, Germany.
- 1943: At the age of 16, he and members of his seminary class are drafted into the German anti-aircraft corps.
- 1945: Deserts the army and returns to Traunstein. He is briefly held by American forces in a prisoner of war camp. After his release, he re-enters the seminary.
- 1951: Ordained into the priesthood by Cardinal Faulhaber of Munich.
- 1953: Receives his doctorate in theology from the University of Munich with a thesis entitled "The People and House of God in St. Augustine's Doctrine of the Church."
- 1959: Begins lecturing as a professor of fundamental theology at the University of Bonn.
- 1962-1965: Participates in all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council as theological adviser to Cardinal Joseph Frings of Cologne, Germany.
- 1972: Becomes one of the co-founders of Catholic theology journal Communio.
- 1977: Named Archbishop of Munich and Freising in March and elevated to Cardinal of Munich in June by Pope Paul VI.
- 1981: Named Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith by Pope John Paul II.
- 1998: Named Vice-Dean of the College of Cardinals.
- 2002: Elected Dean of the College of Cardinals.
- April 19, 2005: Cardinal Ratzinger elected as the 265th pope and chooses the name Pope Benedict XVI.
- April 24, 2005: Celebrates first Mass as pope.
- Sept. 9-14, 2006: On a trip to his Bavarian homeland, he controversially quotes a 14th-century Byzantine emperor who said Islam had only brought evil to the world. He apologizes several days later after his remarks spark protests by Muslims around the world, saying he was misunderstood.
- Nov. 28-Dec. 1, 2006: Visits Turkey in a fence-mending mission following the angry Muslim reaction to his speech. He joins Istanbul's grand mufti in prayer facing Mecca at the Blue Mosque.
- July 13, 2007: Announces that the Vatican will be the world's first "carbon-neutral" state by planting a forest to offset carbon emissions and installing solar panels.
- Feb. 5, 2008: Changes a Good Friday prayer in Latin to delete a reference to Jews and their "blindness" -- but keeps the call for them to accept Jesus.
- April 15-20, 2008: Visits the United States for the first time as pope and celebrates Mass at Nationals Park in Washington D.C. He addresses the United Nations General Assembly in New York, prays at Ground Zero and celebrates Mass at Yankee Stadium. He also meets with victims of sexual abuse from the Boston Archdiocese.
- July 18, 2008: Apologizes to victims of child sexual abuse in a Mass on World Youth Day during a trip to Australia.
- Jan. 23, 2009: Launches a Vatican channel on YouTube.
- Jan. 24, 2009: Lifts excommunications of four ultra-traditionalist bishops, including a Holocaust denier.
- May 20, 2009: Ireland's Ryan Report on clerical sexual abuse is published.
- Nov. 6, 2010: On a trip to Spain, he attacks abortion and gay marriage in a Mass to consecrate Barcelona's Sagrada Familia church. He criticizes Spain's "aggressive secularism."
April 20, 2005: NBC's Keith Miller reports on how Pope Benedict XVI came to be Pope John Paul II's successor.
Source: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, National Catholic Register, Reuters and The Associated Press
Related:
Pope Benedict XVI to resign on Feb. 28, Vatican says
Archbishop Dolan: I'm 'startled' by pope's resignation
US will have unprecedented voice in electing new pope
Leave a Comment:
Its sad that this Pope who wanted so much to re energize the church in Europe instead watched over so many abuse scandals. I know these priests are a very small minority of the church yet they have hurt the church so much. The next Pope needs to be a John Paul type to re energize this church.
1945: Deserts the army and returns to Traunstein. He is briefly held by American forces in a prisoner of war camp. After his release, he re-enters the seminary.
This is what causes the headline to read:
From prisoner of war to pontiff: A timeline of Pope Benedict XVI's life
You missed an important part MSNBCrap.
He has tirelessly worked to defend his peers against charges of corruption and pedophlia.
John Bayner: "He has tirelessly worked to defend his peers against charges of corruption and pedophlia." << << << << ~~~~~~~~~! >> >> >> Then, please explain to me how come he has defrocked numerous priests in recent years.
before becoming pope, he was responsible for defending sexual abuse - - he was the central individual who received the information that was then covered up
it's not an accident that a massive number of sex abuse reports on his watch have become available to the public in terms of him stepping down
even if you don't believe the information in a current HBO documentary [Mea Maxima Culpa], you should see it; of course, like much too much concerning the Catholic Church and sex abuse it is being decried as anti-Catholic [did the church really shift millions to a cemetery fund in order to claim bankruptcy so that there would no be any monetary award for anyone prevailing in sex abuse court challenges in a particular parish?]
John Bayner: "He has tirelessly worked to defend his peers against charges of corruption and pedophlia." << << << << ~~~~~~~~~! >> >> >> Then, please explain to me how come he has defrocked numerous priests in recent years.
I suspect the word defrocked has a totally different meaning in the Catholic Church.
The pope has defrocked numerous priests in recent years. translation: The pope has shunned the whistle blowers of the Catholic Kingdom.
This guy definitely had a tough youth. I respect that. I do not agree with some of the things he has done in his church, or that he did not purge the church enough of sexual offenders and those who covered up for them, but I would have a beer with that dude any time...
The part about where he joined the Hitler Youth was left out. Church spin doctors at work, the church has persecuted jews for hundreds of years and the Vatican worked with the Nazi's plundering the wealth of Europe.
@Farmer - Vatican helped to save more Jews in WW2 than US government did. During the early part of WW2 Jews were standing in lines to US consulates in Germany for days trying to get a visa - and very, very few were lucky enough to get it. So quit being so self righteous. Educate yourself here:
860,000 Lives Saved - The Truth About Pius XII and the Jews
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/anti-semitism/piusdef.html
Max^108,
What really struck me in that link you gave to the Jewish Virtual Library was this:
"The Chief Rabbi of Rome went one step further. He became a Catholic."
That's not the sort of thing you would expect to find on a Jewish web site. Thanks for the link. I had read elsewhere that Pope Pius XII had run an underground movement to rescue Jews during WWII, but this is the first time I saw it confirmed by a Jewish source.
There are Jewish sources, and then there is Jewish propaganda bull$hit.
Perhaps these abuse scandals had to be exposed and handled before the Church can be re-energized; thus starting out with a clean slate. His time in the Papacy has done that, to some extent, and now it's time for the successor to pick up the torch.
the time indicates that 22 cardinals were inducted which will assure that a conservative European will become the next pope
apart from the cardinals, there are hard-line, well-monied individuals and organizations with hard core conservative outlooks who will hold the line against re-energizing based upon a softened conservative stance [a softened conservative stance does not equate to being a liberal stance]
These are news that demonstrate his failure as pope. His election was criticized by many as he obtained the sucesion for being Pope after John Paul, the second, almost a saint, died. It was so difficult to forget the traveler pope who visited Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba even the United States. And this other pope, did I read well? He was a German prisoner of war of the Americans?
He was too old when elected. I hope the Cardinals understand that now, and elect someone like Cardinal Dolan of New York now.
I was unaware that he was drafted at 16 during WWII. How his wartime experiences must have molded him. Enjoy your remaining years Pope. You've earned your rest.
Earned his rest? all he and his bigoted cohorts do is keep the lie alive at all costs, even if that means covering up for the worst scumbags ever produced by the church.
I suggest you pull that ---- out of your cranium.
this is from the above time line:
between this and hiding information about sex abuse, I guess he does need a rest
So I never knew that about the Pope he was a Nazi? 1943 German army makes him a Nazi. Why has he not been persecuted?
Not all Nazis were tried for war crimes. It appears that he was conscripted into the Hitler Youth, as was required by law, and then drafted into the anti-aircraft corps. I don't believe your average foot soldier was prosecuted. Typically, it was individuals in command or those that ran/supported the concentration camps.
Edit: I may be completely wrong by the way. I don't know what requirements need to be met to be tried for crimes commited during that period in history.
You're an idiot. National Socialism is a political party. Just because he fought in the German Army while the Nazis were in power does not make him a Nazi any more than a service member in the US Army today is automatically a Democrat because President Obama is in power.
just because someone was in the german army during WWII does not make them a nazi!!! You must be either uneducated, ignorant or just plain stupid. Pick up a book and read something before you open your mouth again....I am not religious, and definately not catholic, but I cannot sit here and listen to crap like this
He wasn't a Nazi...he was drafted to the Hitler Youth which does not automatically make you a Nazi. After 2 years he deserted and went back to the Seminary.
Karl,
"National Socialism is a political party."
I agree. Ratzinger was not a Nazi unless he joined the Nazi Party. Many Germans during WWII were not Nazis just as many Russians in the old Soviet Union were not Communists, unless they were members of the Communist Party. Being a citizen of a nation does not place you in a political party. To say all Germans were Nazis would be like saying all Americans are Democrats or Republicans.
I knew a Polish man who was recruited at 16, and I do believe he was in the SS, I'm not certain being that it was a long time ago and I was a child when I found out, and also that being a SS meant you had to swear oath to Hitler . He was a gentle man, a gardener, so it doesn't fit. Maybe it was just regular army, or the SS used "helpers" and everybody didn't have to swear oath to Hitler. But I do remember he told me it was that or a bullet. You're free to join or else....
Karl... watch a few documentaries on the Hitler Youth and then decide if Ratzinger could have been influenced by their ideology.
Because he was in the army unwillingly. Josef Ratzinger was already studying for the priesthood when the entire body of the seminary was conscripted. His family were not Nazi sympathizers. He later deserted.
Why should it be different for him than everyone else?
So you think every German soldier in WW2 should be prosecuted for War Crimes? Every elected official from mayors on up?
Yes
LOL You are aware the US put many "nazi" officials back in place to run Germany after the war right? It certainly would have been a different world with 2/3 of the German population in prison or executed after the war. Werner Von Braun and all thos rocket scientists who became Americans would have rotted in prison or ended up in Russia. Sounds like you had a good plan alright.
Mr Spock. And I might add there wasn't an American rocket program in the U.S. during WW2. After the wars end, we still didn't have one, but we did have a German rocket program in Huntsville Alabama.
The times they are a changin'.
Like the Republican party, if this organization wants to survive, it better keep that in mind. If they try an "end run", by trying to elect someone like Dolan, they're in trouble. Being different from the norm doesn't guarantee acceptance of one's principles. Dolan apes the hard line ideas of Ratzinger, which has been disastrous in terms of its effect on the size of the Catholic community.
It is my belief, though it can't be proved, that Ratzinger wormed his way into the confidence of a severely weakened John Paul II, who in my mind was a good man, with good, inclusive ideas. That influence would account for the change John Paul made in his philosophy as his illness progressed. There is one piece of "evidence" I would submit for this opinion: John Paul made it very clear that when he died, he wanted to be buried in the earth. Why? Because he was a genuinely honest man who didn't want his work to be used by others to promote the power of the Church. The Church must survive on its merits, not on a cult of personality, but that is not what Ratzinger did. John Paul went into some tomb (underground), but not buried, and the effort to canonize him began almost immediately. This was not what he wanted. He didn't want to become a tourist attraction for the Church. His last wish, a very Christian one, was denied him.
I'm sure some people will object to the tone of this letter, but those are the ones who will blindly follow others who have their own agendas, and authority on their side. You can't say you're going to hold an inquisition because you love people. That's what Ratzinger has done.
Oh that's good, anyone who disagrees with YOU is blindly following others. Very humerous. Especially how you come up with "your belief" which you made up and even admit can't be proved.
Couldn't they have waited until he died, before spoon feeding us the life of a religious buffoon.
Mr. Spock--
Use that logical mind of yours. As any Catholic knows or should know, the first aim of the Church is not to increase faith, but rather OBEDIENCE (you like caps). Faith follows obedience. The Church's hierarchy was modeled on the Roman Army-- that's why we're still called Roman Catholics (I like BOLD print): In the Church of Rome, the Pope is still the Pontifex Maximus-- the title of the high priest of pagan Rome.
This isn't about what I believe, but what Ratzinger believed, and what actually happened. You can believe as you wish. I don't have a monopoly on the TRUTH (see), and neither does anyone else, but facts lead to certain possibilities.
For example: Priests go to seminaries to learn how to be priests. They live and study together in close association with each other. Just like in any large group, some will be gay, and most aren't. Some will have homosexual relations or other sexual proclivities, but most won't. Still, some will, and they will all know who does what, and who doesn't after their time in the seminary is complete . Some will go on to be regular parish priests, and some will become administrators in what is a very closed-in society. What does that mean? Does it prove anything about how and why abuse was allowed to occur? No.
Cops have their codes, as do firemen and soldiers. So do mobsters. Not priests?
I worked closely in a civil service situation with a large group of people, and while I never went out of my way to find out who was what, I knew, and we all knew. It didn't take long to realize who was who.
Ratzinger knew from early on, as did many others, and nothing was done, except that they protected their own. But Ratzinger made himself the Grand Inquisitor. This behavior isn't unique to the Church-- J. Edgar Hoover was gay, as was Roy Cohen, Joe McCarthy's right hand man. It's not what they say, but what they do. So as I said, I have no monopoly on the truth, and you're free to believe what you will, but don't pretend Ratzinger and the others are anything more than people, with all their faults and good intentions.
One thing for sure, when a person submits his will and wisdom to that of someone else, without question, he's letting himself in for a BIG letdown.
The time line did not show how many years he facilitate child molesters. He should be going to jail, not a luxury retirement. Monster , coward and destroyer of children, and yes I was raised Catholic.
Maybe they should elect an atheist who would give back the plunder amassed at the Vatican and dissolve the church. Then have people get on with the business of living on earth rather than wishful thinking about some namby-pampy land after they die.
Your date on the timeline is wrong...should be Feb 11, 2013...not 2012!!
Alland & John - I pitty you.... I really do.
Actually, I think they pity you. But not for the same reasons
Just one thought - is today not February 11, 2013? The article states that the Pope resigned one year ago... Feb. 11, 2012: Pope Benedict XVI announces he will step down on Feb. 28
Say what you will, but there's no denying the fact that this pope WAS a Nazi. He served in the Wehrmacht which (if I recall correctly) was under the direct command of the man who is now widely regarded as the second of three Antichrists (Adolph Hitler). This probably isn't real significant to most Roman Catholics, but it does raise the question (at least to me) of which GOD the Vatican is actually in service to.
The Holy Roman Catholic church has committed atrocities against the human race since it's inception in 380 AD. Rape, murder, torture, sodomy, political assassination, pedophilia, rampant homosexuality, etc. the list just goes on and on and on (Ever hear of a little thing call the Inquisition?). What is even more egregious is the fact that this behavior and conduct by this church endures to this day, and while this may not affect the faith of the followers and members of the Catholic denomination, it certainly seems at the least to be incongruous with the tenets and teaching of Jesus Christ.
Albeit certainly not my intent to pass judgement (That is GOD's place), I can not help but to think that any religion that does so much harm to the people it claims to serve, while gathering unto itself (under dubious practices and pretenses at best) such vast amounts of financial wealth and political power, must have as it's ultimate objective, the establishment of it's power over mankind rather than the salvation of it.
I am particularly blessed to live in a country where my choice of religion is not regulated or controlled by governmental, or denominational decree, but by my own faith and choice. I am a generic Christian if you will...that is to say I am not a practitioner of "RELIGION" which I consider to be a worship oriented ritualistic practice. I merely attend a small local church (500 members) for fellowship and prayer. I don't need to confess my sins to man (only to GOD), and my salvation is not contingent on my payment of my tithe to the church, or my blind obedience to the whims and directives of some religious authority (that's how these nauseating abuses one reads about in the newspapers and tabloids get started).
But with regard to the Roman Catholic church, if they want to establish some semblance of legitimacy and/or religious credibility, it seems to me that they really need to take a hard look at the harm they've done, the offenses they've committed, the lives they have destroyed, and the cruelty they've inflicted, and make some serious and extreme changes to their doctrine.
My Bible states that church leaders bear greater responsibility for what they teach, and to lead others astray in GOD's name carries penalties and punishments far worse than just the commonplace day to day sins committed by us lesser mortals who are subject to the simple temptations that occur in life. Hopefully we can soon see an end to the abuses and crimes that are committed in GOD's name, and instead all come to an understanding of GOD's great love for all of us and the wonderful gift of salvation that he holds out for all who are willing to accept it.
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that GOD hath raised him from the dead, thous Shalt be saved.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:9-10
Well said. Your sentiments are a valid expression of the problems associated with the Catholic faith and the double standard of those whom blindly choose to ingnore the problem. I can only speculate how many millions of dollars are paid out in lawsuit settlements for pedophile clergey... the list goes on and on.
I kneel and pray only to God and Christ.......Not men.....For they are just men.
I dont recall anyone in the Catholic Church asking you to kneel and pray to any earthly person. Maybe you didn't get the memo?
Spock ...Kiss the ring lately ? .....I was referring to the idolatry of the pope....and yes there are those who do indeed kneel to him.
They do worship or in other words venerate people. Kneeling and praying to other saints instead of God himself is really being twisted. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth." Exodus 20
Catholics do NOT worship other people. We do pray to saints, but only to ask them to intercede on our behalf.
we have but 1 intercessor & as for the saints , we are all saints , priests, princes , sanctified , why would i need anyone to petition God on my behalf , when God takes residence in me & His spirit intercedes DIRECTLY on my behalf?
Definetely @stimulatingsolutions I agree!!
Why would I need anyone else to speak to my own father for me when i can do it myself.
He answers prayers and we need to have faith in Him not anyone else.
I wish Obama would take his lead... and resign.
Dennis, give this tired old horse a rest. We've heard enough. Mr. Obama won; he will be President for another four years whether you like it or not.
He must have something in his conscience in order to resign. I watched a documentary on Priest who sexually abused children; it mentioned that the Benedict was in charge of some of theses cases. Instead of doing something about it he just let it go and covered it up.
Yet in the spring of 2010, as Pope Benedict XVI, Ratzinger was accused of allowing a pedophile priest to return to ministry when he served as archbishop of Munich in 1980. A separate allegation held that as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in the 1990s he failed to defrock a Wisconsin priest who had abused deaf children 30 years before.
Seriously who would allow this? It is like padding someone in the back telling them "Good job you Sexually Abused Deaf Children good job!!" Just to let you know that priest whom abused deaf children died to live an old age and died with out being accused, plus when he was buried he was remembered as a "good" priest. Also when Benedict was asked about it, he walked away and did not want to comment about it. Yes it was embarrassing to the church but that is no reason to cover such BS. These were children who suffered a great deal of suffering and confusion. When there are children being told this is the right way follow it and then being sexually abused that is inhumane and sick. I am glad he is stepping down honestly!
I recommend you open the link so you can see more information on this.
NY Times Hyped Pope Abuse Cover-Up Questions, Buried Them For New CEO
I tried attaching the link it didn't work but heres the title of the article
A leader who can't lead for whatever reason (lack of will, health issue, inability from him or the "crew") and decides to quit is a great leader nonetheless. He can't get the job done and is responsible and accountable for it. I really respect that as a last act of leadership.
It offers a chance for another leader to get the job done and sends a message to the crew that they have to get along with the leader as well.
Hopefully they find the right match.
PS: of course many business and political leaders in societies should do the same instead if wrecking countries and economies but they don't for the money and power. Same goes for families and couples.
Where is the part about him heading the Inquisition and hiding all the child abuse cases?
wadyaknow,
"Where is the part about him heading the Inquisition and hiding all the child abuse cases?"
I noticed their absence, too, thank God. You have to look at the comments for the main article to find that sort of thing. Most of the commenters on this blog so far have made more or less intelligent posts rather than the crap you normally find on any article that deals with the Catholic Church. I hope it stays that way. I prefer intelligent people who make intelligent comments.
The old saying "A fool and his money are soon parted". If you believe this crap then I would like to sell you some good dry Florida swamp land. lol
I guess this one isn't the antichrist.
Next Pope ought to reform the church; make it more moderate; keep up with times; and ought to be more inclusive than exclusive!
Or finally grow a pair and say, I'm sick of continuing this charade of nonsense.
John Bayner --- Please see my earlier post # 1.4 !!! ~~~~~ And you have a nice day!
Jonathan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And, of course, his first act should be to get in touch with you to find out exactly what your commands, er...uh...suggests would be.
Matilda: Hope you know about the reforms.
1. Pope's office in Rome itself needs cleaning.
2. Permit married priests.
3. Permit gay/lesbian marriages.
4. Keep politics away from religious duties as much as possible.
This is certainly an historic event, and a sign of the times.
Aside from needing to come clean on the whole sexual abuse issue, I'm waiting for the Church to change its policies on the use of contraception, women in the clergy, the ability of priests to marry, and an elimination of their prejudice toward and condemnation of gays, lest it remain an irresponsible, anachronistic and hate-mongering institution.
JBK007: those running the Church were given a mandate of sorts near 2000 years ago. The rules were outlined by Christ and His Apostles. People like you criticize the Church because deep down you don't like it. In fact, you and so many of those commenting here would never be happy. You use this article as a podium to get across your hate, yet you feel it is just fine to have to accept the rules of many clubs in society. They too have rules and if you don't like them, don't come.
Most of those commenting here know little to nothing of real Church history and especially little to nothing of what has really gone on in the past 100 years. How would the masses know when all they know is what they read from these major idiot newspapers (NY Times has been caught over and over and over for fabricating) and idiotic, mind numbing TV outlets. Interesting isn't it how the Catholic Church can repeatedly be insulted on talk shows and sitcoms and movies yet not a peep about aggressive warmongering states like Israel.
There was an intentional infiltration of the Church and NOT by men like Joseph Ratzinger who has lived a life of holiness and who never had any idea of the extent of the dirt that went on. Those who have worked in investigations in criminal law and areas know that men like Ratzinger never knew the extent but yet we have this huge population who buys into the headlines given to us by a mass media that absolutely hates the Catholic Church. Msnbc , Time, Newsweek, all the major newspapers, all the major television and cable outlets all despise the Catholic Church, and this should be obvious to anyone who researches all these issues. But , it is clear that 90% of the US population only goes by what it is fed by the mass media.
The good done by the Catholic Church is enormous but people are fed the small percentage of bad things done by those who infiltrated this good, simple Church in order to destroy it- men like Hubbard of Albany, Mahoney in LA, and others. Joseph Ratzinger lived a life of holiness and devotion to God and to people, and he is worn out, and I have no doubts that his loving God/Supreme Being/Supreme Intelligence (go research the works done by multiple, multiple physicists in relation to the question about there being a God) wants him to have this rest.
People in this country are like attack dogs and reflexively (from what their parents taught them (especially Evangelicals, etc) are filled with hate and yet they have not done anything comparable to what Ratzinger has done in regards to helping the poor and downtrodden. How many 85 year olds could go on like this simple, intelligent man has?
I was raised a Catholic, in Catholic schools, in the '60s and '70s, so I do know an awful lot about the church. Nothing taught by Christ excuses the protection of pedophile priests for which Cardinal Ratzinger was responsible.
I think you are unfair to say that people attack the church out of hatred. Many attack the church out of profound disappointment. As the Prefect of the in charge of the propogation of the faith, Ratzinger asked for all files re: pedophile priests to be given to him, and he took direct control over the treatment of such priests. He is actually responsible for the failure to turn these criminals over to civil authority, for the decision to move them from place to place where more abuses occurred, and for the refusal to defrock many priests even after there was overwhelming proof of their crimes.
The world-wide disgust directed at the church caused by the pedophilia scandal properly rests at his feet. If you are angry, direct that anger at the man responsible for the cover-up, not at those who exposed him.
Sorry GALLWAYBOYUSMCARMY but Bells is correct. As far as my hating the Catholic church, you are mistaken. I was taught to respect other religions and not to make judgements. I did not rely on news media to make my blog about him heading the office that was responsible for handling all accounts of priests abusing children. Look on the Vatican archives and check and see what each arm of the church is responsible for overseeing. You are wrong on one other point, the marriage of priests. It was never mentioned by Christ and only was instituted by the Catholic Church in AD304.
He had the capacity to realize his limitations. Hopefully, his successor brings a more modern view of our modern world.
Folks its no longer the Inquisition. Its now called "The Congregation Of The Doctrine Of The Faith". When he was cardinal he was in charge of this office and ALL ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL ABUSE by priests were handled there. The Vatican recalled their ambassador to Ireland when the report on sexual abuse by priests was issued. It laid the blame squarely on the shoulders of the now Pope Benedict as knowing fully about these abuses because he was in charge. These priests were routinely transferred to other parishes, some after going to retreats to change them. Most however; were just transferred and continued to abuse kids. I believe that his resignation was triggered by his inability to get around but I also believe that it was because the depths of the sexual abuse is just know going to be realized.
Exactly right. In fact Ratzinger himself was directly involved in covering up the horrible crimes of at least three pedophile priests, Stephen Kiesle in California, Peter Hullermann in Bavaria, and the even more notorious Marcial Maciel.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/10/world/europe/10pope.html
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/sex-abuse-scandal-did-archbishop-ratzinger-help-shield-perpetrator-from-prosecution-a-684970.html
One of the most infamous abuse cases Ratzinger himself covered up involved Father Maciel, of the Catholic order "Legion of Christ", a priest who raped and tortured dozens of children.......including a girl who was his daughter through an illicit affair. Maciel however was a great fundraiser and the church has always been more concerned with money than the welfare of children, so it was easy for Ratzinger to ignore Maciel's crimes.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/father-marcial-maciel-dad-sexually-abused-raul-gonzalez-claims-lawsuit-article-1.181520
Of course as Prefect of the Congregation Of The Doctrine Of The Faith, Ratzinger was at the very top of the conspiracy to cover up pedophilia in countless thousands of cases. After all, that was his job.