Joseph Ratzinger was born in Bavaria on 16 April 1927. At the age of 16 he planned to become a priest but was drafted as " />

Benedict XVI: The pope emeritus

Joseph Ratzinger was born in Bavaria on 16 April 1927. At the age of 16 he planned to become a priest but was drafted as a soldier in the Second World War. He was inclined to study and became a professor of theology. During the Second Vatican Council he became famous as an expert. John Paul II appointed him Archbishop of Munich and later made him a Cardinal and his collaborator in the Curia.
In 2005 he was elected Pope at the age of 78 and was confronted with serious problems in the Church which he tackled firmly but which, eight years later, he recognised he was incapable of managing. This led to his historic resignation in 2013, which led to the election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Pope.


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