In the spotlight: Benedict XVI
The 78 year-old Ratzinger, who took on the name of Benedict XVI, is the oldest Pope in 275 years and the first German to head the Catholic Church in almost 1,000 years. A close friend of the late John Paul II, Ratzinger was one of the most influential men in the Vatican over the last 23 years. He headed the Congregation of Doctrine of the Faith (formerly the Holy Office of the Inquisition) from 1981, and his activities and statements have earned him a reputation as a conservative and an ardent opponent of liberal movements within the church. Until the 1960s the new Pope was considered to be liberal, but anti-establishment movements late in that decade changed his mind, and he took a firm stance in defense of traditional doctrine.
Born in Bavaria to a peasant family, at 14 he was enrolled in the Hitler Youth, in which membership was compulsory. At the end of the war he was drafted into an anti-aircraft unit, but deserted and spent some time in one of the Allies' POW camps. He was ordained in 1951. In 1977 Ratzinger was appointed archbishop of Munich and was elevated to cardinal by Pope Paul VI a few months later.
Ratzinger has visited Poland on numerous occasions, holds a Doctorate Honoris Causa from the Catholic University of Lublin and the Papal Department of Theology in Wrocław. In the early 1980s he took part in demonstrations against martial law and in defense of political prisoners in Poland. It is rumored that Poland might be the new Pope's first foreign visit. M.P.
Born in Bavaria to a peasant family, at 14 he was enrolled in the Hitler Youth, in which membership was compulsory. At the end of the war he was drafted into an anti-aircraft unit, but deserted and spent some time in one of the Allies' POW camps. He was ordained in 1951. In 1977 Ratzinger was appointed archbishop of Munich and was elevated to cardinal by Pope Paul VI a few months later.
Ratzinger has visited Poland on numerous occasions, holds a Doctorate Honoris Causa from the Catholic University of Lublin and the Papal Department of Theology in Wrocław. In the early 1980s he took part in demonstrations against martial law and in defense of political prisoners in Poland. It is rumored that Poland might be the new Pope's first foreign visit. M.P.
