By Carol Glatz
Here are some important events in the life of Pope Benedict XVI.
16 April, 1927: Joseph Ratzinger is born in Marktl am Inn, Germany.
1945: With World War II ending, the 18-year-old conscripted soldier deserts from the German army and is held briefly as a U.S. prisoner of war.
29 June ,1951: He is ordained a priest along with his brother, Georg, and continues his theological studies.
1958-1977: He teaches theology at five German universities.
1962-1965: Father Ratzinger serves as an expert at the Second Vatican Council.
28 May, 1977: He is ordained a bishop, becoming the archbishop of Munich and Freising, Germany.
27 June, 1977: Pope Paul VI elevates him into the College of Cardinals.
1981-2005: He serves as prefect of the Holy See’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
19 April, 2005: Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, 78, elected pope and takes the name Benedict XVI.
22 December 2005: In a meeting with top aides at the Vatican, Pope Benedict insists the teaching of the Second Vatican Council must be read in continuity with the church’s tradition.
September 12, 2006: In a speech about faith and reason at the University of Regensburg, Germany, Pope Benedict cites a historical criticism of violence in Islam, setting off consternation and protests.
16 April, 2007: The first of what would be a three-volume work, “Jesus of Nazareth,” by Pope Benedict goes on sale and is an immediate commercial success.
7 July, 2007: Pope Benedict issues an apostolic letter, “Summorum Pontificum,” permitting wider use of the 1962 Roman Missal.
15-20 April, 2008: Pope Benedict visits Washington, New York and the United Nations, meets with victims of clerical sex abuse for first time.
January 2009: With Pope Benedict’s approval, the Vatican issues a letter lifting the ex-communication of four traditionalist bishops belonging to the Society of St. Pius X to clear the way for reconciliation talks with the group.
4 November, 2009: With the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus,” Pope Benedict establishes personal ordinariates for Anglicans entering into full communion with the Catholic Church.
15 July 2010: With the approval of Pope Benedict, the Vatican releases streamlined procedures for handling accusations of clerical sexual abuse and removing from the priesthood those found guilty.
1 May, 2011: Pope Benedict beatifies Pope John Paul II.
28 February, 2013: Pope Benedict, 85, becomes the first pope in almost 600 years to resign; he cited declining strength because of age.
2013-2022: Lives a “monastic” life of prayer and study, receives visitors in a renovated monastery near the Vatican Gardens. With prompting from Pope Francis, he appears in public for a number of significant church events at the Vatican.
31 December, 2022: Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI dies at 9.34 am, at Mater Ecclesiae Monastery at the Vatican.
