Place of Birth. Education. Josef Alois Ratzinger was born in the Bavarian town of Marktl am Inn (Germany). He became the third and most youngest child in the family of Gendarmerie Commissioner Josef Ratzinger and Maria Ratzinger. With the outbreak of World War II, he joined the Hitler Youth. At the end of the war he was called to military service to the air defense auxiliaries in Munich. Ratzinger did not have to participate in the battles. When the American troops approached, he deserted, returned home, but was soon arrested. He spent several months in a POW camp.
He received his higher education in theology and philosophy in 1946-1951. at the University of Munich.
Priesthood. In June 1951 he received the priesthood. In 1953 he defended his dissertation on the heritage of Blessed Augustine and became one of the best theologians in Germany. From 1959 he taught at the Department of Theology at the University of Bonn.
In 1972, in opposition to anti-clerical publications, he founded the theological journal Communio, which still exists today.
On November 25, 1981, he headed the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (aka the Holy Inquisition, renamed in 1908 by Pope Pius X).
Pontificate. On April 19, 2005, he was elected Pope (265th in a row). Chose the name Benedict XVI.
He became the oldest in age at the time of his election as pope since the time of Pope Clement XII (he was elected in 1730). Also, Benedict XVI is the first Pope since the time of Pope Paul IV (XVI century), who was elected as Dean of the College of Cardinals. In addition, Pope Benedict XVI is the first cardinal-bishop elected to the papacy since the time of Pius VIII, as well as the first cardinal since the time of Benedict XIII, who had the rank of cardinal before being elected to the papacy. for a long time(28 years).
Benedict XVI is fluent in German, Italian, Latin, English and Spanish. Reads texts in ancient Greek and Hebrew.
In 2007, Benedict XVI celebrated his 80th birthday. In honor of the anniversary, one of the German radio stations broadcast its program in Latin. And in the homeland of the pontiff, in the house where he was born, a museum was opened. In the small Bavarian town where the Pope was born, family heirlooms, theological works by Josef Ratzinger and numerous souvenirs awaited visitors from all over the world. Anniversary beer was poured in the pubs of the town, special "papal" chocolates were sold in coffee houses.
Renunciation. In February 2013, Pope Benedict XVI voluntarily abdicated. On March 13, 2013, a conclave of cardinals elected the Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the new Pope, who chose the name. For Benedict XVI, it was decided to secure the title of honorary pope.
Image caption The new pope is to be elected by the conclave, which will meet before the end of March this year.Pope Benedict XVI announced that he will leave the throne on February 28 for health reasons.
The pontiff announced this in Latin during a meeting in the Vatican. This information was later confirmed to the press by a representative of the Holy See.
BBC correspondent in Rome Alan Johnston reports that the news of the upcoming abdication of the pope took the Vatican by surprise: as it turned out, even the closest aides did not know about it.
"Having repeatedly tested my conscience before God, I came to the conclusion that my strength, due to advanced age, is no longer sufficient for the proper execution of the ministry of St. Peter," said Benedict XVI.
It is known from the history of the papacy that the last time the pontiff announced his voluntary abdication was almost 600 years ago: in 1415, Gregory XII acted in a similar way.
The newspaper La Stampa quotes the reaction of Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti: "I am shocked by this unexpected news."
Pope Benedict XVI
Reuters found out that the election of a new head of the Roman catholic church will run until the end of March this year.
Experts believe that several cardinals will claim the vacated papal throne at once, but it is difficult to single out the obvious successor to Benedict XVI among them.
Meanwhile, bookmaker Paddy Power has started taking bets on who will be the new dad.
Cardinal Peter Tarkson from Ghana is considered the bookmaker's favorite: bets on him are accepted with a coefficient of 9 to 4.
Cardinal Joseph RatzingerHe took over the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church at the age of 78, making him one of the oldest popes in history.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS?
Comments in the BBC Russian Service forums:
- It would be strange if he did not leave, after all the revealed crimes on the basis of sexuality of the Catholic clergy [...] The Catholic Church is losing parishioners dramatically. His renunciation is an act an honest man (Stas)
- The next Pope, in my opinion, is younger and more physically active. And in general, the policy of the Vatican will remain conservative, given the state of the Sacred College (Yuri Baksalov)
- But the Pope will retire, and who will he be? Not back as a cardinal. And by whom? Honorary Vatican pensioner? In general, what does the regulation say about this? (Another Ludmila)
- Personally, I’m not interested at all, I’m Orthodox, I leave and happily ... (Alexander AlrM)
According to Benedict XVI, he himself never felt the desire to become pope.
Benedict XVI was born in Germany in 1927, in his youth he was a member of the Nazi youth organization "Hitler Youth".
During the Second World War he served in the air defense unit in Munich.
Prior to his election as pope, Cardinal Ratzinger actively opposed Turkey's admission to the European Union.
For 24 years, Cardinal Ratzinger headed the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which in the Middle Ages was called the Holy Inquisition.
Consistently opposes abortion and the ordination of women, and considers homosexuality a sin.
In ecclesiastical circles, Benedict XVI enjoys a reputation as an intellectual and "cautious realist."
He became the first German pope in over 1,000 years. There were at least three German popes in the 11th century.
Benedict XVI speaks ten languages and plays the piano. His favorite composer is Beethoven.
Late last year, Benedict XVI began using the microblogging site Twitter and has since sent his messages there in eight languages.
Pope Benedict XVI's announcement of his forthcoming abdication came as a surprise not only to millions of Catholics around the world, but also to the papal entourage.
Popes who abdicated
- Pope Silverius (536 - 537). He was forcibly deposed in March 537, abdicated on November 11. After a trial initiated at the direction of Empress Theodora, the pope was accused of political treason. He died on December 2, 537 - either strangled or starved to death.
- Saint Celestine V (July 5 - December 13, 1294). At the time of his election, the pope was 80 years old. He died a year and a half later in the fortress, where he was imprisoned by his successor, Boniface VIII.
- Gregory XII (1406 - 1415). After the abdication, Gregory XII retained the title of cardinal and retired to Ancona, where he died two years after the council.
"Of course, you now have a lot of questions, but we need a few days to understand how and what to do next. This announcement is a big surprise for all of us," said Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi.
“If the Pope himself, after deep reflection, came to the conclusion that he no longer had the strength to serve, then I treat his decision with great respect. He remains one of the most significant religious thinkers of our time,” said the German Chancellor. Angela Merkel.
"On behalf of all Americans, Michel and I want to express our gratitude to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. The Church plays an important role in America and around the world. I wish all the best to all those who gather in the Vatican to elect his successor," said US President Barack Obama.
"Pope Benedict has worked tirelessly to improve relations between Britain and the Holy See," said British Prime Minister David Cameron.
"The change of the pontiff does not give grounds to predict any deterioration in relations between our churches," Archpriest Dmitry Sizonenko, a representative of the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church, said in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper.
"It is unprecedented for our time that a pope is retiring due to physical infirmity, and that a successor will be chosen and ascend the throne during the life of his predecessor," believes Chief Editor Italian newspaper La Reppublica Ezio Mauro.
Statement text
Dear brothers,
I have called you to this consistory not only for the sake of three canonizations, but also to inform you of a decision of great importance for the life of the Church.
Having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I came to the conclusion that my strength, due to advanced age, was no longer sufficient for the proper execution of the ministry of St. Peter.
I am well aware that this service, due to its spiritual nature, must be fulfilled not only by deeds and words, but no less by suffering and prayer.
However, in today's world of rapid change and agitated by issues of the greatest importance to living the faith, it takes energy of both body and spirit to steer St. Peter's boat and proclaim the gospel, and that energy is recent months so faded that I am forced to admit my inability to properly fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.
Therefore, well aware of the seriousness of this act, I declare with complete freedom that I renounce the office of the Bishop of Rome, the Successor of St. Peter, will be vacant, and those who have the appropriate authority will have to convene a conclave to elect a new pope.
Dear brothers, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the love and for the work through which you have carried with me the burden of my ministry, and I ask for forgiveness for all my shortcomings.
Let us now entrust the Holy Church to the care of her Supreme Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ, and let us pray to his holy Mother, the Virgin Mary, that she will accompany with her maternal goodness of the Cardinal Fathers in the election of a new Pope.
As for me, I will continue to serve with all my heart the Holy Mother Church with a life dedicated to prayer.
The era of Benedict XVI
Image caption Benedict XVI led the Catholic Church in an era of technological and social changeBenedict XVI was elected pope in 2005 at the age of 78. He became one of the oldest cardinals in history to ascend to the Holy See.
When the previous pope, John Paul II, died, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was already considering retiring from ecclesiastical affairs. According to him, he did not want to become a dad.
However, it was then that the choice of other cardinals of the Vatican fell on him. If anyone expected from his papacy a smooth and peaceful transition to a new era in the life of the Catholic Church, then these optimists were disappointed.
Benedict XVI took the helm of the world's largest Christian denomination at a time when the thunderclouds of the scandal surrounding the sexual exploitation of children by priests were gathering over it. But that was not the only challenge that the rapidly changing world presented to this ancient institution.
The flood of accusations, lawsuits, and official reports of clergy sexual assault was especially intense in 2009-2010. Perhaps this topic became decisive for the papacy of Benedict XVI.
The most embarrassing allegations were that the local episcopates - and sometimes the Vatican - took part in hiding many such facts, allowing pedophile priests to get away from punishment.
Some church hierarchs tried to dismiss these statements as slander against the church. However, the pope said that responsibility should not be shied away and pointed to "sins within the church." They issued an apology to the victims, clearly stated that such facts should be made public immediately, and established a procedure for the accelerated defrocking of perpetrators of sexual harassment.
Many recalled the pontiff's childhood in Nazi Germany.
He was six years old when the Nazis came to power. In 1941, he joined the Hitler Youth and even served in an anti-aircraft battalion, but shortly before the defeat of the Nazis, he became a deserter.
Ratzinger turned to Catholicism after the war. In 1960, he spoke at the Second Vatican Council with a speech on the need to modernize and reform the Catholic Church.
However, the wave of protests that swept through Europe in 1968 forced Ratzinger to abandon theological liberalism.
In 1981, John Paul II appointed Cardinal Ratzinger head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - the former Holy Inquisition - allowing him to exercise significant influence on church life.
Ratzinger became the successor of the ideas of John Paul II. He spoke out against abortion, homosexuality, feminism, and even rock music and the Harry Potter books. He considered Catholicism as the only correct faith, considering all others to be inferior.
It was Ratzinger, as senior cardinal, who oversaw the funeral of John Paul II. When white smoke over the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican announced the election of a 78-year-old German as the new Pope Benedict XVI, many were not surprised.
But the shy, not always self-confident Ratzinger lacked the charm and charisma of his predecessor.
At the same time, they both shared the view that the church should resist rampant individualism and consumerism.
In 2006, during a lecture in Germany, the Pope quoted criticisms of Islam made as far back as the 14th century. This provoked mass protests in some Muslim countries. As a result, the pontiff had to apologize and say that these statements do not reflect his own views.
He also had to apologize for the behavior of pedophile Catholic priests in the United States and other countries.
Ratzinger saw the main goal of his life in the fight against the weakening of faith within the church itself and its marginalization in public life.
The reign of Benedict XVI can be called transitional: he tried to combine the religious principles inherited from past generations with the new requirements that secular society presented to the church. At the same time, he firmly believed that for continued service to society, the Catholic faith must be maintained in its original purity. Even if it leads to a reduction in the flock.
Benedict XVI abdicated - this news not so long ago stunned the religious world, and especially the Catholics. The last time the Pope abdicated from the throne took place several centuries ago. Usually they replaced each other in connection with death. Such an extraordinary act of the most holy man tied to him the influence of not only the Catholic public, but also representatives of other faiths, as well as the media around the world.
Pope's Young Years
In the small village of Marktl am Inn, on the eve of Easter, in the family of a gendarme on April 16, 1927, Josef Alois Ratzinger was born - this is the real name that Benedict XVI had. He was the youngest child in the family. When the child was 5 years old, the family moved to the city of Auschau, which is located in the picturesque Alpine mountains. At the age of 10, Josef was a student at the classical gymnasium in Traunstein. This gymnasium was chosen for him by his father, because he was one of the supporters of National Socialism. At the age of fourteen, Josef entered the ranks of the Nazi organization "Hitler Youth". Many historians argue that joining a fascist organization at that time was a prerequisite for all boys who reached this age.
Youth years
Josef Alois Ratzinger's activity as a minister of the church begins in 1939, at that time he becomes a pupil of the pre-seminary. During the Second World War, he happened to get into the youth air defense unit as an assistant. He studied in the city of Munich at the Maximilian Gymnasium. At the age of 17, Josef was enrolled in the Austrian region. This moment in the biography, Pope Benedict XVI does not like to remember much. Service in the army did not suit him, and in 1945 he deserted. These were difficult years for the young man, having escaped from the army, he returned to the city of Traunstein. At that time, the headquarters of the American army was located in the house of his parents. Joseph Ratzinger was arrested and then sent to a prison camp. A few months later he was released.
In 1946-1951 Joseph Ratzinger receives higher education at the Theological Institute with a specialization in theology and philosophy. In 1951, Benedict 16, a film about which was made not so long ago, received a holy order. In Freising Cathedral, Josef Ratzinger was ordained as a priest by Cardinal Michael Faulhaber, who was an archbishop. Then in 1953 Josef Ratzinger writes a theological work at the University of Munich. As a result of this work, he entered the history of Germany as the country's best theologian.
Mature years of the Pope
In 1972, Ratzinger works as a lecturer in theology at the Bonn University educational institution. In 1966 he was the best expert in dogmatic theology in Tübingen. Further, in 1972, Ratzinger became one of the founders of the well-known magazine Communio, whose name translates as "communion". This journal about theology and culture is published to this day. In the spring of 1977 Josef Ratzinger was appointed Archbishop of Munich and Freising. On June 27, he was appointed to the post of cardinal by Pope Paul VI. In 1980, the cardinal was appointed head of the Council for Laity Affairs. Subsequently, Pope Paul VI invited him to become head of the Congregation for Catholic Education.
Service in the church
If Joseph Ratzinger had taken this post, then this could have led to his departure from the Munich See and then the need to move to the Vatican would have arisen. Therefore, Joseph Ratzinger refused the proposed position of head of the Congregation. In 1981, he agrees to be appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in the Vatican Office and then moves to the Vatican. However, he refuses to serve as a pastor.
In the Vatican, in 1993, Josef Ratzinger was appointed Bishop of Velletri Segni. In 2000 he became Bishop of Osti. Then, from 2002, he moves to the post of Dean of the College of Cardinals. Having become a cardinal, he joins the ranks of the members of the Council of Ecclesia Dei. Thus, since that time he has been the main theologian in the Vatican, in connection with which his views on the main problems relating to society appear to be the position of the Vatican. Ratzinger opposed abortion, so they are unacceptable in the Vatican.
Education
The activities that Benedict XVI led indicate that he is a highly educated person. He is fluent in several languages: German, English, Italian, Spanish, Ancient Greek and Hebrew. The Pope is also the author of numerous works: "Truth and Tolerance", "God and the World" and others. He is the author of Introduction to Christianity, which has become an international bestseller.
Differs in conservative views and thinking. He condemns homosexual relationships, same-sex marriage, divorce, and cloning. Among other things, he is an opponent of feminism. He believes that feminism undermines the foundations of marriage and the family, as well as God-given differences between the stronger sex and the weak. Conservative views can be read in his books. In them, he considers the conservative course of the formation of the Church, he is also dissatisfied with the mixture of different cultures that take place in some Western countries, he believes that modern culture is contrary to religion and morality.
Pope
The Pope in Germany was given the nickname Panzerkardinal, which means "armadillo cardinal", he is distinguished by his intolerance of liberalism in the Catholic Church. But at the same time, Germany, like other countries, was delighted to hear the news of the appointment of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger by the Pope. On May 7, 2005, he, who is also the Bishop of Rome, solemnly took over the chair of the metropolitan diocese. In 2013, the Pope announced that he wanted to leave the post, due to the fact that he is in old age.
Joseph Ratzinger, like his other predecessor, the Pope, supports the existing course and policy, which is aimed at the peaceful coexistence of the Catholic Church and other faiths. In turn, Benedict XVI has always spoken out against armed conflicts around the world, in defense of civilians.
The head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Alois Ratzinger, Joseph Alois Ratzinger) was born on April 16, 1927 in the village of Marktl am Inn in Bavaria (Germany) in the family of a policeman. When he was two years old, his family moved to the Austrian border, and in 1932 to the Alpine town of Auschau.
In 1937, Josef Ratzinger went to study at the classical gymnasium in Traunstein. In 1939 he became a student of the seminary. This was the beginning of his church career. In 1943, from the seminary, he was drafted into the air defense corps. In 1944, having reached military age, he was drafted into the army in the Austrian Legion. He did not take part in the hostilities. In the spring of 1945, he deserted from the army and headed home to Traunstein. When American troops settled in his native village, their headquarters was located in the Ratzinger house. Josef was arrested and placed in a POW camp. But already in June, Ratzinger returned home, and in November he again entered the seminary.
In 1947 Ratzinger entered the Georgianum, the Theological Institute at the University of Munich. On June 29, 1951, on the feast day of Peter and Paul, Joseph Ratzinger and his brother Georg were ordained priests by Cardinal Faulhaber in Freising.
In 1953, Ratzinger completed his theological thesis at the University of Munich. The theme of his work is "The people and the house of God in Augustine's ecclesiology". He devoted his doctoral dissertation to the theology of history under Saint Bonaventure.
In 1959-1977 he taught fundamental theology at German universities.
In 1962-1965, as a theological adviser to Cardinal Joseph Fringus, he participated in the work of the Second Vatican Council. In 1972, Joseph Ratzinger, together with Hans Urs von Balthazar, Henri de Lubac and others, founded the international Catholic magazine Communio ("Communion"), dedicated to theology and culture.
On March 24, 1977, Ratzinger was installed Archbishop of Munich and Freising.
On June 27, 1977, Pope Paul VI elevated Joseph Ratzinger to the rank of cardinal. In 1980, Pope John Paul II appointed Cardinal Ratzinger head of a special Council for the Laity, and then offered him the post of head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
On November 25, 1981, Ratzinger became Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Then he left his pastoral duties in Germany and moved to the Vatican. Here he became a permanent member of the Episcopal Synods.
In 1993, he took the title of Bishop of the Roman suburb of Velletri-Segni.
In 2002, Ratzinger was elected dean of the College of Cardinals, a member of the Ecclesia Dei commission, created on the basis of the eponymous Motu proprio of Pope John Paul II.
According to a tradition that has existed since the middle of the 16th century, the one elected to the papal throne takes on a new name, thus wishing to honor one of his predecessors who bore the same name. The 265th pontiff took the name Benedict, becoming the 16th pope with that name. "Benedict" in Latin means "blessed".
On May 7, 2005, Pope Benedict XVI, who also bears the title of Bishop of Rome, officially entered the chair of the head of the metropolitan diocese.
February 11, 2013 Pope Benedict XVI during the consistory for the canonization of the Martyrs of Otranto his post on February 28. The pontiff justified the decision to abdicate by the burden of fulfilling his mission due to his advanced age.
Benedict XVI is the oldest person to have been elected Pope since Pope Clement XII (elected in 1730). Also, Benedict XVI is the first Pope after Pope Paul IV (XVI century), who was elected as dean of the College of Cardinals.
Benedict XVI is fluent in German, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish. Knows Latin, Hebrew, Ancient Greek, Polish.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources
]. The Ratzingers have long been engaged in farming, but the father of the future pontiff, Joseph Ratzinger Sr., served in the police and adhered to anti-fascist views: in the early 1930s, he tried to prevent the Nazis from organizing pogroms in his city,,,. Josef's mother was Maria Pentner (Maria Peintner): she met Ratzinger Sr. in 1920 through a marriage advertisement in a newspaper. Joseph Ratzinger had an older sister Maria (Maria, she died in 1991) and brother Georg (Georg), a priest and musician,.
Ratzinger Jr. studied at the seminary in the village of Traunstein on the border with Austria, where he moved with his family,. He was forced to join the paramilitary Nazi youth organization"Hitler Youth" (Hitler Youth, Hitlerjugend) at the age of ten (according to other sources - at fourteen), and during the Second World War, Ratzinger was drafted into the air defense unit in Munich, which defended the BMW aircraft engine plant,,. His unit was then sent to Hungary, where Ratzinger set up anti-tank barriers. Ratzinger claimed not to have fired a single shot during the war. In April 1944, he deserted and spent some time in captivity with the allied forces,.
In the postwar years, Ratzinger's theological career began. From 1946 to 1951 he studied philosophy and theology at high school philosophy and theology of the Bavarian city of Freising and then at the University of Munich. In 1951 he was ordained a priest in the Catholic Church. In 1953, Ratzinger received his doctorate in theology, four years later he was certified to teach at the university. He lectured on dogmatic and fundamental theology in Freising, Bonn, Münster and Tübingen. In 1969, he became vice-president of the University of Regensburg and headed the department of dogmatic theology and the history of dogmas,,. During his teaching at universities, Ratzinger fought against the leftist mood of students and was already considered an extremely influential cleric: in 2005 it turned out that he was being followed by at least eight agents of the East German Stasi intelligence service.
On March 25, 1977, Ratzinger was appointed Archbishop of Munich and Freising and on May 28 he was ordained bishop,,,. Already in June of the same year, Pope Paul VI made Ratzinger a cardinal,. Ratzinger took part in the conclaves that elected Pope John Paul I and later John Paul II in 1978. Ratzinger's views were similar to the conservative views of John Paul II, and on November 25, 1981, the pope appointed him prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, an office that inherited some of its functions from the Inquisition,,,. In February 1982, Ratzinger left his archbishopric in Bavaria. In 1987, Ratzinger made a statement about Judaism and Jews that the main result of all Jewish history was the birth of Christ, subsequently he was accused of "theological anti-Semitism" for this.
From 1986 to 1992, Ratzinger directed the commission that worked on the text of the new catechism of the Catholic Church. On April 5, 1993, he became head of the suburban diocese of Velletri-Segni, and in 2002, the suburban diocese of Ostia. Since 1998 the priest has been Vice Dean and since 2002 Dean of the College of Cardinals. Ratzinger held various posts in the papal curia. V last years During the life of John Paul II, he remained the hierarch closest to him, and in April 2005, after the death of the pontiff, he was elected to his place, receiving the name Benedict XVI, and the title of Bishop of Rome, vicar of Jesus Christ, successor of St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles, Supreme High Priest of the Universal Church , Patriarch of the West, Primate of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province, Head of the Vatican State and Servant of the Servants of God.
Benedict XVI is considered a conservative pontiff. He has long been opposed to socialist ideology, homosexuality, contraception and abortion,,. He also opposed the liberalization of church orders, he was criticized for condemning the ordination of women, homosexuals and married men to the priesthood,. He opposed genetic experiments: in his opinion, genetic scientists "took on the role of God." In 2006, Benedict XVI fired the head of the Vatican observatory, Jesuit priest George Coyne, for rejecting creationism (the doctrine that the earth and life on it were created by God) and supporting the Catholic Church's acceptance of the theory of evolution. In 2007, Benedict XVI issued a special encyclical condemning atheism and the activities of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin.
As a cardinal, Benedict XVI spoke negatively about popular culture, in particular about rock musician Bob Dylan (Bob Dylan) and the Harry Potter series of books by writer Joanne Rowling (Joanne Rowling).
During a visit to Germany in mid-September 2006, Benedict XVI in one of his speeches quoted the Byzantine emperor Manuel Palaiologos, who said that the prophet Muhammad brought only evil and inhumanity to the world. These words caused discontent and mass protests among Muslims, despite the subsequent apologies from the pontiff,,.
Like John Paul II, Benedict XVI paid much attention to relations with the Russian Orthodox Church(ROC). Representatives of the Vatican stated that he was ready to come to Moscow to meet with its primate-patriarch, while the Russian Orthodox Church claimed that the Vatican was still pursuing an aggressive policy of luring believers into Uniatism on the territory of Ukraine, and before the solution of this problem they were not going to invite the pontiff to Russia. John Paul II did not come to Russia earlier without an official invitation from the Russian Orthodox Church. Nevertheless, Benedict XVI met with Patriarch Kirill, who at that time was the head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate,.
In November 2006, Benedict XVI visited Turkey, where he met with Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople: the heads of the churches celebrated mass together. The Patriarch greeted the Pope with words that he was grieving for the schism of the churches.
In 2007, Benedict XVI met Russian President Vladimir Putin. As the pontiff said, "Russia is truly great country, great in many respects: it is great for its expanses, centuries-old history, its highest spirituality and multifaceted culture" .
In October 2008, after the start of the global recession, Benedict XVI said that this crisis testifies to the futility of money and the futility of accumulating wealth.
In May 2012, the media wrote about the scandal that erupted after the publication of the book by journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi (Gianluigi Nuzzi) "His Holiness: The Secret Letters of Benedict XVI" (Sua Santita. Le Carte Segrete Di Benedetto XVI), based on fragments of confidential correspondence of the pope and announced by representatives Vatican "slanderous" and "criminal", . Benedict XVI's valet Paolo Gabriele was blamed for the leak. In October of the same year, the Vatican court Gabriele for the theft of documents, and in November, an employee of the Vatican secretariat, Claudio Sciarpelletti, was convicted of participating in the same crime,.
Benedict XVI is fond of classical music and can play the piano himself. The press also wrote that he is a big cat lover.
Used materials
Vatileaks, il tecnico Claudio Sciarpelletti condannato a due mesi. - Quotidiano.net, 10.11.2012
Vatileaks: 18 mesi per Paolo Gabriele "Ho agito per amore della Chiesa". - Corriere della Sera, 06.10.2012
Lettere a Benedetto XVI finite in un libro Il Vaticano denuncera furto e ricettazione. - La Repubblica, 19.05.2012
Who can be elected as the new head of the Russian Orthodox Church. - NEWSru.com, 05.12.2008
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