Biography
German-born ecclesiastic, a Roman Catholic who was elected Pope on
April 19, 2005 at about 5:50 PM local time at the Vatican, taking the name
of Benedict XVI. He greeted the public from the Papal balcony delivering
his blessing in his first "Urbi et Orbi" speech at 6:48 PM local time
according to the Vatican press office. The Pope has been a Cardinal since
June 27, 1977. Before his ascension to the highest office in the Roman
Catholic hierarchy, he was Dean of the College of Cardinals.
The son of a police officer from a farming family in Lower Bavaria, Joseph
Ratzinger was drafted into the auxiliary anti-aircraft service during
World War II but deserted. He was subsequently imprisoned in an Allied POW
camp until the end of the war. In 1946 he began studies in philosophy and
theology at the University of Munich. Ordained as a priest on June 29,
1951, he obtained his doctorate in theology in 1953. By 1957, he qualified
as a university teacher and began teaching. By 1969, he had become a
professor of dogmatic theology and of the history of dogma at the
University of Regensburg. He held the administrative post of Vice
President at the same institution.
In March 1977, he was appointed Archbishop of Munich and Freising, and on
May 28, 1977 he was installed in that post. He was elevated to Cardinal
one month later. In 1981 he became Prefect of the Congregation for the
Doctrine of Faith, where he earned the nickname "the Enforcer." He was
elected Vice Dean of the College of Cardinals on November 6, 1998. Four
years later, on November 30, 2002, he became Dean.
An academic, a writer, and a professor, he is an intellectual whose
conservative views have stood him in good stead at the Vatican, and he
became a primary advisor to Pope John Paul II. As the health of Pope John
Paul II deteriorated, many speculated that Cardinal Ratzinger would be
named Pope when John Paul II died.
The man who is now Benedict XVI is considered to be genuinely pious,
intellectually brilliant, blunt, and passionate about the "truth," a man
who has the courage of his convictions. Despite his conservative and
dogmatic views, he is described as being personally charming and
quick-witted, a stimulating conversationalist, fluent in several
languages. His experiences as a young man during World War II were
critical in formulating his ideas about the role of the Church. After
seeing the horrors perpetrated by the Nazis, he argues that the Church
must present an alternative to the state and that the church must stand
for absolute truths. He warns that the Church must not become a "plaything
of outside forces."
In his role as Pope Benedict XVI, he is expected to continue hammering
home his conservative views. Many cardinals with more liberal stances have
felt the punitive sting of his ecclesiastic disdain. Church-watchers blame
him for a Vatican degree issued during his predecessor's reign that barred
Catholic priests from counseling pregnant teens on any option other than
to raise their children as good Catholics. He is reportedly the person
responsible for forbidding Catholics from sharing communion with Lutherans
at a 2003 ecumenical convention. He has been openly critical of other
religions, calling them "deficient" and sees homosexuality as an
"intrinsic moral evil."
His fans say that his role as "guardian of orthodoxy" is the beacon of
light in changing times. One supporter describes him as a "subtle thinker
with a deep understanding of Catholic tradition and a personal touch he's
not often given credit for."
Regardless of his personal charm, past accomplishments, doctrinal
interpretation or intellectual brilliance, his job as Pope will be
challenging. He will reign in a global and technical environment that is
rapidly changing and in times that are divisive politically, culturally
and religiously. He faces demands from many of his flock, ecclesiastics
and lay people both, who want the Church to adapt to changing mores about
reproductive rights and options, the place of women, gays, lesbians in the
Church, the recruitment of clergy. And he follows in the shoes of a
much-loved predecessor who may have shared Benedict's doctrinal views but
whose benefic demeanor and outreach efforts to other religions and
cultures earned Pope John Paul II exalted status.
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What Do You Think?
On the first day of the Conclave, April 18, 2005, then-Cardinal Ratzinger urged his
fellow cardinals to stand with tradition. "Having a clear faith, based on the creed of the church, is often labeled today as a
fundamentalism. Whereas relativism, which is letting oneself be tossed and
'swept along by every wind of teaching,' looks like the only attitude
acceptable to today's standards." It appears that the newly elected Pope
Benedict XVI will continue the conservative doctrinal interpretation that
his predecessor, Pope John Paul II embraced. Let's look at Benedict's
chart for clues to what the man is about and what his reign might be like.
- Pope Benedict XVI has urged Catholics to adhere to traditional
doctrine in these changing, sometimes troubling, times. Where in the chart
might you see this adherence to traditional teachings, a fundamental vs.
relative interpretation of the laws and policies of the Church?
- This Pope seems to be yet another world figure with a polarizing
effect. Surely such an important leader and the times have to reflect each
other. What astrological factors in his chart and in the transits of the
times describe such divisiveness?
- Where is the ambition of a man who has risen through the Catholic
hierarchy to its top position, while earning the name of "The Enforcer"?
Where is the Pisces influence displayed?
- If as Andrew Carnegie once said "the organization is the shadow of the
man," what can we expect for the immediate future of the Catholic Church
using the new Pope's chart as a guide?
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Answers
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