Ratzinger was briefly a member of the Hitler Youth in his early teens after membership became mandatory in In , Ratzinger and fellow seminarians were drafted into the anti-aircraft corps. He has said his unit was attacked by Allied forces that year, but he did not take part in that battle because a finger infection had kept him from learning to shoot.
After about a year in the anti-aircraft unit, Ratzinger was drafted into the regular military. Ratzinger was sent home and then called up again before deserting in late April He was captured by American soldiers and held as a prisoner of war for several months.
Ratzinger returned to the seminary at the University of Munich in the fall of and was ordained a priest in Two years later, he earned his doctorate at the University of Munich. He earned his teaching licentiate in and became a professor of Freising College in , teaching dogma and fundamental theology.
Ratzinger became a professor at the University of Bonn in He was viewed as a reformer during this time. In , Ratzinger helped found the theological journal Communio , which became one of the most important journals of Catholic thought. In , he became vice dean of the College of Cardinals and was elected dean in Ratzinger defended and reaffirmed Catholic doctrine, including teaching on topics such as birth control, homosexuality and inter-religious dialogue.
Known for his rigid views on Catholicism, he sought a more inclusive image as pope. The shield contains symbols he had already used in his arms when he was Archbishop of Munich and Freising, and subsequently as Cardinal. Read the full description of his Coat of Arms on the Vatican's website.
Studies philosophy and theology at the Higher School of Philosophy and Theology of Freising and the Herzogliches Georgianum, a theological institute associated with the University of Munich. Deserts the army in with his brother Georg to rejoin the seminary. Qualifies for university teaching and writes his dissertation on The Theology of History in St. Timeline A reader could argue with this point or that but none could deny the books were the work of a man of deep and abiding faith, and eager to share that faith with his readers.
One passage in the first volume stood out to me at the time and still does, for its ability to capture that deep faith:. Now, it is true that this leads us to the great question that will be with us throughout this entire book: What did Jesus actually bring, if not world peace, universal prosperity, and a better world? What has he brought? The answer is very simple: God. He has brought God. He has brought the God who formerly unveiled his countenance gradually, first to Abraham, then to Moses and the Prophets, and then in the Wisdom Literature — the God who revealed his face only in Israel, even though he was also honored among the pagans in various shadowy guises.
He has brought God, and now we know his face, now we can call upon him. Now we know the path that we human beings have to take in this world. Jesus has brought God and with God the truth about our origin and destiny: faith, hope, and love. It is only because of our hardness of heart that we think this is too little. I know how often I allow my hardness of heart to cause me to think that it is too little.
And during such times, I crack open the book and turn to that passage. We human beings, and especially we Americans, have become accustomed to self-reliance, and we do not find it easy to believe that faith the size of a mustard seed can change the whole world. Any person who can write such beautiful words, whatever difficulties he has endured in his life of faith, is a person whose life is rooted deeply, very deeply, in the mystery of the Incarnation and the proclamation of the empty tomb.
That deep faith is a sine qua non for leadership in the church but it also is not enough. Yes, his encyclicals were profound and beautiful. Yes, his sermons were exquisite. But any leader of an organization is only as good as his judgment of others' gifts and his ability to appoint the right people to the right tasks.
In this, Benedict XVI's pontificate was a disaster plagued by scandals. Throughout their music career, the "Bridge Over Troubled Water" singers' friendship was often so tense that they would stop talking to each other — a pattern that continues to this day. The "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" costars spent more than two decades hiding their status from the public.
Despite his wholesome image, the Victorian author had a scandalous love life. Benedict reinforced traditional practices despite the Church struggling to find its place in the 21st century Prior to becoming pope, Benedict was known for his rigid views on Catholicism. By Tim Ott. By Barbara Maranzani. By Sara Kettler.
By Colin Bertram. In the News. By Sarah Pruitt. See More.
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