Joseph Ratzinger / Benedict XVI Appreciation Thread

Pope Benedict XVI stands among the most luminous Christian intellects of the modern age, a pastor whose life joined moral clarity, intellectual rigor, and personal humility. Born into a Bavarian household marked by principled opposition to National Socialism, Joseph Ratzinger learned early that conscience is not formed by power but by truth. His compulsory enrollment in the Hitler Youth, devoid of conviction and costly in its consequences, never compromised a quiet resistance rooted in faith and family integrity.

As priest, theologian, bishop, and pope, Benedict XVI embodied continuity rather than rupture. He defended reason against relativism, insisting that faith and intellect are not adversaries but allies. His theology - precise, humane, and deeply patristic - re-centered the Church on the Logos made flesh, calling Europe and the wider world back to their spiritual foundations.



As Supreme Pontiff, he governed without theatricality, preferring depth to display, substance to spectacle. History will remember Benedict XVI as a shepherd-scholar: gentle in demeanor, formidable in thought, and unwavering in fidelity. Few popes have so clearly united holiness, courage, and intellect - and fewer still will shape the Church's teaching so enduringly.



On a more personal note, Joseph Ratzinger's teachings helped me immensely on my way back to the One-and-Only, Holy and Apostolic, Roman Catholic Church, and I consider him to be the greatest pope of the modern age.

Certainly true. You can take youth out of the Hitler Youth, but not the Hitler Youth out of the youth.

Genius - it has been written for you in clear terms - that in Germany in the 1940s membership in the HY was mandatory for children.

Through tear-streaked face:

Amen! Alleluia!

I see JPII and B16 pontificates as the same pontificate. What a team: a world-class philosopher and universe-class theologian defining V2 in continuity with Tradition.

To read Ratzinger is like encountering the classics throughout time in a fresh and winsome modern voice.

To read a paragraph of his thought is to cerebrate for an hour.

I've thought how much a thrill it would have been to sit and listen to him and JPII talk or him in conversation with Balthasar. Most of it would have gone over my head...but still. What a treasure.

Did you watch the Two Popes?

Curious for a Ratzinger-appreciating Catholic perspective on the film.

Indeed, Bobko.
Indoctrinated with hatred.

@Bobko
No never seen it. Saw the trailer and read some reviews...didn't see the opportunity cost in watching it.

I am not like some of my traditional brethern who are critical of Ratzinger retiring.

I just Googled "how many people went through the Hitlerjugend throughout all the years of the organization's existence.

It seems the answer is 8-10 million Germans.

Meaning, practically every living German is related to somebody who was enrolled in the Hitlerjugend.


You should watch it!

It certainly dumbs everything down for the viewer at home, but still a beautiful film.

Great sets, amazing costumes, amazing actors, amazing score.

And it will take generations to expunge the poison!

Finally, a German who earned respect.

Seriously, though, he was the last Pope I really respected ( so far).

You didn't respect fellow Pole Karol "Lolek" Wojtyla?? He had the guts to stand up to the Church and not blame the Jews for being Christ killers. I'd only have chided him for not being more forceful on calling out abusive priests.

Why not place the blame on them? That blame should be more widely recognized.

Yo, pal! Pontius Pilatus wasn't Jewish.

Pilatus asked Jews whom he should free: Jesus or Barabbas :) - you might have missed this part - oh, and he (Pilatus) clearly says to Jews who wanted Jesus crucified in the Bible "take him and crucify him, for I find no fault in him" - he first sends Jesus to Herod who also found no fault in Jesus - should I go and fetch a Biblical verse for you?

It loses something in the translation🙂
"G-d created the World in seven days." Fine, only how long was a day? 24 hours...or maybe a million years?

Don't discount Darwin!

oh I thought the Bible was originally written in English: poor silly me

Ha-Ha!

btw the Bible says God created the world in 7 days but never specifies how long ago - go figure

Written by scribes, dictated by illiterates who had zero knowledge of science.

how many statisticians, physicists and philologists do you need in place to make sure a bearded guy performed what many would call a miracle

Point is, the Bible was written by men, fallible human beings, INTERPRETING the word of the All mighty, nothing more, nothing less!

your point is?

let's assume your name was Simon (later known as Peter) and you follow a guy who... well.. heals someone blind, lame, paralyzed, continually bleeding - and then you go about and tell people about it and then even later write about it - how much of it is interpretation in your mind - I am not to say here what you should make out of things this healer guy said around people (and he said quite a number of extraordinary things I believe)

Doesn't make much sense. If the Word of the Almighty was spoken to be interpreted, who heard it and how was it transmitted? For something to be interpreted it needs to first be perceived. So, who perceived it so it could be interpreted?

The Catholic understanding of scripture is contrary to what you propose. It understands scripture as inspired by God, the Holy Spirit being the principal author, but human authors as the instrumental authors who freely wrote that which God inspired (better put-what God breathed forth). So, it's not human interpretation, it is human writing what God wanted written in human language using the literary skills of each writer.

I believe the traditional Jewish understanding is, in essence, the same. The Tanakh being written by God and transmitted by humans.

Interpretation is what theologians, spiritual leaders, mustics, etc do. They interpret what God wrote.

The Bible is merely a story, a fairy tale of sorts, to preach or teach morality to ignorant illiterates!

Again, not what many Jewish and Christian traditions believe. Rather, the Bible is about revelation: revealing the One True God to man, as well as how to properly order our relationship with God. Yes, preaching and teaching morality is a part of it, but not the full measure of it.

Say those who don't realize science and religion are after the same truth!

Some religions may be after the same as science, but nearly all Jewish and Christian religions are focused on something different:

-Religion is concerned primarliy with the CreatOR, whereas
-Science is concerned with CreatION with no regard to CreatOR.

Science asks WHY.
Religion.asks HOW.

to my understanding it's exactly the other way round

There's something repulsive about reducing such things to interrogatives, but if we are to play that game it seems to be more:

Religion asks Who? Then, How and Why?
Science asks What? Then, How and Why?