Pope Panzerkardinal

Joseph Ratzinger, a conservative German Cardinal, has been elected in Rome by the Conclave of Cardinals to be the 265th pontiff. Ratzinger, now 78 years old, will take the papal name of Benedict XVI.

His Holiness Benedict XVI is something of a controversial choice as the head of the largest religious group in the world. (Catholics account for approximately 18% of the world's population counting 1.1 Billion members.) As quoted in this article at the BBC:

The new Pope has been chosen from what could be termed the traditional side of the Catholic Church. To some, he heralds intellectual salvation during a time of confusion and compromise. To others, his record as Pope John Paul II's prefect of doctrine showed the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to be an intimidating "Enforcer", punishing liberal thinkers, and keeping the Church in the Middle Ages.

An excerpt from the Pontiff's own writing:

Regarding the grave sin of abortion or euthanasia, when a person’s formal cooperation becomes manifest (understood, in the case of a Catholic politician, as his consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws), his Pastor should meet with him, instructing him about the Church’s teaching, informing him that he is not to present himself for Holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin, and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist.

One of Ratzinger's roles in the church previous to being named Pope was as the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, formerly known as the Holy Office of the Inquisition, which was renamed in 1908 by Pope Pius X. The purpose of which is to "promote and safeguard the doctrine on the faith and morals throughout the Catholic world". In this role Ratzinger, amongst other things, disciplined Latin American "liberation theology" theologians, denounced homosexuality and gay marriage, pressured Asian priests who saw non-Christian religions as part of God's plan for humanity, and branded other Christian churches as deficient -- shocking Anglicans, Lutherans and other Protestants. Also, in 2004, Ratzinger wrote a letter to the bishops of the world reaffirming the historical subordination of women and attacking feminism as a destructive force within Catholicism.

Nicknamed both The Enforcer" and "Panzerkardinal", Ratzinger was both feared and respected by many of his compatriots.

Personally charming, quick-witted and fluent in four languages, the new Pope is a convincing orator. Jesuit Father Thomas Reese calls him "a delightful dialogue partner", but adds that most of the Pope's fellow clergy would be too worried about the prospect of excommunication to enjoy talking to him.

Pope Benedict XVI is also the first German pope since Victor II was elected in 1055. Born April 16, 1927 in Marktl am Inn, Bavaria, Ratzinger grew up in Nazi Germany. When he turned 14 in 1941, he joined the Hitler Youth (required by law). After serving in the anti-aircraft corps and an anti-tank division, he fled the military. After being held in a POW camp briefly, he was released and along with his brother, enrolled in a Catholic Seminary. On June 29, 1951, they were ordained by Cardinal Faulhaber of Munich. Ratzinger rose steadily through the ranks of the Catholic church thoughout his life until today, when he was appointed head of the largest church in the world.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@austinist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Michael Barnett in News on April 19, 2005 4:20 PM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

josh

You all need to get a better idea about all this. Cardinal Ratzinger was a loving and just Prefect of the CDF ('Holy Inquisition' as you say), who only cracked down on people after much dialogue, prayer, and their own grievous actions. Of course he reigned in false doctrine- that's his job, and the job of every faithful Catholic-- spread the Truth, not lies. And of course other Christians are deficient in their faith- they do not have the fullness of truth Catholics have. To say otherwise is to say that we are equal, and thus have no claim being better in any respect, which is wrong. The Protestants do not have sacraments (they don't even claim to have them, excluding Baptism and Marriage, which Catholic accept), and so are deficient. It's a juridical term, 'deficient', not a comment on their personal holiness and fidelity to Christ. And, finally, that bit about the politician- that is what any pastor should say to someone in public sin, not only a public supporter of such an evil as Abortion.

abc

Herb! don't be so boring!

Herb McNew

Technically speaking the last German Pope prior to Pope Panzerkardinal was Adrian VI from Jan. 9, 1522 to Feb. 14, 1523. While he was born in the Netherlands, it was a German province at the time of his reign.

John Sheehan

For all the Roman Catholics saddened by today's news...

Might I recommend the Episcopal Church? We're Catholic-Lite, all the ritual, half the guilt. We're still 'c'atholic, we're still apostolic. We've got all the stuff you know and love about the traditional church and we like women and gays to boot!

Did you know that a Roman Catholic priest can come over to our camp (say if he wanted to get married or something) without going through a reordination process? Yup! It's that easy. If a priest can do it, why can't you?

What's that you say? You like having a pope? Hey, we've got the Archbishop of Canterbury! Sure he holds no particular high authority, but he's conservative enough to make you feel bad when you need an extra shot of guilt. And we still give proper respect to the Bishop of Rome, so it's not such a big leap!

Give these sites a look, read up on your C.S. Lewis and you'll be good to go!

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/index_flash.htm

http://www.anglicancommunion.org /