Before his papal election as Benedict XVI, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (1927-2022) was one of the foremost Catholic theologians of the second half of the twentieth century. After receiving his doctorate in theology from the University of Munich, he held various professorships and served as a theological consultant during the Second Vatican Council. In 1969, he helped to establish Communio, an international journal of theology, andin 1977, Pope Paul VI appointed him Archbishop of Munich and Freising, enrolling him in the College of Cardinals later that year. In 1981, Pope John Paul II also appointed him the Prefect for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith. He served as the 265th pope of the Catholic Church from 2005 to 2013, when he unexpectedly resigned, receiving the title “pope emeritus” until his death on December 31, 2022.
In the video, Dr. Richard DeClue, a Professor of Theology at Word on Fire, delivers remarks on “The Unity of Pope Benedict XVI’s Theology.”
In this video, Dr. Ronald Thomas, an Associate Professor of Theology at Belmont Abbey College, delivers remarks entitled “Joseph Ratzinger on the Culture of the West.”
[VIDEO PLACEHOLDER: Dr. Ronald Thomas on Benedict XVI’s thought on the Church and the world — replace with YouTube URL when available]
Preferred Translations:
Benedict XVI, The Papal Encyclicals of Benedict XVI (Providence: Cluny, 2024).
Joseph Ratzinger, Faith and the Future (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2019).
Joseph Ratzinger, Introduction to Christianity, 2nd Edition (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2004).
Joseph Ratzinger, Jesus of Nazareth, 3 volumes (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2013).
Joseph Ratzinger, The Spirit of the Liturgy (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2020).
Insightful Secondary Literature:
Daniel Cardo, The Cambridge Companion to Joseph Ratzinger (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2024).
Richard DeClue, The Mind of Benedict XVI (Word on Fire, 2024).
Marc C. Guerra, Pope Benedict XVI and the Politics of Modernity (New York: Routledge, 2014).
Joseph Pearce, Benedict XVI: Defender of the Faith (Gastonia: TAN Books, 2021).
Useful External Links:
The Catholic Thing Courses: Benedict XVI
The Holy See: Benedict XVI (with all papal documents)
Pints with Aquinas Interview with Dr. Richard DeClue on Benedict XVI