The first pope in 600 years to resign, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI called to eternity. Here are the highlights from his life.
April 16, 1927: Born Joseph Alois Ratzinger in Marktl am Inn, Germany, youngest of three children to Joseph and Maria Ratzinger.
1943-1945: Assistant in Germany’s anti-aircraft defense and infantry soldier; imprisoned in 1945 in an American POW camp in Neu-Ulm.
June 29, 1951: Ordained along with brother Georg Ratzinger in Freising.
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1969-1977: Professor at University of Regensburg.
March 25, 1977: Named archbishop of Munich and Freising.
June 27, 1977: Made a cardinal by Pope Paul VI.
November 25, 1981: Named prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith by Pope John Paul II; takes up post in March 1982.
April 2, 2005: Pope John Paul II dies.
April 8, 2005: As dean of the College of Cardinals, Ratzinger presides over John Paul’s funeral.
April 19, 2005: Elected 265th pope in one of the fastest conclaves in history. Choosing name Benedict XVI, he says he is merely a “simple, humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord.”
April 24, 2005: Installed as pope with Mass.
August 18-21, 2005: First foreign trip, to World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany.
September 24, 2005: Meets with dissident theologian Hans Kung at papal summer residence.
December 25, 2005: First encyclical “God is Love” signed. Released Jan. 25, 2006.
May 28, 2006: During trip to Poland, visits Auschwitz concentration camp.
September 12, 2006: During visit to Germany, delivers speech at University of Regensburg that enrages Muslims; quoting a Byzantine emperor who characterized some of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as “evil and inhuman,” particularly “his command to spread by the sword the faith.”
April 16, 2007: First volume of “Jesus of Nazareth” completed on his 80th birthday. Released April 13.
May 27, 2007: Signs letter to China’s Catholics, urging them to unite under his authority. Published June 30.
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July 7, 2007: Removes restrictions on celebrating the old Latin Mass in major gesture to traditional Catholics.
April 20, 2008: During the visit to the United States, prays for victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks at ground zero.
July 19, 2008: During the visit to Australia for World Youth Day, meets with victims of priestly sex abuse and during a Mass apologizes for their suffering.
January 21, 2009: Lifts ex-communication of Holocaust-denying Bishop Richard Williamson and three other ultra-traditionalist bishops of Society of St. Pius X, igniting outrage. The decree was released on January 24.
March 10, 2009: Acknowledges Vatican mistakes in Williamson affair, says the Vatican must make better use of the Internet to prevent future controversies. The letter was released on March 12.
March 17, 2009: En route to Cameroon, tells reporters aboard papal plane that condoms are not the solution to AIDS and can make the problem worse, prompting widespread criticism.
May 11, 2009: During the visit to the Holy Land, lays wreath at Yad Vashem memorial in Jerusalem, says Holocaust victims “lost their lives but they will never lose their names.”
June 29, 2009: Third encyclical “Charity in Truth” signed. Released July 7, 2009.
July 17, 2009: Breaks right wrist in late-night fall at the summer vacation home.
October 20, 2009: Vatican announces pope is making it easier for Anglicans to convert en masse to Catholicism.
March 19, 2010: Rebukes Irish bishops for “grave errors of judgment” in handling clerical sex abuse but makes no mention of Vatican responsibility in a letter to Irish faithful. Released March 20.
May 1, 2010: Orders major overhaul of Legion of Christ after Vatican investigation determines founder was a fraud.
September 16-19, 2010: During the first state visit by a pope to Britain, meets with Queen Elizabeth II, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, and beatifies Anglican convert John Henry Newman.
November 20, 2010: Revises controversial condom-AIDS comments in the book and says male prostitutes who use condoms may be taking the first step toward more responsible sexuality.
March 2, 2011: Issues sweeping exoneration of Jews for the death of Christ in “Jesus of Nazareth-Part II.” The book was released on 10 March.
May 1, 2011: Beatifies John Paul II before 1.5 million people.
June 28, 2011: Tweets for the first time, announcing the launch of the Vatican news information portal.
October 6, 2012, Pope’s former butler is convicted on charges he stole the pontiff’s private letters and leaked them to a journalist.
February 11, 2013: Reveals in Latin that he is stepping down on 28 February during a meeting of Vatican cardinals, surprising even his closest collaborators.
February 28, 2013: Departs Vatican City in a helicopter bound for Castel Gandolfo, where he begins his final journey as a “simple pilgrim.”
March 23, 2013: Receives Pope Francis for lunch at Castel Gandolfo; the two men pray side-by-side and Francis insists “We are brothers.”
April 28, 2014: Joins Francis on the altar to canonize St. John Paul II and St. John XXIII, the first time a reigning and retired pope celebrate Mass together.
April 11, 2019: In an essay, blames the clergy sex abuse scandal on the sexual revolution of the 1960s and an absence of God.
January 2020: Contributes to a book reaffirming celibacy for priests at a time when Francis was considering an exception, sparking calls for rules governing future “popes emeritus.”
June 18, 2020: Travels to Germany to visit his ailing brother, the Rev. Georg Ratzinger, who dies two weeks later, on July 1.
July 16, 2021: Has his signature relaxation of restrictions on the celebration of old Latin Mass reversed by Pope Francis.
January 21, 2022: Is faulted for his handling of four sex abuse cases while bishop of Munich in the 1970s and 1980s by an independent report commissioned by the German church.
February 8, 2022: Asks forgiveness for any “grievous faults” in the handling Munich priests, but denies personal or specific wrongdoing.
December 28, 2022: Pope Francis announces Benedict is “very ill,” asks for special prayers, and visits him at his home.
December 31, 2022: Benedict dies at 9:34 a.m. at his home in the Vatican Gardens at age 95.