Pope Benedict the 16th

            In 1972, Joseph Ratzinger and a few others launched a Catholic theological journal called “Communio.” The “Communio” was a quarterly review on Catholic theology and culture. People believe that this quarterly review was made because of the misinterpretation of the Second Vatican Council by Karl Rahner. On March 24, 1977, Father Ratzinger was elected Archbishop of Munich and Freising by Pope Paul VI. Joseph was ordained as the Episcopal Order on May 28, 1977, and he took his motto from 3 John 8, “Fellow Worker in Truth.”

Almost one month later, Joseph was put to the position of Cardinal by Pope John VI. In 1980, Cardinal Ratzinger was named by Pope John Paul II to chair the Synod of Laity. Soon after this, the Pope asked him to be the head of the Congregation for Catholic Education. Cardinal Ratzinger declined this invitation to be the head of the Catholic Education because he thought that he shouldn’t leave his post in Munich as the Cardinal quite yet. On November 25 1981, Joseph Ratzinger became the Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith and also becoming the President of Pontifical Biblical Commission, and the International Theological Commission.

Cardinal Ratzinger was the President of the Commission for the Preparation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. After working on the Catechism of the Catholic Church for six years, from 1986 to 1992, he finished. He showed the copy that he revised to Pope John Paul II. On November 9th of 1998, Joseph Ratzinger was elected as Vice-Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals and was approved by Pope John Paul II. A few years later in 2002, Pope John Paul II also approved of Cardinal Ratzinger’s election as the Dean of the College of Cardinals on November 30th.
            Cardinal Ratzinger had many groups he was a member in. These all include: the Second Section of the Secretariat of State, the Congregation of Bishops, of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, of Catholic Education, of Evangelization of Peoples, for the Oriental Churches; and the Pontifical Councils for Christian Unity, for Culture (councils); as well as, the Commissions Ecclesia Dei, and for Latin America.

After Pope John Paul II’s death on April 2, 2005, Ratzinger, being the Dean of the College took over and was in charge until they found a new Pope. On the 19th of April, they were in the process of electing a new pope and Cardinal Ratzinger became the Bishop of Rome and the Pope of the Catholic Church. On Saturday, April 24, 2005 at 10 a.m., Pope Benedict XVI celebrated the Mass for the Inauguration of his Pontificate in St. Peter’s Square, receiving the Pallium and the Fisherman’s Ring.