Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Benedict XVI
Table of Contents
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images & Videos
Pope Benedict XVI
Joseph Ratzinger's life before becoming Pope Benedict XVI
How is a pope elected?
Benedict XVI Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI German-brand Popemobile for a German pope Benedict XVI
For Students
Christ as Ruler, with the Apostles and Evangelists (represented by the beasts). The female figures are believed to be either Santa Pudenziana and Santa Praxedes or symbols of the Jewish and Gentile churches. Mosaic in the apse of Santa Pudenziana, Rome,A
Pop Quiz: 19 Things to Know About Christianity
Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI summary
Quizzes
Holy week. Easter. Valladolid. Procession of Nazarenos carry a cross during the Semana Santa (Holy week before Easter) in Valladolid, Spain. Good Friday
Christianity Quiz
Related Questions
Read Next
Marriage. A couple getting married during a church wedding ceremony. (religion, ceremony, bride, groom)
The Seven Sacraments of the Roman Catholic church
Candles Burning On Table In Church
What Is the Most Widely Practiced Religion in the World?
The three children, Jacinta, Francisco and Lucia, who saw the vision of Fatima in Portugal. Our lady of Fatima, saint, Christianity.
Our Lady of Fátima
Agnes with a lamb near her feet. St. Agnes (Saint Agnes) design drawing for stained glass window by J&R Lamb Studios, ink, mount size 10.5 x 14.5 in.
Roman Catholic Saints
Saint Francis Xavier baptizing the infidels by an unknown painter, 18th century; in the collection of the Museo Nacional de Arte, Mexico City, Mexico.
How did St. Francis Xavier shape Catholicism?
Discover
July, 2006, Launch of Space Shuttle Discovery STS-121. See attached for full caption information.
Will Light-Speed Space Travel Ever Be Possible?
Candles Burning On Table In Church
What Is the Most Widely Practiced Religion in the World?
Submerged sperm whale off east Sri Lanka coast, mammal
How Did the Sperm Whale Get Its Name?
African Americans demonstrating for voting rights in front of the White House as police and others watch, March 12, 1965. One sign reads, "We demand the right to vote everywhere." Voting Rights Act, civil rights.
Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement
Figure 13: A Maxim machine gun, belt-fed and water-cooled, operated by German infantrymen, World War I.
7 Deadliest Weapons in History
Marriage. A couple getting married during a church wedding ceremony. (religion, ceremony, bride, groom)
The Seven Sacraments of the Roman Catholic church
Mona Lisa, oil on wood panel by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1503-06; in the Louvre, Paris, France. 77 x 53 cm.
Why Is the Mona Lisa So Famous?

Benedict XVI: Facts & Related Content

verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/facts/Benedict-XVI
Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

News •

What is a conclave? What to know about the secretive process to elect the next pope • Apr. 29, 2025, 1:10 AM ET (AP)
While Pope Benedict XVI resigned, Francis saw his duty to be 'ad vitam' • Apr. 22, 2025, 7:34 AM ET (AP)
Pope Francis' conservative critics had a unique way to oppose him: a retired pontiff • Apr. 22, 2025, 12:09 AM ET (AP)
What are the church's rites for the death of a pope and the election of a new one? • Apr. 21, 2025, 8:36 AM ET (AP)

Facts

Also Known As Pope Emeritus • Joseph Alois Ratzinger
Born April 16, 1927 • Germany
Died December 31, 2022 (aged 95) • Vatican City
Title / Office pope (2005-2013)

Photos and Videos

Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI
Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
German-brand Popemobile for a German pope
Benedict XVI
Joseph Ratzinger's life before becoming Pope Benedict XVI
How is a pope elected?
See All Videos and Images →
St. Gregory the Great
pope
Gregory IX consecrating the chapel of St. Gregory, detail of a fresco, 13th century; in the lower church of Sacro Speco, Subiaco, Italy
Gregory IX
pope
Georg Hermes
German theologian
Gregory V
pope
Clement II
pope
Victor II
pope
John Paul II
St. John Paul II
pope
St. Peter the Apostle
St. Peter the Apostle
Christian Apostle
Pope Gregory VII, after his expulsion from Rome, laying a ban of excommunication on the clergy “together with the raging king” (Henry IV of Germany), drawing from the 12th-century chronicle of Otto of Freising; in the library of the University of Jena, Germany.
St. Gregory VII
pope
Pope Francis
Francis
pope
Desiderius Erasmus
Erasmus
Dutch humanist
Innocent III
Innocent III
pope
Pius IX
Pius IX
pope
Pope John XXIII
Saint John XXIII
pope
Pope Pius XII
Pius XII
pope
St. Ignatius of Loyola
St. Ignatius of Loyola
Spanish saint
Paul III
Paul III
pope
Boniface VIII
Boniface VIII
pope
Leo X
Leo X
pope
Jan Hus
Jan Hus
Bohemian religious leader

Related Quizzes and Features

Quiz
Christ as Ruler, with the Apostles and Evangelists (represented by the beasts). The female figures are believed to be either Santa Pudenziana and Santa Praxedes or symbols of the Jewish and Gentile churches. Mosaic in the apse of Santa Pudenziana, Rome,A
Pop Quiz: 19 Things to Know About Christianity
Holy week. Easter. Valladolid. Procession of Nazarenos carry a cross during the Semana Santa (Holy week before Easter) in Valladolid, Spain. Good Friday
Christianity Quiz