Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI

In 1977, Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger was appointed the Archbishop of Munich and Freising, then promoted to cardinal by Pope Paul VI. Four years later, Pope John Paul II appointed him the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, where he was committed to maintaining the doctrinal purity of the Catholic Church and defended its traditional views on many subjects.

Following Pope John Paul II’s death in 2005, a papal conclave was held on the 18th and 19th to elect a successor. After several meetings in Rome, the conclave between cardinals of the Catholic Church resulted in the election of Joseph Ratzinger as the new Pope, taking on the name Benedict XVI.

As Pope, Benedict XVI strongly maintained the stance of the Catholic Church. For example, Ratzinger strongly opposed the ordination of women and married men as priests, shutting down any efforts to reconsider women’s roles. He also took a prominent stance on homosexuality, taking a conservative stance and revoked teaching rights for any theologian who thought otherwise, going as far as issuing a document titled, "Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons," describing homosexuality as an “objective disorder.”

Moreover, he also played a controversial role in addressing sexual abuse within the church for prioritizing the church’s image over the victim's needs. Yet, Ratzinger implemented changes in church law to make it easier for priests to be defrocked if found guilty, being the first pontiff to meet with abuse survivors and fix the mistakes of his predecessors to make sure that the church could be held accountable. Critics argue that more could have and should have been done, but it still stands that Pope Benedict XVI has done more work to address sexual abuse cases than any of his predecessors.

However, he announced his decision to resign during a meeting of cardinals at the Vatican in 2013, stating that his decision to resign was due to his advanced age and declining health. He told the cardinals that at the age of 85, he lacked the mental and physical strength to “adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to [him],” hoping that a successor would be able to lead the Church more effectively.

Unfortunately, he died on December 31, 2022, with many expressing condolences, called “one of the greatest theologians of his age” and described as a Doctor of the Church, leaving behind an admired reputation.