X-Nico

74 unusual facts about Pope Benedict XVI


2013 in politics

Pope Benedict XVI announces his resignation as head of state of the Vatican City State, effective on the 28th.

40 Days for Life

A short while after the end of the Spring 2008 Campaign, 40 Days for Life executive director David Bereit was at the White House lawn on April 16 as President George W. Bush welcomed Pope Benedict XVI to the White House at the start of his visit to the United States.

8661 Ratzinger

The asteroid was named after then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (who later became Pope Benedict XVI) for the role he played in supervising the opening of Vatican archives in 1998 to researchers investigating judicial errors against Galileo and other medieval scientists.

Adèle Anderson

On 15 September 2010, Anderson, along with 54 other public figures, signed an open letter published in The Guardian, stating their opposition to Pope Benedict XVI's state visit to the UK.

Ali Bardakoğlu

He met with Pope Benedict XVI on November 28, 2006 in Ankara to help further interfaith dialog between Catholics and Muslims.

Amr Moussa

On 2009, he signed a memorandum of understanding with the Holy See and met with Pope Benedict XVI in order to strengthen joint projects and to promote peace and dialogue on a cultural and political level.

Andy Akinwolere

He also presented a ceremony in the presence of Pope Benedict XVI during his tour of the United Kingdom in September 2010.

April 2008

April 15 – Pope Benedict XVI visit to the United States starts in Washington, D.C.

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

In 2008, during his apostolic visit to the United States, Pope Benedict XVI bestowed the Golden Rose upon the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Carl Amari

“The Truth and Life Audio Bible: New Testament” was granted an Imprimatur by the Vatican, and features a foreword by Pope Benedict XVI.

Catriona Shearer

Alongside Reporting Scotland, Shearer has also been involved with several BBC Scotland non-news programmes, including presenting a documentary on Pope Benedict XVI's tour visit to Scotland and a guest appearance on the football comedy series Only An Excuse?.

Child migration

In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI expressed his sorrow at "the anguish caused by the deplorable conduct of some members of the Church" and offered his "sympathy and prayerful solidarity".

Codex Aureus of Lorsch

A facsimile of the codex was presented as a gift to Queen Elizabeth II by Pope Benedict XVI on 16 September 2010, who in turn received a series of Hans Holbein prints from the royal collection.

Denis J. Madden

On May 10, 2005, Madden was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore and Titular Bishop of Baia by Pope Benedict XVI; he was that pope's first episcopal appointment in the United States.

Donald Edmond Pelotte

On January 3, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix, as apostolic administrator sede plena of the diocese of Gallup, and granted Pelotte a one year leave of absence to continue his recovery.

Donald Walter Trautman

In June 2011, Bishop Trautman turned 75, at which point Canon Law requests that a bishop tender his resignation to Pope Benedict XVI.

Edward N. Peters

In 2005, he was appointed to the Cdl.Szoka Chair at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, and in 2010, was named a Referendary of the Apostolic Signatura by Pope Benedict XVI.

F. Joseph Gossman

After a 31-year-long tenure and reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, his resignation was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI on June 8, 2006.

Fernando Isern

On October 15, 2009, Isern was appointed the fourth Bishop of Pueblo, Colorado, by Pope Benedict XVI.

Francis Lu Shouwang

He was ordained a bishop in 2007 with the approval of Pope Benedict XVI and the Chinese government.

Freedom of religion in Vietnam

In January 2007 the Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng visited the Vatican and met with Pope Benedict XVI, and in March 2007, an official delegation from the Vatican reciprocated by visiting the country.

George Joseph Lucas

On June 3, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI named Lucas the fifth Archbishop of Omaha, Nebraska.

Giuseppe Benedetto Cottolengo

Joseph Benedict Cottolengo was recently enlisted among the saints of charity by Pope Benedict XVI in his encyclical Deus Caritas Est.

Hissa Abdulla Ahmed Al-Otaiba

As the first UAE Ambassador to the Holy See, Al-Otaiba presented her credentials to Pope Benedict XVI on May 20, 2010.

History of Roman Catholicism in Hispano-America

However, the movement, which has been highly controversial in the Catholic theological community, has been condemned by Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.

Holy See–Pakistan relations

On 1 October 2009, Asif Ali Zardari, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, met Pope Benedict XVI at his residence in Castelgandolfo and then also met with Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone and Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Holy See's Secretary for Relations with States.

Hossein Kazemeyni Boroujerdi

He wrote to Pope Benedict XVI and the European Union to complain about the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of his father Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Ali Kazemeini Boroujerdi in 2002, the subsequent confiscation of his father's mosque, and his own and his followers' harassment by Iran's theocratic government.

Human rights in Saudi Arabia

Under Pope Benedict XVI, Vatican officials have raised the issue of Christians being forbidden from worshipping openly in Saudi Arabia.

ICEL Psalter

Because of controversies surrounding ICEL's use of dynamic equivalence and gender-inclusive language, by order of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who later became Pope Benedict XVI, the imprimatur was revoked in 1998 by Bishop Anthony Pilla.

Ida Friederike Görres

The Requiem was held in Freiburg Cathedral, the eulogy given by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who later became Pope Benedict XVI.

Instruction Concerning the Criteria for the Discernment of Vocations with regard to Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in view of their Admission to the Seminary and to Holy Orders

In response to "numerous requests for clarification received by the Holy See", Pope Benedict XVI reiterated in 2008 that the Instruction applied to "all houses of formation for the priesthood".

Isidore Fernandes

On Thursday, January 31, 2013, Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Bishop Isidore Fernandes, from the pastoral care of the Diocese of Allahabad, according to Canon Law 401 § 2.

Jeff Glor

He was The Early Show’s primary political correspondent in 2008, drove cross-country for CBS's "Eye on the Road" series that same year, and reported on Pope Benedict XVI's visit to New York City and Washington, D.C.

Joe S. Vasquez

On 26 January 2010 he was appointed as bishop of Austin by Pope Benedict XVI filling the vacancy left by Gregory Michael Aymond who was appointed archbishop of New Orleans.

John M. LeVoir

On July 14, 2008, LeVoir was appointed the fourth bishop of New Ulm by Pope Benedict XVI.

Jon Holmes

On 15 September 2010, Holmes, along with 54 other public figures, signed an open letter published in The Guardian, stating their opposition to Pope Benedict XVI's state visit to the UK.

Knights Templar Cartel

On 17 March 2012 in the state of Guanajuato, the Knights Templar Cartel put up several banners on bridges welcoming the Pope Benedict XVI, and pledging to not provoke any violent acts during the pope's visit.

Luc-André Bouchard

On February 2, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Bouchard Bishop of Trois-Rivières to succeed Bishop Martin Veillette, who reached the age of 75 and, by Canon Law, must submit his resignation to the Pope.

Maeve O'Boyle

O'Boyle was asked to perform at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow on 16 September 2010 for Pope Benedict XVI where he was performing an open air mass for 100,000 people.

Maria Teresa of St. Joseph

In December 2005, Pope Benedict XVI approved the miracle necessary for her beatification.

Mario Borghezio

In October of 2012 Borghezio cosponsored with fellow MEP Lorenzo Fontana a motion for a declaration by the EU Parliament calling upon Pope Benedict XVI to carry out the Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Maroun Lahham

On 8 September 2005 Lahham was appointed Bishop of Tunis by Pope Benedict XVI, and was officially ordered on 2 October of the same year in the parish church of Beit Jala by Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Michel Sabbah.

Martin Grossman

Elie Wiesel (the Holocaust survivor and activist), Pope Benedict XVI, Chief Rabbis of Israel and over 200 prominent organizations sent letters to the Governor to plead against Grossman's death.

Maurice DuBois

In addition to covering local news, during his career DuBois has covered national political conventions; AIDS in South Africa; witnessing a double execution; the death of Pope John Paul II; and the installation of Pope Benedict XVI.

Michael Ben-Ari

In 2009, in an open letter to Israeli leaders and politicians, Ben-Ari stated that Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Israel would be an insult to the memory of Holocaust victims.

Michael Irwin

On 15 September 2010, Irwin, along with 54 other public figures, signed an open letter published in The Guardian, stating their opposition to Pope Benedict XVI's state visit to the UK.

Michael Noakes

He has also painted President Clinton, making preparatory studies with the President in the Oval Office - one of only very few painters to have been given such access to any President of the United States - and Pope Benedict XVI.

Minnesota Amendment 1

In March 2012, Minnesota's Roman Catholic bishops had an audience with Pope Benedict XVI, who told them that preserving the traditional definition of marriage was a priority.

Mohammad-Ali Taskhiri

He was a signatory to an intellectual letter from 38 Muslim scholars, sent as the official Islamic response to Islamophobic comments made by Pope Benedict XVI on September 12, 2006.

Mount Nebo

Pope Benedict XVI visited the site on May 9, 2009, gave a speech, and looked out from the top of the mountain in the direction of Jerusalem.

National Association of Flower Arrangement Societies

Flowers were provided at Westminster Abbey on 17 September 2010 during Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United Kingdom, when flowers in the papal colours of white and yellow were arranged.

Nobol

Nobol was the birthplace of Narcisa de Jesús, who was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 12, 2008 and the Santuario de Santa Narcisa de Jesus Martillo y Morán located in the town center was dedicated to her on August 22, 1998.

Peritus

Father Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI, served as peritus to Cardinal Josef Frings, Archbishop of Cologne, Germany, while Hans Küng was a peritus for the Council, rather than for an individual Bishop.

Philippe Barbarin

He was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave that selected Pope Benedict XVI and the 2013 conclave which elected Pope Francis.

Pierre-Marie Carré

On May 14, 2010 he was appointed coadjutor Archbishop to the Archdiocese of Montpellier by Pope Benedict XVI.

Piłsudski Square

Pope Benedict XVI celebrated an open-air Holy Mass on the Square on 26 May 2006, during his first pastoral visit to Poland.

Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad

Prince Ghazi gave the welcoming address on the occasion of the pilgrimage of Pope Benedict XVI in Jordan, May 9, 2009.

Radhika Ramana Dasa

He was also chosen by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to greet Pope Benedict XVI and presented a gift to him on behalf of the Hindu American community during the Pope's first visit to the United States.

Redemptoris Mater Chapel

The current Apostolic Preacher, Capuchin Friar Father Raniero Cantalamessa often presides over the homilies in the chapel and is occasionally used by Pope Benedict XVI.

Robert Brom

On Wednesday, January 4, 2012, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, announced that Pope Benedict XVI had appointed Auxiliary Bishop Cirilo Flores of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange as the Coadjutor Bishop to Bishop Brom in the Diocese of San Diego.

Rogers Cadenhead

In 2005, Cadenhead achieved brief notoriety for registering the domain name benedictxvi.com several weeks before the name was chosen by Pope Benedict XVI, joking that he would give it to the Vatican in exchange for a mitre and "complete absolution, no questions asked, for the third week of March 1987."

Roman Catholic Diocese of Kalibo

The current bishop is Jose Corazon Tala-oc, appointed in May 2011 by Pope Benedict XVI.

Roman Catholic Diocese of Tyler

On September 29, 2012, it was announced by the diocese's website, and by the Holy See - on the Vatican's Holy See Press Office Vatican Information Service (VIS) site – that Monsignor Joseph E. Strickland had been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to serve as the fourth bishop of the Roman Catholic diocese of Tyler.

Roman Catholicism in Cuba

Pope Benedict XVI visited in 2012, meeting both Fidel and Raúl Castro.

San Sebastiano al Palatino

American Cardinal Edwin Frederick O'Brien is the church's Cardinal-Deacon, created on February 18 by Pope Benedict XVI at St. Peter's Basilica.

St Mary Magdalen's Church, Brighton

Hugh Gerard McGrellis (known as Gerry) has been an altar server at the church for over 70 years and was awarded the Benemerenti medal by Pope Benedict XVI in recognition of his services.

Thomas G. Doran

Doran's resignation as bishop, which he submitted on his 75th birthday as required by Canon 401 §1 of the Code of Canon Law, was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI on March 20, 2012.

Thomas Joseph Murphy

Murphy's appointment came after a series of controversies surrounding Hunthausen which included an apostolic visitation to the archdiocese ordered by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Tiara

Pope Benedict XVI even removed the tiara from his coat of arms, replacing it with a mitre (but with some symbolic reference to the symbolism of the tiara, still in use in the Holy See's coat of arms).

Timothy Broglio

Pope Benedict XVI later named Broglio head of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA on November 19, 2007.

Vatican Television Center

VTC produced many documentaries during the reigns of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.

Victor Gnanapragasam

On 29 April 2010 Pope Benedict XVI elevated the apostolic prefecture of Quetta, to the rank of Apostolic vicariate, with the same name and territorial configuration as before.

Victoria de Marichalar y Borbón

She took part in World Youth Day celebrations at the Zarzuela Palace on 19 August 2011 with Pope Benedict XVI in attendance.

West-Eastern Divan Orchestra

The orchestra under Maestro Barenboim, in the presence of President and Mrs. Giorgio Napolitano, performed for Pope Benedict XVI at the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo on Wednesday, July 11, 2012, the abbot Saint Benedict of Nursia's (the founder of the Benedictines) feast day, and thus the name day of the Pope.


Abu Saymeh

Abu Saymeh is a Muslim calligrapher who earned worldwide fame when he was selected by Victor Batarseh, the Christian mayor of Bethlehem on the West Bank, to copy out in Arabic script the Gospel of Luke from the New Testament of the Christian Bible for presentation to the Catholic Pope Benedict XVI.

Am Mellensee

They will provide the bread for the Communion wafers during the Eucharist for Papal Masses at Erfurt's Cathedral and in Berlin's Olympic Stadium to be celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI for his September 2011 visit- his third as Pope- to Germany.

Bill Steltemeier

In October 2009, Deacon Steltemeier and Mother Angelica were awarded the papal medal Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice by Pope Benedict XVI for their service to the Catholic Church.

Brian Joseph Dunn

On 21 November 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Auxiliary Bishop Dunn to be Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish, as the permanent replacement for the former Bishop Raymond Lahey.

Cathedral of Mary Our Queen

On March 20, 2012 Bishop William Lori of Bridgeport, Connecticut became 16th Archbishop of Baltimore succeeding Cardinal Edwin F. O'Brien, who was named Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem by Pope Benedict XVI.

Church of the Nativity

The Bas-relief of the Tree of Jesse is a large work by well-known religious sculptor Czesław Dźwigaj which was recently incorporated into the Church of St. Catherine as a gift of Pope Benedict XVI during his trip to the Holy Land in 2009.

Coetus Internationalis Patrum

It was originally formed after complaints by some of the more traditionalist bishops of the presence of Protestants and liberal Catholic theologians such as Hans Küng, Joseph Ratzinger (the future Pope Benedict XVI) and Karl Rahner.

Cuatro Vientos Airport

The Cuatro Vientos Airport provided the location for the meeting of Pope John Paul II with young people on his fifth and last visit to Spain on May 3, 2003, and for the vigil and final mass of World Youth Day 2011 with Pope Benedict XVI, on August 20-21.

David Choby

Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Bishop of Nashville on December 20, 2005.

EADS Harfang

In 2007, the Harfang was deployed in Lourdes to provide security for Pope Benedict XVI.

Eugene Nugent

On 13 February 2010, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Apostolic Nuncio to Madagascar and Apostolic Delegate to the Comoros (papal representative to the Catholic communities in both countries but accredited only to the government of Madagascar) and Titular Archbishop of Domnach Sechnaill (Dunshaughlin) County Meath, Ireland.

Florencio Olvera Ochoa

He was ordained priest in Querétaro, Mexico in 1958, was appointed bishop of Tabasco in 1992 and bishop of Cuernavaca in 2002.On July 10, 2009 Pope Benedict XVI accepted his resignation for reaching the age limit of 75 years.

François-Xavier Dumortier

On 27 April 2010, Pope Benedict XVI announced that the rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University, Gianfranco Ghirlanda, S.J., would be succeeded by Dumortier as the next rector of the university.

Grażyna Miller

This book was published by the Libreria Editrice Vaticana and, on March 6, 2003, presented by the (then) Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.

Holy See–United Arab Emirates relations

Pope Benedict XVI mentioned that he respected the efforts of the U.A.E.'s leaders in promoting tolerance; in addition, the Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone described the U.A.E. as a model for co-existence among various religions, adding that dialogue between faiths was possible and that extremists only constituted a limited number of followers of religious faiths.

Jānis Pujats

He was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave that selected Pope Benedict XVI.

Jerusalem Bible

In 2007, at the behest of Pope Benedict XVI, the use of the name 'Yahweh' was dropped from Catholic Bibles, most notably the new CTS Catholic Bible, which uses the Jerusalem text (see below).

Jose S. Palma

On 18 March 2006, Palma was appointed Archbishop of Palo by Pope Benedict XVI, succeeding Archbishop-Emeritus Pedro R. Dean.

Martin Grossman

In the days before his execution, there were a large number of appeals for clemency, ranging from petitions to pleas, as well as a request to halt the execution from Pope Benedict XVI.

Mozzetta

The winter mozzetta and the Paschal mozzetta fell into disuse during the pontificate of John Paul II (1978–2005), but their use was briefly restored by Pope Benedict XVI (2005-2013) before being discontinued again by Pope Francis.

Péter Erdő

On Tuesday, 18 September 2012, Cardinal Erdő was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to be one of the Synod Fathers for the upcoming October 2012 Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization.

Pontifical Mission Societies

On June 26, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Bishop Protase Rugambwa, who until then had been serving as Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kigoma (based in Kigoma, Tanzania; he had been named bishop there on

Religious response to assisted reproductive technology

Pope Benedict XVI has publicly re-emphasized the Catholic Church's opposition to in vitro fertilization (IVF), claiming it replaces love between a husband and wife.

Robert Anthony Daniels

Until his appointment to that see by Pope Benedict XVI, on Tuesday, March 1, 2011, he had been Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of London, Ontario, Canada.

Roman Catholic Diocese of Kalookan

His early resignation due to his deteriorating health was approved by Pope Benedict XVI on January 25, 2013.

Susan Blackmore

On 15 September 2010, Blackmore, along with 54 other public figures, signed an open letter published in The Guardian, stating their opposition to Pope Benedict XVI's state visit to the UK.

Teemu Sippo

In June 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Bishop of Helsinki, succeeding Josef Wrobel, who had been appointed auxiliary bishop of Lublin.

Valentin Streltsov

2007 - Was awarded Pontifical medal by Pope Benedict XVI after the decoration of the Papal Chapel of Apostolic Nunciate in Ottawa (Canada).

Virginia Romero

The friars gave the tile to Cardinal Levada as a parting gift, and he said that he would give it to Pope Benedict XVI because Our Lady of Czestochowa was the patron saint of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II.