Benedict XVI, accused of failing to act in German sex abuse cases, was the first pope to resign since the Middle Ages after presiding over a papacy beset by Church infighting and outcry over paedophilia.
The 94-year-old German, known for his conservative views, has lived a quiet life within the Vatican since his shock resignation in February 2013, and is said to be in shaky health.
But the issue of clerical sex abuse has cast long shadows over his retirement and on Thursday he was thrust back into the limelight when a report commissioned by the German church said he failed to stop four clerics accused of abuse.
The former pope has “strictly” denied any responsibility, said lawyer Martin Pusch of Westpfahl Spilker Wastl, which carried out the probe.
Benedict had a troubled term in St Peter’s, when he often appeared overwhelmed by the challenges facing a Church that was losing influence and followers.
He came under fire for a string of PR blunders, a perceived lack of charisma and most importantly, his failure to act decisively to end Church cover-ups of clerical sex abuse.
In recent years, an ever-growing number of victims has come forward with testimonies of their suffering, mostly as children, at the hands of priests.
In 2010, he admitted that the Church “did not act quickly or firmly enough to take the necessary action” on an issue that severely tarnished its image.
– Two popes –
The Vatican turmoil took its toll on Benedict’s mental and physical state and culminated in his shock resignation announcement, delivered to cardinals in Latin.
“The strength of mind and body… has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognise my incapacity to adequately fulfil the ministry,” said Benedict, then 85.
Becoming Pope Emeritus, the soft-spoken Joseph Ratzinger still wears papal white but is rarely seen or heard in public.
Eclipsed by the dynamism and popularity of his successor Francis, Benedict was quoted a year after his resignation as saying that the decision was the result of a mystical experience.
He added that Francis’s strengths had helped him understand that it was God’s will for him to step aside.
In an interview in March 2021, he said “fanatical” Catholics have repeatedly voiced doubts about whether he stepped down willingly, with some even refusing to accept he’s no longer the head of the church.
But he insisted: “There is only one pope”.
– ‘God’s Rottweiler’ –
Before standing down, Pope Benedict admitted that both his physical and mental strength had failed him / © AFP/File
Ratzinger was born on April 16, 1927, in Marktl am Inn, in Bavaria. In 1941, he became a member of the Hitler Youth, as was compulsory for all 14-year-olds under the Nazis.
The future pope was ordained a priest in 1951 and was made a cardinal by 1977.
In 1981, Pope John Paul II asked him to head the Vatican’s doctrinal congregation — once known as the Holy Office of the Inquisition — a post which gave him ultimate responsibility to investigate abuse cases.
He went on to serve as the Church’s chief doctrinal enforcer, earning the nickname “God’s Rottweiler” and a reputation as a generally conservative thinker on theological issues.
Benedict was 78 when he succeeded the long-reigning and popular John Paul II in April 2005 — and almost eight years later, became the first pope since 1415 to resign.
He fought to stem growing secularism in the West and staunchly defended traditional Catholic teaching on abortion, euthanasia and gay marriage.
He angered the Muslim world with a speech in 2006 in which he appeared to endorse the view that Islam is inherently violent, sparking deadly protests in several countries as well as attacks on Christians.
As pope, Benedict was the first pontiff to apologise for the abuse scandal which rocked the Church / © VATICAN/AFP/File
His papacy was also marred by a money-laundering scandal at the Vatican bank, which exposed infighting among Benedict’s closest allies.
The pontiff also appeared to have lost control of his household: in 2012, his butler Paolo Gabriele leaked secret papers to the media, an act of betrayal which profoundly saddened the then pontiff.
Benedict as pope “was not really a dogmatic man, but rather a man who was disconnected from the real world,” said Jeffrey Klaiber, a religion professor at Lima’s Universidad Catolica.
