Joseph Ratzinger Research Paper

Joseph Ratzinger was born on April 16, 1927 in Marktl, Bavaria, Germany. He was birthed in his parents’ home, on Holy Saturday. On the same day, he was baptized. His father, Joseph Ratzinger, was a very religious man and a police officer, who was modestly paid. His mother, Maria Ratzinger, was a stay-at-home mother. His brother, Gerog, and his sister, Maria, were older than him. “He was the youngest of three children” (Streissguth 11).

Ratzinger’s childhood was not like any other. In that time, Germany was under Nazi-Rule. The Ratzinger family was anti-Nazi. Although, his father was a police officer, he tried his best to steer clear from what was happening under Hitler. In order to keep his distance, he took a series of less significant jobs. At a very young age, Joseph witnessed things he necessarily should not have at his age. Because of the Nazi-Rule, he witnessed a lot of cruelty. He saw his very own parish priest being beaten before his eyes right before the celebration of mass. In 1929, the Ratzinger family moved to a small town in Aschau, Germany. The Ratzinger family moved around consistently because of the father’s job. They then resided in a small apartment right above the police headquarters. When Joseph was five, he met Cardinal Faulhaber from Munich, Germany. He then dreamed of becoming a cardinal just like the one he’d just met.

Many of his friends and associated described him as a gentle man. They also included that he was always fair and listened to all sides of an issue and was open to opposing views.

When he was fourteen, Hitler took complete power of Germany. The school system was forced to follow Hitler’s orders and therefore, Joseph was enrolled in the Hitler Youth Movement against his will. He was an unent...

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...ite meal to this day is Bavarian potato ravioli with pancake strips. Another interesting fact about Pope Benedict is that he is a man who speaks a variety of languages, Spanish, German, Italian, and English.

Some hobbies of his are that he loves to play piano and read. His favorite composer is Mozart. He has also written many books. One of them is called What It Means to be a Christian. This book discusses the true meaning of love for God and love for one’s neighbor. Another one of his famous books are The Feast of the Faith, which talks about the basic principle of worship of God. Altogether, Pope Benedict XVI has written over 20 books. The books are sold in both the German and English language. Truth and Tolerance talks about faith, religion, free, culture, and truth, with special importance on the Christian religion and how it relates to the topics discussed.