Cardinal Ratzinger and Pope Benedict XVI

UK Bishops Angered by BBC Prejudiced Attack on Pope

Cardinal Ratzinger:

Pope Benedict XVI was elected in April 2005, after the death of his predecessor Pope John Paul II.

    Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, under Pope John Paul II, was head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - once known as the Holy Office of the Inquisition, a very delicate position which may make vulnerable a person who afterwards becomes Pope - from 1981 until his election, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger had developed a reputation as a tough theologian.

    In fact,  on October 1, 2006, the  BBC aired a documentary in UK, accusing Pope Benedict XVI for something he allegedly did  as a Cardinal. UK Bishops Angered by BBC prejudiced Attack on Pope, The statement says "the BBC misrepresented two documents" and "uses them misleadingly to connect the horrors of child abuse to the person of the Pope".  The bishops said the documentary used "sensational tactics and misleading editing, old footage and undated interviews".
    The statement describes the documentary as an "unwarranted, prejudiced attack on a revered world religious leader" and says “the BBC should be ashamed of the journalism used to create this unwarranted attack on Pope Benedict XVI.”

    it is being planned to show in America this prejudiced documentary, “Sex Crimes and the Vatican”, which aired Oct. 1 on BBC1 Panorama UK Bishops Angered by BBC prejudiced Attack on Pope   

As Cardinal:

    He worked with some 40 collaborators and over a thousand bishops to produce the 900+ page Catechism of the Catholic Church. He then co-authored Introduction to the Catechism of the Catholic Church with former student Christoph Cardinal Schoenborn.

    Ratzinger wielded spiritual influence and worldwide respect even from those who didn't hold to the Catholic faith.

    As papal biographer for John Paul II, George Weigel, has said, "…not even his [Ratzinger's] implacable enemies ever questioned Joseph Ratzinger's erudition: his encyclopedic knowledge of theology; his command of biblical, patristic, scholastic, and contemporary sources; his elegance as a thinker and writer."

    He staunchly proclaims the universal call to holiness of Vatican II," added Brumley. "He understands the importance of dialogue among Christians and dialogue with world religions and seekers, while he upholds the integrity of Catholic faith and insists on a renewed missionary drive to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world."

 

   As pope:

    he described homosexuality as a "tendency" towards an "intrinsic moral evil" and has  called for pro-choice politicians to be denied Communion.

    In his first year in office, he upheld a ban on men with "deep-seated homosexual tendencies" becoming priests, but was said to be considering relaxing the church's ban on condoms to allow their use by people with Aids.

    He paid respects to the memory of John Paul II, his much-loved Polish predecessor, calling for his canonization during a visit to the country that drew vast crowds.

Seventeen months into his Papacy, his quotation of a 14th century Byzantine emperor - who said the Prophet Muhammad had brought the world only "evil and inhuman" things - provoked anger in the Muslim world. The Vatican denied that he had intended to offend Muslims. Pope Benedict XVI and Islam

    Joseph Ratzinger was born into a traditional Bavarian farming family in 1927, although his father was a policeman.

    The eighth German to become Pope, he speaks 10 languages and is said to be an accomplished pianist with a preference for Beethoven.

    At the age of 14, he joined the Hitler Youth, as was required of young Germans of the time, but was not an enthusiastic member.

    His studies at Traunstein seminary were interrupted during World War II when he was drafted into an anti-aircraft unit in Munich.

    He deserted the German army towards the end of the war and was briefly held as a prisoner of war by the Allies in 1945.

    His supporters say his experiences under the Nazi regime convinced him that the Church had to stand up for truth and freedom.

    The Pope's conservative, traditionalist views were intensified by his experiences during the liberal 1960s.

    He taught at the University of Bonn from 1959, and in 1966 took a chair in dogmatic theology at the University of Tuebingen.

    However, he was appalled at the prevalence of Marxism among his students.

'Abuse of faith'

    One incident in particular at Tuebingen, in which student protesters disrupted one of his lectures, seems to have particularly upset him.

    In his view, religion was being subordinated to a political ideology that he considered "tyrannical, brutal and cruel".

"That experience made it clear to me that the abuse of faith had to be resisted precisely," he later wrote.

    In 1969 he moved to Regensburg University in his native Bavaria - where he would return as Pope to make his controversial remarks on Islam in September 2006 - and eventually rose to become its dean and vice-president.

    He was named Cardinal of Munich by Pope Paul VI in 1977.

His appointment as Pope was greeted with some skepticism by Catholic commentators.

    "I think if Cardinal Ratzinger was Pope, a large distance could grow between the leadership of the Church and the faith," German commentator Wolfgang Cooper predicted before the result was known.

    The Pope is a "scientist" who "prefers intellectual discussions", said Mr Cooper, predicting that many Catholics want priests and bishops "who will touch the hearts".

But John Allen, Vatican correspondent of the National Catholic Reporter, said his first year in office was notable for its continuity.

"There is no discernible drift towards radically conservative figures and there has been no earthquake in either liturgy or doctrine," he said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4445279.stm
http://www.priestsforlife.org/magisterium/bishops/04-07ratzingerommunion.htm Holy Communion
http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=71831