Joseph Ratzinger as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
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Joseph Ratzinger (1927–2022) was named by
He previously became both
While continuing to be prefect, Ratzinger was promoted within the
Role in the 1980s
In office, Cardinal Ratzinger fulfilled his institutional role, defending and reaffirming official Catholic doctrine, including teaching on topics such as
From 1986 to 1992 he presided over the drafting committee that wrote the
Archives of the Holy Office
Many saw in a contrasting light Ratzinger's planning and overseeing of the opening of the long-sealed
Dominus Iesus
In 2000, the
The document, in paragraph 4, pointed out the danger to the Church of "relativistic theories which seek to justify religious pluralism" by denying that God has revealed truth to humanity.
Paragraph 22, addressing the question that one religion is as good as another (
Abortion in reunified Germany
After the German reunification the united German government decided to merge the abortion laws. It would be legal within the first twelve weeks of pregnancy but only after the woman received counseling on her decision. If she still decided to proceed she would have to present a certificate saying she had completed the counseling sessions. The German Bishops' Conference established counseling centres that saw 20,000 women. After being counseled, roughly 5,000 decided not to have the abortion. In 1997 Pope John Paul II ordered the German bishops to withdraw the counseling support. Cardinal Ratzinger, as prefect of the Congregation for the Faith, was given the task of carrying out John Paul's instructions. In 1999 the German bishops unanimously rejected the demands of the CDF. Only in 2000 did the bishops conference end the counseling service.[3]
Lutheran Dialogue
His most significant ecumenical achievement as CDF Prefect was the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification signed with the Lutheran World Federation in 1999. Bishop George Anderson, head of the
Ratzinger and Fatima
Until her death,
In 1984, an interview with Ratzinger was published in the Pauline Sisters newsletter which stated that the message deals with "dangers threatening the faith and the life of the Christian and therefore of the world", while stating that it marks the beginning of the end-times. A year later, the interview was re-published in The Ratzinger Report, although several statements were omitted.
In October 1987 he stated that "the things contained in [the] Third Secret correspond to what has been announced in Scripture and has been said again and again in many other Marian apparitions; first of all, that of Fatima in what is already known of what its message contains, conversion and penitence are the essential conditions for salvation".
In 1997, Ratzinger and
On June 26, 2000, following the release of the text of the prophecy, Ratzinger issued a statement that the third and final chapter of
Response to sex abuse scandal
As Cardinal Ratzinger was Prefect of the
As part of the implementation of the norms enacted and promulgated on April 30, 2001 by Pope John Paul II,
In 2002 Ratzinger told the
According to the Cardinal Archbishop of Vienna Christoph Schönborn, speaking on Austrian television in March 2010, Ratzinger in 1995 pressed Pope John Paul II to mount a special investigation against Hans Hermann Groër, Schönborn's predecessor as Archbishop, after Groër was accused of molesting young monks. But other Curia officials persuaded John Paul that the media had exaggerated the case, and an inquiry would only create more bad publicity.[17]
Attempted retirement
In July 2007
"reaching the age of 70 [in April 1997], I very much hoped that the beloved John Paul II would have allowed me to devote myself to the study of interesting documents and manuscripts which you preserve with such care, true masterpieces which help us study the history of humanity and Christianity. In His providential designs the Lord had other plans for me and now I’m here among you not as a keen student of ancient texts, but as a shepherd called on to encourage all believers to cooperate for the salvation of the world, each carrying out the mission God has assigned to him".
In August 2010 Raffaele Cardinal Farina, archivist and librarian of the Holy Roman Church, said that Pope John Paul II declined then-Cardinal Ratzinger's request to spend his last years at the Vatican Archives. Cardinal Farina recalled when he was appointed prefect of the Vatican Library in May 1997 having a brief meeting with Cardinal Ratzinger in which he was asked his opinion of Ratzinger joining the team. Ratzinger asked the Pope if he could step down from his role when he turned 70 on 16 April 1997. "He was asking me what I thought of his idea and what being archivist and librarian of the Holy Roman Church involved", said Farina.[18]
Resignation of Benedict XVI
On February 11, 2013, it was announced that Pope Benedict XVI
See also
References
- ^ "the official Latin text". Retrieved July 7, 2005.
- North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation, October 25, 2003.
- ISBN 0-06-085841-9.
- ^ "Ratzinger as Prefect". Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
- ^ Jamie Doward, "The Pope, the letter and the child sex claim," The Guardian, April 24, 2005.
- ^ Sacramentorum sanctitatis tutela, The Vatican, April 30, 2001.
- ^ Epistula ad totius Catholicae Ecclesiae Episcopos aliosque Ordinarios et Hierarchas interesse habentes de delictis gravioribus eidem Congregationi pro Doctrina Fidei reservatis, The Vatican, May 18, 2001.
- ^ CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH - LETTER - sent from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to Bishops of the entire Catholic Church and other Ordinaries and Hierarchs having an interest - REGARDING THE MORE SERIOUS OFFENSES reserved to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Unofficial English translation of original Latin.
- ^ www.bishop-accountability.org Unofficial translation of Sacramentorum sanctitatis tutela by the USCCB and a translation of the Norms by Gregory Ingels, both revised by Joseph R. Punderson and Charles J. Scicluna. The new norms (like the American norms) consider a minor to be anyone under the age of 18—a wider definition than in the Code of Canon Law, where minors are below the age of 16.
- ^ Jamie Doward, "Pope 'obstructed' sex abuse inquiry," The Guardian, April 24, 2005.
- ^ a b c "Signs of the Times: Doctrinal Congregation Takes Over Priestly Pedophilia Cases Archived 2005-11-20 at the Wayback Machine", Catholic News Service, December 17, 2001.
- ^ Acta Apostolicae Sedis 93 (2001): 737–39, 785–88.
- ^ Code of Canon Law: Canon 8, §1, The Vatican.
- ^ CanonLaw.info, April 29, 2005 update to Much Ado About Nothing by Dr. Edward N. Peters, JCD, JD
- ^ "Cardinal Ratzinger ... Sees Agenda Behind the Reporting in U.S. Archived 2006-04-28 at the Wayback Machine," Zenit News Agency, December 3, 2002.
- ^ Vatican Transcript of Meditation on the Ninth Station of the Cross, The Vatican.
- ^ Pullella, Philip (2010-03-28). "Pope signals won't be intimidated by abuse critics". Reuters. Archived from the original on March 31, 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-02.
- ^ "Pope Benedict wanted to be a librarian". Aug 5, 2010 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
- ^ "Pope Benedict XVI". The New York Times. Dec 7, 2018.
- ^ Donadio, Rachel; Kulish, Nicholas (Feb 11, 2013). "A Statement Rocks Rome, Then Sends Shockwaves Around the World". The New York Times.
- ^ "Pope Benedict XVI To Resign 'For Health Reasons'". HuffPost UK. Feb 11, 2013.
- ^ https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2013/02/11/world/europe/11reuters-pope-resigns-text.html[permanent dead link]