Rule of Benedict

In 2006, The Rule of Benedict: Pope Benedict XVI and His Battle with the Modern World was published - a portrait of Pope Benedict the 16th one year into his papacy. With the eye of a Vatican insider, journalist David Gibson offered an assessment of Benedict's pontificate, including the how and why of the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. Gibson argued that Benedict is a catechist, a teacher patiently explaining the basics of Christianity to the fold. Benedict prefered old-fashioned piety and orthodoxy as the answer to modernity. The Rule of Benedict discussed in detail the most important issues facing the one-billion-member Catholic Church. The author worked in Rome for Vatican Radio and traveled regularly with Pope John Paul II. He produced documentaries on Christianity for CNN.

Brief Biography of Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI, originally named Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, was born on April 16, 1927, in Marktl, Germany. He served as the head of the Roman Catholic Church from 2005 to 2013. Before his papacy, he was a well-known theologian and university professor and served as Archbishop of Munich and Freising from 1977 to 1981.

In 1981, Pope John Paul II called Ratzinger to Rome to head the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican department responsible for preserving Catholic doctrine and evaluating according to canonical law the confidentiality and procedural fairness of procedures against clergy accused of grave offenses. He held this position until his election as pope in 2005.

Following the death of Pope John Paul II, Ratzinger was elected Pope on April 19, 2005, and took the name Benedict XVI. His papacy was marked by a desire to reaffirm traditional Catholic identity and values in the face of increasing secularism in many Western countries. He wrote three encyclicals: Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love), Spe Salvi (In Hope We Are Saved), and Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth).

On February 11, 2013, Benedict XVI announced his resignation due to declining health, becoming the first pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415. His resignation became effective on February 28, 2013. After his resignation, he took the title Pope Emeritus and chose to spend his retirement in the Vatican Gardens' Mater Ecclesiae Monastery.

Throughout his career, Benedict XVI made significant contributions to theological scholarship and maintained a steadfast commitment to preserving traditional Catholic doctrine. He continued to write on theological and ecclesiastical issues after his resignation.