# Fame.am profile — machine-readable export
# Canonical URL: https://fame.am/person/pope-benedict-xvi
# Generated: 2026-09-01T08:36:40.302Z

schema: https://schema.org/Person
url: "https://fame.am/person/pope-benedict-xvi"
name: "Pope Benedict XVI"
slug: "pope-benedict-xvi"
description: "The first pope in six centuries to resign, Joseph Ratzinger walked away from the papacy in 2013 after eight years leading 1.2 billion Catholics — ending a tenure marked by his push against secularism, his defense of traditional liturgy, and the shadow of the abuse crisis."
tagline: "265 th pope of the Catholic Church (2005–2013)"
image: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Papst_Benedikt_XVI_in_Berlin_2011.jpg?width=1200"
gender: "male"
country:
  name: "Germany"
  isoCode: "DE"
category:
  name: "Religious Figures"
  slug: "religious-figures"
profileType:
  name: "Religious Figure"
  slug: "religious-figure"
birthDate: "1927-04-16"
deathDate: "2022-12-31"
livingStatus: "DECEASED"
scores:
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  momentum:             0.4516779183325687
  historical:           33.184968
  currentAttention:     5.464285714285714
  sourceConfidence:     70
  profileCompleteness:  80
  trendDirection:       "FALLING"
ranks:
  global:   null
  country:  16
  category: 5
tags:
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  - name: "Law"
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  - name: "News Broadcasting"
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  - name: "Europe"
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platforms:
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    handle:    "nm1909127"
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    url:       "https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en.html"
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    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
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    title: "Benedictus XVI Pāpa"
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    title: "Benitu XVI"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
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    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
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    title: "Papa Benedikt XVI"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
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    title: "Benet XVI"
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    title: "Papa Benedicto XVI"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
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    title: "Gáu-huòng Benedictus 16-sié"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
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    title: "Wikiquote"
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    title: "Wikiquote"
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# bio (long form, separated for readability)
bio: |
  Born in Bavaria in 1927, Joseph Ratzinger was ordained in 1951 and became a full professor of theology at 31, earning a reputation as a prominent liberal theologian before shifting conservative after 1968. Elevated to cardinal in 1977 despite minimal pastoral experience, he spent a quarter-century as one of John Paul II's closest advisors, steering church doctrine as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Elected pope in April 2005, he took the name Benedict XVI and spent his papacy advocating a return to Christian fundamentals, reviving the Tridentine Mass, and confronting what he saw as the central crisis of the age: moral relativism. His tenure drew criticism over the church's sexual abuse scandals and his stance on condoms in HIV-stricken regions. On 28 February 2013, citing age and health, he became the first pope since 1415 to resign without external pressure, retreating to a Vatican monastery as "pope emeritus" until his death on the last day of 2022.