Claim profile

Pope Benedict XVI

265 th pope of the Catholic Church (2005–2013)

  • Fame84.3
  • Momentum0.5
  • Germany rank#16
Source-basedFalling
  • Fame84.3
  • Momentum0.5
  • Germany rank#16
  • Religious Figures rank#5
  • Wikipedia255.1K
Lived 1927–2022, aged 95Germany
Germany flagGermanyVA flagIT flagReligious Figures
  • Wikipedia
    152 languages
    Cross-language footprint
  • Rank in Germany
    #16
    Religious Figures
  • Era
    1927–2022
    Aged 95
  • Known for
    The Two Popes
    2019
Summary
Updated 2026-08-14

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.

Biography

About

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…

Voice

In their own words

Sourced, dated quotes from Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI
said
That the Jews are connected with God in a special way and that God does not allow that bond to fail is entirely obvious.
— God and the World, published October 2000, as reported by National Catholic Reporter.
Pope Benedict XVI
said
Our Christian conviction is that Christ is also the messiah of Israel.
— God and the World, published October 2000, as reported by National Catholic Reporter
Pope Benedict XVI
said
Unlimited trust should only be placed in the real Word of the Revelation that we encounter in the faith transmitted by the Church.
— During interview by Niels Christian Hvidt in 1999
Pope Benedict XVI
said
Islam has a total organization of life that is completely different from ours; it embraces simply everything.
— 1997 interview with German journalist Peter Seewald, quoted in "Tough-talking pope has history with Muslims, refuses to give in", The
Pope Benedict XVI
said
I think we must reflect more on what democracy in the exercise of authority would mean.
— The Public Square, by Richard John Neuhaus, First Things 1996
via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA
Where to find them

Platforms

By the numbers

Score breakdown

The six component signals behind the Fame score, and their ranks across the leaderboards.

Fame
Falling
84.3
Composite of search demand, mentions, audience & graph footprint.
Score components
Momentum0.5
Historical33.2
Now attention5.5
Source confidence70.0
Completeness80.0
Global rank
—
Country rank
#16
Category rank
#5
Receipts

Sources

  • Wikidata
    wikidata · wikidata.org
    High confidence
  • Wikipedia
    wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
    High confidence
  • Pantheon 2.0
    database · pantheon.world
    High confidence