Following his appointment, as the world grappled with a struggling economy, Benedict would don fur-lined vestments, reintroducing the bright red shoes favored by popes long dead, as well as wearing gem-encrusted rings and pectoral crosses. As the Church struggled to find its place in the increasingly secularized 21st century, Benedict saw such visual excess and adherence to doctrine as a way of signaling a return to and reinforcement of the traditional practices and views of Catholicism.
Though prayer and work remained uppermost, Benedict saw strength and unity in the outward, physical expressions of his faith. The child of Italian immigrants, Francis graduated from technical school before beginning his religious training. A teacher of literature and psychology, he studied theology and was ordained as a priest in As head of the Jesuit order in Argentina from to , Francis has been accused of a complicit silence as the powers-that-be carried out murder and abductions, all while enjoying the backing of the Church.
The period had a lasting effect on Francis according to scholars and also The Two Popes. In , at age 85, Benedict would become the first pope since Gregory XII in to resign from the position , reportedly due to his age and waning physical stamina.
Francis, the first pope from Latin America and champion of the marginalized and poor of the world, became the th Pontiff at the age of In direct contrast to Benedict, Francis immediately adopted a less showy, more humble outward appearance, vowing to continue to live simply, as he had done throughout his career in the Church.
Benedict advocated for strict adherence to tradition and doctrine, a pure Church rigid in its foundations. The headaches continued to mount for the German Pope. In many journalistic endeavours, "follow the money" is good advice for getting to grips with what is really going on, and it applies to the Vatican too. One of the most eyebrow-raising stories we encountered involved an annual Nativity scene in St Peter's Square.
For years, deals were struck in which the Vatican paid several times the market rate. When a whistleblower tried to reform the system, officials in the papal court persuaded a hapless Pope Benedict to promote him to a role 4, miles from Rome. Similar antics occurred at the Vatican Bank, for years a source of unwelcome headlines for the Catholic Church. It was set up to help religious orders and foundations transfer much-needed money to far-flung parts of the world.
But when a sizeable proportion of the transactions are in cash and are being sent to politically unstable parts of the planet, it does not take a genius to see what might go wrong. It appears that bank officials took key decisions without always informing the Pope. When the board ousted its reforming president, Ettore Gotti Tedeschi conveniently, on the day that the news of the Gabriele's arrest was getting saturation news coverage , the Pope did not find out until it was too late.
He was "very surprised" in the later words of his private secretary. Gotti Tedeschi was an Opus Dei member and thought to be close to the Pope, but in the end this did not protect him. Did all this prove too much for the ageing Pope Benedict?
Known for his rigid views on Catholicism, he sought a more inclusive image as pope. In , Benedict made his first visit as pope to the United States, where he spoke out against clerical sexual abuse and delivered an address at the United Nations. That same year, to foster relations and understanding between religions, Benedict addressed the first Catholic-Muslim Forum, a three-day conference of Catholic theologians and Islamic scholars. In , allegations of sexual and physical abuse by parish priests and in parochial schools — particularly in Germany, Ireland and the United States — brought Benedict, and his role in the cases in Germany in particular, under close media scrutiny.
In a pastoral letter, Benedict rebuked the bishops of the Irish church for a failure of leadership. In February , at the age of 85, Pope Benedict XVI announced that he would be resigning on February 28, — becoming the first pope in centuries to step down from his post.
According to several media reports, Benedict's decision centered on his old age, and physical and mental weakness. In one statement, the pope explained, "I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise.
Peter and proclaim the gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom, I declare that I renounce the ministry of bishop of Rome, successor of St.
Benedict served his final day as pope on February 28, Traveling by helicopter, he departed the Vatican for the summer papal residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. Benedict stayed there while renovations were made to a convent, Mater Ecclesiae, in the southwest corner of Vatican City, which became his residence. One of Benedict's final acts as a pope was a tweet to his Twitter following.
May you always experience the joy that comes from putting Christ at the center of your lives. He died three days after his election and was never consecrated into the office of Pope as such. Some lists still include his name. The Vatican sanctioned his addition to the list of popes in the sixteenth century, however he was removed in He is no longer considered a pope by the Catholic Church. Clement X 29 April - 22 July is the oldest elected Pope.
He started his Pontificate at the age of Benedict XVI has been elected at the age of He is the 7th oldest Pope at the time of election. He has been elected at the age of The average age at the time of election is Data journalism and data visualisations from the Guardian.
Turn autoplay off Turn autoplay on. Jump to content [s] Jump to comments [c] Jump to site navigation [0] Jump to search [4] Terms and conditions [8]. News Datablog. Every Pope ever: the full list Benedict XVI surprised the world in announcing his resignation - the first in six centuries' time.
But which Pope held the longest Pontificate or was the youngest at the start of papacy?
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