Pope Benedict XVI A Celebration of his Life and Values

Early Life  Pope Benedict XVI was born Joseph Ratzinger, in 1927, in Bavaria in Germany.  He was the third of three children whose father was a policeman and mother was a cook.  Most of his childhood he spent living in Traunstein, which is a small village on the border between Germany and Austria, and it was here that Joseph developed his love of Classical music, and in particular, Mozart.

Early Life  His early years were not easy, as he was growing up during the rise of the Nazis and was forced to join the Hitler Youth, which he did not attend.  Joseph Ratzinger was shocked to witness the Nazis beat up a parish priest before mass.  His father was opposed to the Nazis, as he believed that that their doctrine was in conflict with the teachings of Christianity.  In 1941, his cousin was put to death under the Nazi eugenics programme as he suffered from Down’s Syndrome.  In 1943 he was drafted into the German army, but managed to escape.

Task One  So far you have learned some important information about Joseph Ratzinger and the difficulties he faced as a young man, in particular how he and his father were opposed to the Nazi regime and believed that it contradicted the teachings of the bible. Task: Imagine that you are the 14 year old Joseph Ratzinger and have just found out that you must join the Hitler Youth. Write a letter to a distant relative / friend telling them your thoughts and feelings and explaining why you think that the Nazi regime does not reflect the core values of Christianity.

Task One Points for Success You will need to do some research on the following:  Core values of Christianity  Core values of Nazism in 1941  Joseph Ratzinger’s personal experience of Nazism On the next slide are some quotes from Joseph Ratzinger’s letters when he became Pope. These may help you.

Task One Here are some quotes from Joseph Ratzinger’s letters when he became Pope: 1. “We are one community and have one origin, because God caused the whole human race to dwell on earth” (Acts 17:26) 1. “We are one community and have one origin, because God caused the whole human race to dwell on earth” (Acts 17:26) 2. “ I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35) 2. “ I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35) 3. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and the greatest Commandment. And the second is love your neighbour 3. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and the greatest Commandment. And the second is love your neighbour as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39) as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39)

Defining Years  In 1951, six years after the end of the Second World War, Joseph Ratzinger and his brother Georg entered the priesthood.  For the next twenty years, Joseph spent his time reading and studying religious topics and lecturing at university.  In 1977, he was elected the Archbishop of Munich, and later that year he was elevated to the position of Cardinal by the Pope.  In 1981 he was asked by the Pope to become Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith.  In 2005 he was elected as Pontiff.

Task Two  You can see that Joseph Ratzinger was very successful in his career and rose through the Church very quickly, as many people around him recognised that he was committed to the Catholic Church, his congregation and most importantly to God. In order to understand what positions he held, complete the following starter task in your booklet. Starter Task: Pair and Share Discuss the following positions that Pope Benedict has had in his life and Write down a definition for each of them. You may need to use a dictionary or the internet to help you.

Task Two  Priest:  Bishop:  Archbishop:  Cardinal:  Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith:  Pontiff:

Task Two Pair and Share: Discuss the Christian values on the following slide and put them into order of importance with the rest of your class…

Task Two  Pope Benedict XVI is someone who has dedicated his life to the service of God and others, living out the Christian values that you have just discussed. Task: Task: You are now going to imagine that you are twenty-five years old. Using the template design yourself a Facebook page. You are now going to imagine that you are twenty-five years old. Using the template design yourself a Facebook page. Points for success: Points for success: What do you want to achieve by this age, in terms of career and family? What do you want to achieve by this age, in terms of career and family? What values will be important to you? What values will be important to you? What charities will you be involved with? What charities will you be involved with? What will be your aims for the future? What will be your aims for the future?

The Pontiff The Pontiff

The Pontiff  On 19 th April 2005, Joseph Ratzinger was elected as the successor of Pope John Paul II.  One of his first acts was to choose a name. He decided on the name Benedict, thus becoming Pope Benedict XVI.  On the next slide you will see the reasons the Pope gave for his choice of name…discuss these reasons and what they tell you about his values and vision for his Papal role.

The Pontiff : Values “Filled with sentiments of awe and thanksgiving, I wish to speak of why I chose the name Benedict. Firstly, I remember Pope Benedict XV, that courageous prophet of peace who guided the Church through turbulent times of war. In his footsteps, I place my ministry in the service of reconciliation and harmony between peoples. Additionally, I recall Saint Benedict of Nursia, co- patron of Europe, whose life evokes the Christian roots of Europe. I ask him to help us all to hold firm to the centrality of Christ in our Christian life: May Christ always take first place in our thoughts and actions!”Pope Benedict XVSaint Benedict of Nursia patron Pope Benedict XVI

The Pontiff : Values Starter Task Pope Benedict chose this name because of two great Christians:  Pope Benedict XVI  Saint Benedict of Nursia Discuss in groups what the Pope’s quotes tells us about his vision and values for his Papacy.

Task Three Coat of Arms Below are examples of different coats of arms

Task Three Investigation: What is a coat of arms? Find out what a coat of arms is. In order to do this you should discuss with your class and teacher. It may a good idea to do some research on the Internet. You may find you have a coat of arms attached to your name, like the Munro coat of arms below!

Task Three: Papal Coat of Arms

 In your booklet you have a template for Pope Benedict’s Coat of Arms. Using the following address label the different symbols on his Coat of Arms: Once you have labelled it you can colour it in using bright colours!

Plenary  In this unit you should have learned about the life and values of Pope Benedict XVI, and you should have considered your own values and aims as a young Catholic. What evidence do you have to show that you have done this?

Final Thought… Pope Benedict has a great passion for classical languages. Make a copy of the Our Father in Latin to celebrate his life and his visit to Scotland.