Pope Benedict XVI (birth name: Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger) was born in 16 April 1927. Benedict was elected on 19 April 2005 in a papal conclave following the death of Pope John Paul II, celebrated his papal inauguration Mass on 24 April 2005.

On 11 February 2013, Benedict announced his resignation in a speech in Latin before the cardinals, citing a “lack of strength of mind and body” due to his advanced age. He is the first pope to resign since Pope Gregory XII in 1415, and the first to do so on his own initiative since Pope Celestine V in 1294. Pope Francis succeeded Pope Benedict on March 13 2013.

Quotes by Pope Benedict XVI

1. An Adult faith does not follow the waves of fashion and the latest novelties.

2. We were looking for a ‘good shepherd,’ and instead we got a German shepherd.

3. The fact that the Lord can work and act even with insufficient means consoles me, and above all I entrust myself to your prayers.

4. The outpouring of Christ’s blood is the source of the church’s life.

5. When the danger is great, one must not run away.

6. The church is not a political power; it’s not a party, but it’s a moral power.

7. Art is elemental. Reason alone as it’s expressed in the sciences can’t be man’s complete answer to reality, and it can’t express everything that man can, wants to, and has to express. I think God built this into man. Art along with science is the highest gift God has given him.

8. If a Pope clearly realizes that he is no longer physically, psychologically, and spiritually capable of handling the duties of his office, then he has a right and, under some circumstances, also an obligation to resign.

9. I too hope in this short reign to be a man of peace.

10. I leave from where the apostle arrived.

11. The abuse of faith has to be resisted precisely.

12. Truth is not determined by a majority vote.

13. Purity of heart is what enables us to see.

14. The human person finds his perfection “in seeking and loving what is true and good.

15. Evil draws its power from indecision and concern for what other people think.