Pope Benedict XVI: A Biography of Joseph Ratzinger

by John L. Allen Jr.

Book Overview

This book is the only existing biography of Pope Benedict XVI, born Joseph Aloysius Ratzinger on April 16, 1927, in southern Bavaria. Comprehensive in scope and intimate in content, it provides a vivid blow-by-blow of the controversies that have wracked the Catholic Church during the past twenty years: Liberation theology, birth control, women's ordination, inclusive language, "radical feminism," homosexuality, religious pluralism, human rights in...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0826417868
• ISBN13: 9780826417862
• Release Date: May 2005
• Publisher: Continuum
• Length: 354 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.2" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A useful introduction to the pope

This new edition of the book Cardinal Ratzinger - The Vatican's Enforcer Of The Faith, first published in 2000, was released shortly after Cardinal Ratzinger became Pope, with a new Publisher's Preface. It is an excellently written, in-depth study from his youth growing up in the shadow of Nazi Germany until the year 2000. Allen's meticulous research, undertaken over many years, bears fruit in the way the new Pope's life-history is set out. Not merely painting a portrait of the man today, Allen also describes the changes of opinion and thought of this great theologian from a `reformer' at the time of Vatican II to a conservative Cardinal. This book is an excellent resource for those wishing to understand the history of the new Pope, the way in which his life experiences have changed his view of his own personal history, and the way in which they have shaped his dealings with the church.

The man who would become pope

As one commentator has pointed out, this is not in fact a new book on the current pope, Benedict XVI, but rather a biography of then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who would succeed to the papacy in the spring of 2005. In the year 2000, when this book was published, Ratzinger had been working with Pope John Paul II for decades, and seemed in some ways to be reaching a point of retirement. John Allen, a veteran Vatican observer, noted in this text that the succession of Ratzinger was unlikely, even then. Perhaps that helps to add the ring of truth to Ratzinger's own words of gratitude and surprise after his election. Unlike several of the 'instant history' texts that appeared shortly after the papal election (and, to be fair, some are worthwhile; Allen himself produced one reasonable text entitled 'The Rise of Benedict XVI'), this one had a much longer timeframe for production. Allen was able to do a good amount of research and interviewing to get behind the public image of Ratzinger, variously called the Vatican Enforcer and God's Pit-Bull. Joseph Ratzinger is a difficult man to pin down in terms of ideology and spirituality. He grew up in the midst of Nazi oppression in Germany, and during the second world war was even pressed into service as a Hitler Youth (something which, by the time Ratzinger was old enough in the early 1940s, was compulsory for all boys in Germany). He reacted against this right-wing tyranny by embracing theological and academic liberalism; his early work is decidedly left-wing in many respects, as Allen points out. However, the shifts in the tide of international theological thought generally, and Roman Catholic thought and practice specifically, left Ratzinger adrift in some ways, a state his logical and organised mind would not tolerate. Ratzinger reconstructed his theology in such a way that is difficult to determine; it is very conservative in many respects, but is far from the knee-jerk style he is often accused of having, and it is far from being closed-minded (Benedict XVI's meeting with Hans Kung recently shows this openness and mind for inquiry). One of the drawbacks of this text is that Allen draws his own theological agenda in perhaps a bit further than an aiming-toward-objectivity history should display. Allen is to be given credit for his self-identification on many issues, but this serves to muddle the analysis a bit at times. Perhaps this shows itself most directly in the work on liberation theology, but still this is a perspective that is useful and helpful, and Allen adds important information that might not otherwise be accessible outside the more rarified world of professional theologians. For those who want deeper insight into the man who Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI is, this book is a worthwhile text, particularly if it is taken as one of several books that explore the pope's theology in more detail, and from different perspectives. As a stand-alone text, it presents Pope Benedict XVI in a

The Complete Benedict XVI

Anyone who wants to know about the new Holy Father should read this book. Unlike several others recently published, this biography gives an in-depth analysis of the mindset of Benedict XVI. It is more detailed than the casual reader might want, but if you are interested in the direction this pope will try to take the church, you should read this book. In particular, it tries to explain how the thinking of Joseph Ratzinger has evolved since the time he helped write some of the major documents of Vatican II and why his thinking has changed so radically. From this book, it becomes obvious that Pope John Paul II would be very pleased with the selection of his successor. Whether Pope Benedict XVI's thinking will continue to evolve remains to be seen. Seldom has a new pope had so much of his writtn works available for scrutiny. This book takes an in-depth look at the critical elements of Benedict's theology and provides insights as to the direction of the Church under this pope.

Still a good book if you want to get to know the new Pope

To potential readers: please do not be put off by the negative reviewers of this book. I have read the book throughly and in my view, while it might contain critical analyses of Cardinal Ratzingers' views and actions, and contains several inaccuracies (Allen's prediction that Ratzinger won't become Pope is one), I still think it's a book worthwhile to read if you want to learn about the new Pope's theological and spiritual thought and the life events that have shaped his belief (growing up in Nazi Germany, Vatican II, facing the 1960s radical movements, etc) and how he would lead the Catholic Church as Pope. Regardless of how we view the Pope (full disclosure: I consider myself a progressive Catholic and think there needs to be some reforms within the Church), I think he is one of the leading personality of the Catholic Church in the 20th & 21st century and have full respect of his views even when not agreeing with him fully. Allen's book is one of the first English language biography of the Pope (written when he was still a Cardinal) and has a lot of interesting insights about the man, so please, don't write it off as a liberal propaganda before you have read through it several times and reflect on it, then you are welcome to make your own conclusions.

Even Handed Study of a Controvertial Figure

John Allen is to be commended for his biography of Cardinal Ratzinger. It is difficult to write objectively about living, controvertial figures and even more so in the case of powerful religious figures. Emotions can run high, even to the boiling point. Some readers might expect a "hatchet job" of the Prefect of the CDF by a writer for the "National Catholic Reporter", which is a prominently liberal newspaper, but only someone blinded by partisanship could consider this carefully researched and written book to be anything but thoughtful and even handed.Allen read all of Ratzinger's works and many collateral books and conducted dozens of interviews in preparation for this study. He is at present NCR's resident editor in Rome. Allen is also an unusually well-read and well-informed practicing Catholic who genuinely tries to understand the points of view of his subjects. He raises difficult questions, as is his proper role, and, in my opinion, sometimes gives Ratzinger the benefit of the doubt when a sterner view would be justified but he provides a tremendous amount of valuable information and references so the reader can do his or her own research. This is the mark of a serious biographer and not a polemicist.John Allen's "Cardinal Ratzinger" is an important and scholarly contribution to our understanding of this powerful figure in the present-day Catholic hierarchy. It deserves to be read.