The Pope Benedict XVI Reader - Hardcover

Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) was born in Bavaria, Germany, in 1927. He served as pope of the Catholic Church from April 19, 2005, to February 28, 2013. A prolific author, theologian, and university professor, Ratzinger participated in the Second Vatican Council as a theological advisor. He was named Archbishop of Munich and Freising in 1977 and was created a cardinal by Pope Paul VI later that same year. In 1981, Pope John Paul II called him to Rome to lead the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, where he served for twenty-four years until his election to the papacy. He is widely recognized as one of the most brilliant theologians and spiritual leaders in recent history.

Bishop Robert Barron is the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries and the host of CATHOLICISM, a groundbreaking, award-winning documentary about the Catholic faith. On July 21, 2015, Pope Francis announced his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and on June 2, 2022, he appointed Bishop Barron the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester (Minnesota). Ordained in 1986 in the Archdiocese of Chicago, Bishop Barron received a master's degree in philosophy from The Catholic University of America in 1982 and a doctorate in sacred theology from the Institut Catholique de Paris in 1992.