future Pope Benedict XV1
He was born in 1927 to a traditional Bavarian farming family, although his father was a policeman. Ratzinger’s experiences during World War II convinced him that the Church had to stand up for truth and freedom.
His conservative, traditionalist views were intensified during the liberal 1960’s.
In 1966 he took the chair in Dogmatic Theology at The University of Tübingen and became rapidly appalled at the prevalence of Marxism amongst his students, stating that religion was being subordinated into a political ideology that was tyrannical, brutal and cruel.
He was Head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, – once known as The Holy Office of the Inquisition – from 1981 until his election to Pope in April 2005.
