Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI 90th Birthday

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI: 90th Birthday Scott 1650M (minisheet, 2017) Josef Aloisus Ratzinger was born 16 April,1927 in Marktl am Inn, Bavaria, then part of Germany’s Weimar Republic. He was ordained a priest in 1951 and became a leading academic theologian in Germany serving at German universities at Friesing, Bonn, Munster, Tubingen, and Regensburg. He was a peritus to Cardinal Frings of Cologne during Vatican II. Pope Paul VI appointed Ratzinger Bishop of Munich and Freising as well as Cardinal in 1977. In 1981, St. John Paul II appointed Ratzinger as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and in 2002 he was appointed Dean of the College of Cardinals. He was a close collaborator with St. John Paul II for over two decades. Cardinal Ratzinger was elected pope and took the name Benedict XVI in 2005 after the death of St John Paul II. He took his name in honor of St. Benedict as well as Pope Benedict XV (d. 1922). He served until 2013 when he abdicated his position, stating that his physical condition prevented him from fulfilling the demands of his office. He died on December 31, 2022. Joseph Ratzinger could be considered the greatest Roman Catholic theologian of the 20th century. He published numerous books, such as a multi-volume study of Jesus, and other theological works. Many of his Wednesday general audiences have been published in book form, especially his series of commentaries on the life of the apostles and early Christian fathers. Pope Benedict XVI: 60th Anniversary Priestly Ordination Scott 1474-1477 (2011) Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI celebrated his 90th birthday on April 17, 2013 a day after the actual date, with several Bavarian traditions, including beer and pretzels, in honor of his birthplace. (Courtesy of L'Osservatore Romano.) Technical Details: Scott Catalogue - 1650 Date Issued - 04 May 2017 Face Value - €0,95 Perforations - 13.3x13.3 Printing Process - Offset Printer - The Lowe Martin Group (Canada) Max Printed - 300,000