Before the Papacy: Pope Francis, Pope Benedict XVI, St John Paul II

As Dean of the College of Cardinals, he presided over the deliberations in April 2005 during the vacancy of the Holy See following the death of Pope John Paul II. Ratzinger was later elected as the 265th Pontiff, and his name was selected after Pope Benedict XV, who served at the turn of the 20th Century. During his papacy, Pope Benedict was known for his rigid views on Catholicism and issues like birth control methods and homosexuality. However, his term faced leaks of private investigations on allegations of corruption and sexual and physical abuse by select parish priests. These scandals led to his abdication in 2013—the first in about 600 years. He then became pope emeritus, residing at Mater Ecclesiae Monastery until his death on December 31, 2022.

Born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, he was six years old when Nazis came to power. His family was anti-Nazi but was later forced, leading to his involvement in the Hitler Youth. When he was still in the seminary in 1943, he was drafted into the German anti-aircraft corps as a Luftwaffenhelfer (Air Force child soldier), but he deserted and has never been in action. In 1945, he was recognised by the Americans as a soldier and was sent to a prisoner-of-war camp near his hometown. A few months later, he was released and returned to the seminary.

The fundamental act of religion is prayer, which in the Christian religion acquires a very specific character: it is the act of self-surrender by which we enter the Body of Christ. Thus it is an act of love…The person who prays begins to see.

- Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Behold the Pierced One. Ignatius Press: 1984

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The 264th successor of St Peter was elected a month after his predecessor started his term. Pope John Paul I died 33 days after he was elected due to a heart attack, and then-Cardinal Karol Józef Wojtyła was chosen despite his initial reluctance. Wojtyła, later became known as Pope John Paul II, was the first non-Italian pope elected in four centuries and has become widely popular among the current generations. He was noted for his conservatism, hard work, and phenomenal energy that attracted enormous crowds when he travelled. Now a saint, this pope impacted ecumenical and inter-religious dialogues, progressive changes in spiritual practices, and, most significantly, youth ministry. With his emphasis on the universal call to holiness, he beatified 1,338 people and canonised 482 saints⁠—more than all of the popes in the last five centuries combined.

He was born in Wadowice, Poland, on 18 May 1920 to Karol Wojtyła and Emilia Kaczorowska, who later died when he was only nine years old. He was a freshman at the Jagiellonian University of Krakow and a member of the Studio 39 theatre troupe when the occupying Nazi forces closed the University in 1939. With this, he worked in a quarry and later in the Solvay chemical factory to earn a living during WWII and avoid being drafted into the army. Meanwhile, he began his studies in a clandestine seminary college in Krakow and organised an underground theatre group called the “Rhapsodic Theatre”, devoted to Polish romantic literature.

Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid to welcome Christ and accept his power. Help the Pope and all those who wish to serve Christ and with Christ’s power to serve the human person and the whole of mankind. Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ. To his saving power open the boundaries of states, economic and political systems, the vast fields of culture, civilisation, and development. Do not be afraid. Christ knows “what is in man”. He alone knows it.

- Pope John Paul II’s homily during the inauguration of his pontificate
(St Peter’s Square, Sunday, 22 October 1978)

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