His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI

His Holiness Benedict XVI was Pope from 2005 to 2013.

Articles by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI

Beacon to Illuminate the World

Pope Benedict XVI gave the following address at the celebration of First Vespers on the occasion of the 500th Anniversary of the Inauguration of the Sistine Chapel Ceiling, 31 October 2012:

Peter: The Foundation of the Church

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI gave the following homily at the Ordinary Public Consistory for the Creation of New Cardinals and for the Vote on Several Causes of Canonization, 19 February 2012.

The Splendor of Truth, the Beauty of Love

His Holiness Benedict XVI gave the following address at the inauguration of the exhibition “Splendor of Truth, the Beauty of Love,” a tribute of artists to the Holy Father on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of his priestly ordination. The address was given at the Paul VI Audience Hall in the Vatican on July 4, 2011.

La Sagrada Familia Dedication Homily

Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord, ‘This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep… The joy of the Lord is your strength’ (Neh 8:9-11). With these words from the first reading that we have proclaimed, I wish to greet all of you taking part in this celebration.

Meeting with Artists

“With great joy I welcome you to this solemn place, so rich in art and in history…”

All Great Works of Art are an Epiphany of God: From Pope Benedict XVI’s Dialogue in Bressanone

On August 6, 2008, during his two-week retreat at the seminary near Bressanone, Italy—a town at the foot of the Alps near the Austrian border and a long-time vacation locale for Benedict XVI and his brother Monsignor Georg Ratzinger—the Holy Father met with four hundred priests of the Diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone at the Cathedral of S. Maria Assunta for an open question-and-answer session. The questions on beauty and the protection of creation and the pontiff’s responses are reproduced below.