Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who became the first pope to retire in 600 years when he retired ten years ago, has died at the age of 95. He was the first German-born pope, born Joseph Ratzinger, when he was appointed pope after John Paul II had died in 2005.
As the article notes, he was the longest-lived pope on record. He was also known for his unyielding conservatism
Snip:
Born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger on April 16, 1927, in Marktl, Germany, Benedict, the son of police officer Josef and Maria, grew up in a Germany infected by Nazism.
Like his father, Benedict opposed Hitler. But at age 14, he was forced to join the Hitler Youth. And two years later, while still in the seminary, the future pope was conscripted into the German army and sent to the front.
With the Allies on the verge of victory, Benedict deserted and went home. After a brief stint in a prisoner-of-war camp, he returned to the seminary and, along with his brother, Georg, was ordained a priest on June 29, 1951.
Unlike most priests, Benedict logged little time in parishes. Instead, he embarked on an academic career and found himself moving to the conservative right as German campuses moved to the liberal left in the 1960s.
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