On April 16, 2020 Pope-Senior Benedict XVI turns 93. As the successor of Pope St. John Paul II, he led the Catholic Church from April 19, 2005 until his surprising resignation in 2013. In the history of the Catholic Church, he was 265th Pope. Upon his election, he took the name Benedict referring to the “Pope of Peace” – Benedict XV and the patron Saint of Europe and founder of the Benedictine Order, St. Benedict of Nursia. He was also the first German in this office since Viktor II (1055-57). Before his election as the successor of St. Peter, from 1983 to 2005, he was serving at one of the highest Vatican offices as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and he was the closest associate of the Polish Pope.
In early April of this year, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, Private Secretary of Benedict XVI, assured: “Thank God we all do well in the Mater Ecclesiae monastery, especially Pope-Senior Benedict XVI.” He pointed out that in the current situation of the pandemic the pope-senior does not accept any guests. “We live like in a strict monastery provision” Said Archbishop Gänswein, adding: “There are no visits and we make no visits. As everyone knows, currently there are strict restrictions that do not allow for it, and which we, of course, obey.”
Archbishop Gänswein speaking about the 93rd anniversary of the pope-senior’s birth, he said that no “delegations or the like” were planned. “It will be a quiet day without any celebrations. We hope and pray that the overwhelming pandemic soon will be overcome,” said the Prefect of the Papal House.
His secretary, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, talks about what Benedict XVI does every day, starting with the morning Mass, which they celebrate together at 7.30 a.m. A large part of the day the senior Pope spends in the library, surrounded by books. The life of theology Professor: Joseph Ratzinger is reflected in thousands of books. He says that all stages of his life are related to books and spends every day with them – says the Archbishop. He adds that “Benedict is a 93-year-old man with a great mind,” but “he lost quite a lot of his physical strength.”
