Since his time as cardinal and president of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
until
His resignation as Pope in 2013, the legacy of Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI, has left a deep mark on the Catholic Church.
"He will go down in history, like John Paul II, as the pope who facilitated the secularization of European society," says Juan G. Bedoya, a journalist specializing in religious information for EL PAÍS.
Bedoya takes a tour of the key moments in the life of the emeritus pope, such as his unexpected election in the 2005 conclave, his contradictory position regarding abuses in the Church, his inflexible position towards other religions or his complicated relationship with Pope Francis. .
Benedict XVI resigned from the papacy in February 2013, a landmark decision with precedents stretching back seven centuries.
Thus ended a stage marked by internal struggles in the Vatican, which came to light after the massive dissemination of secret documents.
Tired, without the strength to fight against these scandals and harassed by the most reactionary sectors of the Vatican, according to Bedoya, the Pope decided to leave.
His pontificate lasted seven years, 10 months and 10 days.
From the moment he left the papacy and became emeritus, Benedict XVI has lived in the Master Ecclesiae convent, inside the Vatican Gardens, where he kept a low profile, making few public appearances, some with Pope Francis.
He has maintained a complex relationship with him, apparently good, marked by exquisite treatment, but stressed by the attitude of some supporters of Benedict XVI.
