King leads tributes to ‘God’s Rottweiler’ Pope
KING CHARLES yesterday paid tribute to former Pope Benedict XVI, who has died aged 95. The late pontiff, who earned the nickname ‘God’s Rottweiler’ for his hardline efforts to resist change in the Catholic Church, died almost a decade after becoming the first pope in 600 years to resign.
He stepped down in February 2013, citing ailing health.
King Charles recalled his ‘fondness’ for Pope Benedict after meeting him during his historic visit to the UK in 2010.
He added: ‘I also recall his constant efforts to promote peace and goodwill to all people, and to strengthen the relationship between the global Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.’
Born Joseph Ratzinger in April 16, 1927, in Bavaria, Benedict lived through the rise and fall of Nazism in Germany and revealed in his memoirs that he had been conscripted into Hitler Youth in 1941.
He was appointed Archbishop of Munich in 1977 and was elevated to cardinal three months later by Pope Paul VI.
In 2005 he became the oldest pope elected in 275 years and the first German in nearly
1,000 years. He endeavoured to set the Church on a conservative path but his time as Pontiff was marked by controversial statements about Islam and the use of condoms in the fight against AIDS.
The most damaging blow to his legacy came in 2010 when documents emerged alleging the Vatican had turned a blind eye to sex abuse for decades.
Benedict was subject to particular criticism as his old office was responsible for dealing with abuse cases.
Though he initiated investigations into the allegations during his time as pontiff, he was forced to apologise after an independent report in 2022 criticised his handling of similar allegations while an archbishop.