Benedict XVI

British

noun

original name Joseph Alois Ratzinger . born 1927 in Germany, pope (2005–2013): the first pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415: on retirement he was accorded the title pope emeritus

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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The 70-year-old pope himself carried a large wooden cross through all 14 stations retracing Jesus Christ's path to the tomb, marking a return to a tradition observed by John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

The government released nearly 3,000 more for the visit by Pope Benedict XVI and some 3,500 for the visit of Pope Francis.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Pope Francis prayed there in 2014, and Pope Benedict XVI did so in 2006.

From BBC • Nov. 29, 2025

An essential biography, “The Woman of Her Age” by Fiona Maddocks, followed Hildegard’s canonization by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2025

Pope Benedict XVI was the first to predict the crisis in the global financial system…Italian Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti said.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023