Theology of Pope Benedict XVI

September 30, 2019

6 ways to combat consumerism

The Gospel reading on Sunday was the story of Lazarus and the rich man. I often refer to this parable in discussions about poverty, because Augustine points out that it was not wealth that sent the rich man to hell, but his indifference. Continue Reading...

May 20, 2015

Samuel Gregg On Ratzinger And A Culture Of Ignorance

We are five months into 2015, and life is still unjust. People are still ignorant and hurting each other. All the things we hope and pray for – peace, love, faith, understanding – still seem unattainable. Continue Reading...

February 18, 2013

Looking Back: Acton Experts on Benedict XVI’s Election

On April 19, 2005, Joseph Ratzinger was elected to become the next Pope after John Paul II. Several Acton Institute analysts wrote articles looking ahead to what kind of papacy the world could expect from Benedict XVI. Continue Reading...

April 16, 2012

Samuel Gregg — Benedict XVI: God’s Revolutionary

The pope turns 85 today. On the website of Crisis Magazine, Acton Research Director Samuel Gregg looks at this most prominent of “status-quo challengers.” While regularly derided by his critics as “decrepit” and “out-of-touch,” Benedict XVI continues to do what he’s done since his election as pope seven years ago: which is to shake up not just the Catholic Church but also the world it’s called upon to evangelize. Continue Reading...

March 08, 2012

Samuel Gregg: Benedict XVI and the Irrelevance of ‘Relevance’

In a new analysis in Crisis Magazine, Acton Research Director Samuel Gregg examines “the shifting critiques” of the pontificate of Benedict XVI including the latest appraisal that the world is losing interest in the Catholic Church particularly because of its declining geopolitical “relevance.” Continue Reading...

March 23, 2011

Samuel Gregg: Benedict XVI, Hans Kung and Catholicism’s Future

New books from Pope Benedict XVI and Fr. Hans Kung, two theologians who worked as contemporaries and whose careers were nurtured on the same German soil, show them to be worlds apart in their understanding of the Catholic Church. Continue Reading...

December 01, 2010

Benedict XVI: Christian Radical

This week’s Acton commentary from Research Director Samuel Gregg. Sign up for the free, weekly newsletter from Acton for the latest news and analysis. Benedict XVI: Christian Radical By Samuel Gregg As the condom-wars ignited by Benedict XVI’s Light of the World abate, some attention might finally be paid to the book’s broader themes and what they indicate about Benedict’s pontificate. Continue Reading...