Pope Benedict XVI Facts and Trivia

We were pretty much bowled over by the announcement that Pope Benedict the XVI was resigning mainly because we didn’t know popes could resign. We thought it was one of those lifetime jobs, but all the news reports have dutifully pointed out that His Holiness is not the first to do so, even though the last was something like 600 years ago. So we thought we’d put together a list of other things we didn’t know — until now.

On February 11, 2013, lightning struck St. Peter’s Basilica a few hours after the Pope announced his decision to resign.

Other popes who resigned include Benedict IX who was Pope on 3 occasions between 1032 and 1048. He was the youngest ever to be made pope, and also believed to be the first homosexual Pope. He is often referred to as “a disgrace to the chair of St. Peter” and was paid to resign. One of the bribers became Pope Gregory VI and he was later “encouraged” to resign by German King Henry III.

Pope Benedict XVI’s native language is German. The second language he learned fluently is French. He also has an excellent command of Italian and Spanish. He is conversant in English and can hold his own in Portuguese. His knowledge of classical languages include Latin, Greek and Hebrew, being the best at Latin.

Pope Benedict XVI was elected pope at the age of 78 on April 19, 2005, the oldest person to have been elected pope since Clement XII in 1730 (who was also 78).

Pope Benedict XVI was the first pope to own an iPod and the first pope to have a twitter account.

Pope Benedict XVI was born on April 19, 1927 (Holy Saturday) in Marktl, Bavaria, Germany. Upon his election to the papacy in 2005, local brewer Weideneder bottled a commemorative “Papstbier” (Pope beer) and made it available to the public.

Mae West was sentenced to 10 days in jail for obscenity for her play “Sex” on the same day that Pope Benedict XVI was born as Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger.

American actress Grace Kelly married Prince Rainer III of Monaco on Pope Benedict XVI’s 29th birthday (he had been a priest for 5 years). Prince Rainier died on April 6, 2005, 4 days after the death of Pope John Paul II and 13 days before the new Pope was announced.

Fidel Castro resigned from the Communist Party of Cuba’s central committee after 45 years of holding the title on April 19, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI’s 84th birthday.

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After he retires, Pope Benedict will be known as His Holiness Benedict XVI, or Emeritus Pope.