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Cardinal Ratzinger's Rebellion -- A Mini-Biography And
Exposé On Pope Benedict XVI : Part 1
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Copyright 1994 - 2010 Endtime Prophecy Net
Published On : May 23, 2005
Last Updated : January 3, 2009
Biography Of Cardinal Ratzinger, His Conservative Background,
Points Of Agreement Between Protestants And Catholics, False
Catholic Doctrines, All Have Sinned, Wages Of Sin Is Death,
God's Intolerance For Disobedience, God's Patience And Mercy,
Blood Sacrifice And Remission Of Sins, Jesus As The Testator
Of The New Covenant, Penalty Of Sin, Jesus Paid Our Ransom,
Christ Died For All Of Our Sins, One-Time Sacrifice Of Love,
Universal Nature Of Salvation Plan, Jesus Christ The Only Way
The following three-part series is a mini-biography, as well
as an exposé, of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now known as Pope
Bendedict XVI. The comments you are about to read will more
than likely garner some supporters on my behalf, (although
that isn't really my intention in writing them), as well as
raise up new enemies, particularly within the Roman Catholic
sector, and undoubtedly within Jewry as well. Nevertheless,
given the extreme importance of this issue, I feel motivated
to share this information with my readers.
As I write this commentary, a little more than one month has
passed since 78-year-old Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, a native
of the small Bavarian town of Traunstein, Germany, (although
he was actually born in Marktl am Inn to the northeast), was
unanimously elected by the Sacred College of Cardinals, to
become Benedict XVI, the 265th Bishop of Rome, and Pope of
the Roman Catholic Church, following the death of Pope John
Paul II on April 2, 2005. Cardinal Ratzinger is the oldest
man to occupy the coveted papal position in two hundred and
seventy-five years, and he is the first Pope with roots in
what is now Germany, since 1057 AD when Pope Victor II died.
Cardinal Ratzinger's rise to the pinnacle of power within the
Vatican has been long and steady. Following seminary studies,
as well as alleged involuntary military involvement with the
Hitlerian war machine of Nazi Germany, Ratzinger was ordained
a Catholic priest at the age of twenty-four in 1951 in Munich.
From that time, until 1977, when he became the archbishop of
Munich and Freising, Ratzinger engaged in additional studies,
and held a variety of teaching positions at the universities
of Bonn, Muenster, Tübingen, Regensburg, and Munich, where
he received his doctorate in theology in 1953. From 1962 to
1965, Father Ratzinger also served as a chief theological
advisor to Cardinal Josef Frings of Cologne, Germany, during
all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council.
Three months after being selected the archbishop of Munich,
Pope Paul VI elevated Ratzinger to the status of Cardinal.
Four years later, in 1981, Pope John Paul II named him the
Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith, an extremely powerful post, the job of which is to
establish and safeguard Roman Catholic doctrine. This body
was formerly known as the Holy Office of the Inquisition.
While the name of the office has been softened, perhaps for
the sake of political correctness, we must truly wonder if
its purpose and function has really changed.
For over twenty years, Cardinal Ratzinger was John Paul II's
most trusted theological adviser, as well as a close friend.
He had private audiences with John Paul II twice a week. In
November of 2002, Ratzinger took the final step to becoming
the next Pope, when he was appointed the dean of the Sacred
College of Cardinals, the very body which elected him as the
265th Pope, on April 19, 2005. Prior to that, he had been
the vice-dean of that same body since 1998.
Prior to becoming the 265th Pope, other positions which were
held by Cardinal Ratzinger include serving as a member of the
Congregation of Bishops, the Congregation for Divine Worship
and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the Congregation for
Catholic Education, the Congregation for the Evangelization
of Peoples, the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, the
Council for Christian Unity, the Council for Culture, the
Commission Ecclesia Dei, and the Commission for Latin
America.
By any definition of the word, within Roman Catholic circles,
in a theological sense, Joseph Ratzinger has been considered
an ultra-conservative and traditionalist for not quite four
decades. While a spirit of liberalism has swept across many
parts of the Vatican's far-reaching empire, most notably in
Europe and the United States of America, Cardinal Ratzinger
has staunchly defended, promoted and enforced principal Roman
Catholic positions concerning marriage and divorce, abortion
and birth control, stem cell research, the gay and lesbian
agenda, women in the priesthood, etc.; even at the price of
losing friends, and making new enemies, even in his native
Germany.
While some of my non-Catholic readers may find the previous
mini-biography of Cardinal Ratzinger's life boring, I have
shared it with you for a very specific reason; and that is
to clearly demonstrate Ratzinger's conservative background.
Even though I am not a Catholic, and in fact, am personally
in disagreement with a number of different Roman Catholic
doctrines, (as some of my other articles clearly indicate),
when the news of Ratzinger's election was announced a month
ago, I initially adopted the attitude that the development
might be a good thing; at least for Roman Catholics who have
helplessly watched as modernism and liberalism have slowly
eroded some of the long-standing positions of their faith;
some of which I happen to agree with.
For example, whether we are Catholic or Protestant, if we
truly accept the Bible as being God's inspired Word, then we
must agree that abortion is a modern evil which has resulted
in the deaths of literally millions of innocent children all
across the world during the past several decades. In similar
fashion, the Scriptures clearly present God's view concerning
homosexuality; so this is another common point of agreement
between Catholics and Bible-believing Protestants. Likewise,
the Bible instructs us, that except in clear-cut cases of
adultery, divorce is to be frowned upon; and even then, when
such is evident, forgiveness and reconciliation is the godly
option. God's Word also promotes the sanctity of life, and
makes it plain that our lives not only proceed from God, but
that He in fact knew us before we were born. Thus, the fact
that modern science creates human life, and then callously
destroys it, through stem cell research, cloning, and other
forms of genetic engineering, in the hope that some day it
may be able to save other lives, can only be viewed as being
wrong and immoral.
In short, whether we are Protestant or Catholic, if we truly
view God's Word as being the correct model to follow, then
we are pro-life, pro-family and pro-children. These are just
a few examples where many Protestants and Catholics can find
common agreement; which is why I stated a moment ago, that
looking at the situation from this perspective, the election
of Cardinal Ratzinger as the new Pope of Rome, looked like a
wise choice; because he would help to preserve these healthy
family values, which have been long-embraced by conservative
Protestants and Catholics alike. All of these positions were
likewise embraced by John Paul II, which is why significant
numbers of Catholics were enthusiastic with Ratzinger's rise
to the Holy See, as he promised to continue in the footsteps
of his predecessor.
Sadly, while I have strived to present some common areas of
agreement between Protestants and Catholics, as I mentioned
earlier, a great gulf still exists between us, as a result
of other traditions and practices, which are promoted by the
Church of Rome. As I point out in some of my other articles,
these include the belief in the infallibility of the Pope;
the erroneous doctrine of transubstantiation, whereby it is
believed that the bread and wine of the Eucharist become the
actual body and blood of Christ; the alleged superiority of
the Roman Catholic Church, and the misguided view that it is
the only true source of Salvation available to all people
everywhere; the fanatical worship of Mary and the Saints;
and idol worship, to name a few.
But, it may surprise you to know, that it is not the former
differences which motivated me to write this current series.
There is an even more important issue, which further reveals,
at least to me, that all is not well within the halls of the
Vatican; and it concerns the manner of Salvation of mankind,
as it is explained to us in God's Holy Word, the Bible.
Concerning God's Plan of Salvation, all Bible-believers know
that the Scriptures clearly teach us that all men everywhere
are sinners. Not only did we inherit our sinful nature from
the Original Pair, that is, Adam and Eve, but we continue to
freely sin, of our own accord, throughout our entire lives.
Thus, we find verses like the following in God's Word:
"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother
conceive me."
Psalms 51:5, KJV
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"
Romans 3:23, KJV
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and
death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all
have sinned:"
Romans 5:12, KJV
As I point out in a few of my other articles which deal with
the topic of Salvation, such as "Message To The World", as a
result of our sin, that is to say, our rebellion against, and
our violation of God's Holy Laws, under normal circumstances,
as in any court of law, we would be forced to face the sad
consequences of our foolish actions. As one of the previous
verses reveals, the Bible tells us that the consequences, or
"wages", of our sin, is death, plain and simple. We are on
death row, and we are condemned to die, as we see by these
additional verses:
"Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall
seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot
come . . . I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in
your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die
in your sins."
John 8:21, 24, KJV
"For the wages of sin is death . . ."
Romans 6:23a, KJV
"Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together
with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)"
Ephesians 2:5, KJV
It becomes rather clear in the Scriptures, that God simply
does not tolerate any form of rebellion or disobedience
within His Kingdom. Consider the sad example of King Saul.
He lost the blessing, and the kingdom, as a result of doing
certain things which he thought were right in his own eyes.
God apparently saw things differently; so He basically fired
King Saul, and He found a more obedient servant in the person
of a young shepherd boy by the name of David. Saul, and his
three sons, eventually all died in battle, and the Scriptures
make it plain that this was by the Will of God, as a result
of Saul's pride and disobediences.
Yet, at the same time, the Bible also informs us, that like
many earthly parents, and in actuality, even more so, God is
extremely patient and merciful with His wayward children. He
gives us plenty of time to come to our senses, and to repent
of our misdeeds, before the proverbial axe falls. Thus, in
the Bible, we find such verses as the following:
"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men
count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not
willing that any should perish, but that all should come to
repentance."
2 Peter 3:9, KJV
"Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth
them that fear him."
Psalms 103:13, KJV
"It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed,
because his compassions fail not. They are new every
morning: great is thy faithfulness."
Lamentations 3:22-23, KJV
Thus, thankfully, all is not lost. In spite of the looming
sword of death which hangs over our lives, as a result of
our own sins, there is hope; and that hope is provided by
God Himself, through the loving Sacrifice of His own dear
Son, Jesus Christ.
As I point out in a number of other articles, such as "The
Blood Atonement: In Jesus' Own Words", God's Law required
that a sacrifice of blood be made for the remission of sins.
But, that blood could not come from just any animal. It had
to come from an unblemished, unspotted lamb. In other words,
it had to be physically perfect. This practice was followed
by the Israelites throughout the Old Testament period, and
was merely a foreshadow of greater things to come, when the
son of a Jewish carpenter would present Himself before His
real Father in Heaven, as the unblemished Lamb of God, of
the New Testament period, who would take away the sins of
the world. Through the spilling of His own innocent Blood,
Jesus willingly became the Testator of the New Covenant
between God and man, as we see by these verses:
"For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed
for many for the remission of sins."
Matthew 26:28, KJV
"And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new
testament, which is shed for many."
Mark 14:24, KJV
"Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the
new testament in my blood, which is shed for you."
Luke 22:20, KJV
"After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had
supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood:
this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me."
1 Corinthians 11:25, KJV
"Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament;
not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter
killeth, but the spirit giveth life."
2 Corinthians 3:6, KJV
"But now hath he [Jesus] obtained a more excellent ministry,
by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant,
which was established upon better promises. For if that
first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have
been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, he
saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will
make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the
house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made
with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they
continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith
the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the
house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put
my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and
I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every
man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know
me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful
to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their
iniquities will I remember no more. In that he saith, A new
covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which
decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away."
Hebrews 8:6-13, KJV
"And for this cause he [Jesus] is the mediator of the new
testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the
transgressions that were under the first testament, they
which are called might receive the promise of eternal
inheritance."
Hebrews 9:15, KJV
"And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the
blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that
of Abel."
Hebrews 12:24, KJV
So to reiterate, Jesus took our sins upon Himself, thereby
relieving us of the same, and redeemed us from the penalty
of sin; that is to say, eternal death. In short, He became a
ransom for our sins, by willingly surrendering His own life
to the Father. In essence, He paid the price for us, and took
our punishment for us, as we see by the following verses:
"Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but
to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."
Matthew 20:28, KJV
"Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men."
1 Corinthians 7:23, KJV
"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to
be testified in due time."
1 Timothy 2:5-6, KJV
"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy
Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not
your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify
God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
1 Corinthians 6:19-20, KJV
Over and over again, the writers of the New Testament tell
us that Jesus Christ gave Himself for our sins. From John, to
Peter, to Paul, the message is made exceedingly clear: Jesus
died for you and for me. Following are some additional verses
which amply prove this point:
"For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also
received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the
scriptures;"
1 Corinthians 15:3, KJV
"Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our
Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins, that he
might deliver us from this present evil world, according to
the will of God and our Father:"
Galatians 1:3-4, KJV
"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of
whom I am chief."
1 Timothy 1:15, KJV
"Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express
image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of
his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down
on the right hand of the Majesty on high;"
Hebrews 1:3, KJV
"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree,
that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness:
by whose stripes ye were healed."
1 Peter 2:24, KJV
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have
fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ
his Son cleanseth us from all sin."
1 John 1:7, KJV
"And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours
only, but also for the sins of the whole world."
1 John 2:2, KJV
"And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins;
and in him is no sin."
1 John 3:5, KJV
"And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the
first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of
the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our
sins in his own blood,"
Revelation 1:5, KJV
Unlike the high priests of the Old Testament era who had to
repeatedly offer sacrifices for the sins of the people, the
New Testament Scriptures also make it clear, that Jesus died
but once for the remission of all sins of all times, and He
did it for all people everywhere, without exception, because
we have all sinned. Please consider these additional verses:
"Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up
sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the
people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself."
Hebrews 7:27, KJV
"Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own
blood he entered in once into the holy place, having
obtained eternal redemption for us."
Hebrews 9:12, KJV
"Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high
priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of
others; For then must he often have suffered since the
foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the
world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of
himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but
after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear
the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he
appear the second time without sin unto salvation."
Hebrews 9:25-28, KJV
"By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of
the body of Jesus Christ once for all."
Hebrews 10:10, KJV
Finally, as we have already seen, Jesus made this Great
Sacrifice, as the Ultimate Demonstration of His love for,
and obedience to, His Father, as well as His deep, abiding
love for us, His wayward children. Again, this point is
verified by Scriptures such as the following:
"I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life
for the sheep...As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the
Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other
sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must
bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one
fold, and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me,
because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No
man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have
power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.
This commandment have I received of my Father."
John 10:11, 15-18, KJV
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his
life for his friends."
John 15:13, KJV
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life."
John 3:16, KJV
"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down
his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the
brethren."
1 John 3:16, KJV
"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In
this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that
God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might
live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but
that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation
for our sins."
1 John 4:8-10, KJV.
"For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ
died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will
one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even
dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that,
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 5:6-8, KJV
"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor
angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present,
nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other
creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 8:38-39, KJV
Taking into consideration this preponderance of Scriptural
evidence, it should be clear to you, the reader, that the
Forgiveness of sins, Redemption, Salvation, and Eternal
Life, can only be achieved through unswerving faith in the
atoning Sacrifice of Jesus Christ; the only-begotten Son of
God, who by His own choice, was born into the world of
sinful men, and lovingly died for the same.
What I would also like to bring to your attention, is the
clearly universal nature of God's Plan of Salvation. As we
have seen, the Bible plainly states over and over again, and
in a variety of ways, that "all have sinned and come short
of the glory of God", and that there are no exceptions to
this rule. Either the word "all" really means all, or else
it doesn't. In other verses we have examined, the words "the
world", or "the whole world", are used, which again point to
the universal nature of God's Divine Plan, as well as to the
universal nature of sin.
Now, if we humbly accept the truth, and recognize that we are
all sinners, then we must also logically conclude, based upon
the previous Scriptures, that we are all in danger of facing
eternal death, because we are plainly told that "the wages
of sin is death". If "a" is true, then "b" must also be true.
If we continue along this same line of thought concerning the
universal nature of God's Plan of Salvation, we're forced to
also conclude that if we are all sinners, and if we are all
in danger of facing eternal death, then we must likewise all
need to recognize, accept and turn to God's appointed Savior,
if we hope and expect to find a reprieve from our sentence of
death. In short, we cannot say that yes, we are all sinners,
and yes, we will all face a certain death because of it, but
no, we do not all have to recognize and accept Jesus Christ
as our Lord and Savior, if we expect to receive remission of
our sins, and gain Eternal Life. We simply cannot have it
both ways.
In short, either all of God's Word is true, or else all of
it is not. The Lord tells us that "a + b = c"; He doesn't
say that "a + b = something else". If "a" is true, and if
"b" is true, then "c" is likewise true. It is that simple.
Sin + Jesus = Salvation. Sin - Jesus = Eternal Death.
So either the Plan of Salvation applies to all men, or else
it applies to no one. If even one person can gain Salvation
without professing faith in Jesus Christ, then we would be
forced to conclude that Jesus died in vain. If even one race
of people can claim that they have achieved forgiveness of
sins, and have found some other way to achieve Eternal Life,
then again, we would be forced conclude that all of the men
and women of God down through the ages, beginning with the
Disciples and Apostles of the First Century, who have been
persecuted, who have been tortured, and who have sacrificed
their lives as a result of preaching the Gospel to the lost,
truly did so in vain. I mean, let's face it. If people don't
really need to believe in Jesus in order to be saved, then
why even preach the Gospel, right? Why sacrifice our lives,
and put our families through such hardships and risks? Why
suffer so much ridicule? Why face being ostracized from
society because of our beliefs, if it isn't necessary?
Now, of course, I am sure you realize that all of my previous
remarks are purely rhetorical in nature, because I personally
remain utterly convinced that none of it has been, or is, in
vain. Furthermore, I firmly remain persuaded, that there is
no other way, than the Way of Jesus Christ; for as the Lord
Himself taught us:
". . . I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh
unto the Father, but by me."
John 14:6b, KJV
"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men
unto me."
John 12:32, KJV
". . . if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your
sins."
John 8:24b, KJV
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he
that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath
of God abideth on him."
John 3:36, KJV
And as the Apostles would also later proclaim:
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none
other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be
saved."
Acts 4:12, KJV
"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus;"
1 Timothy 2:5, KJV
So the issue concerning the way to Salvation and Eternal
Life, for all men, is very clear in the Scriptures. As far
as I am concerned, it is a black and white issue, and there
are no shades of gray, or ambiguous areas to discuss. What
applies to one person, must necessarily apply to all. Either
we accept and believe in Jesus Christ as the Savior of the
world, or else we don't; in which case, we will eventually
reap our due rewards for our sins of rebellion and unbelief.
I simply do not believe that God plays favorites when we are
discussing the issue of Salvation. I do not believe that He
is partial in His Judgments, or in His Love. It is my belief
that His Righteous Nature prevents Him from acting in such a
manner. As the Apostle Peter stated in the tenth chapter of
the Book of Acts: "Of a truth I perceive that God is no
respecter of persons".
As we continue this series in part two, I will be offering
some additional comments regarding God's impartial nature, as
well as discuss how this relates to the Jews, and the belief
that they continue to be God's "Chosen People". We will also
take a brief look at the doctrine of "Replacement Theology",
after which, we will discuss some of the "good Jews" of the
New Testament, and the roles they played in the First Century
Church. I trust that you will join me.
![[ Next Page ]](../Images/next2.jpg) Go To Part Two . . .
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