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Pope Benedict XVI through the years

Joseph Ratzinger, who would later become Pope Benedict XVI, grew up in Germany as the Nazi regime was gaining power. He entered the seminary in 1939, the same year he was required to join the Hitler Youth. Ratzinger was drafted into the anti-aircraft corps while still in the seminary (pictured in 1943). He was held in a prisoner of war camp but released after a few months later. He was elected pope in 2005 and was known for his conservative views on Catholicism, including birth control and homosexuality. Pope Benedict resigned in 2013, becoming the first Pope to step down in nearly 600 years.
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January 04, 2017, 12:46 PM

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