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Issue: Q2, 2005 — Table of Contents: | › Home | › Reflections on Church Attendance | › Pope Benedict XVI for $1000 |
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› Servings and Portions: 2005 Dietary Guidelines | › Sheffield’s Garden Walk | ||
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| Pope Benedict XVI for $1000 | |
| By Bill Nelson | |
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Occasionally when I have free time, I enjoy watching "Jeopardy." I find it fun to see which questions I can answer and I’m entertained by how smart the contestants are. During one particular episode, the host, Alex Trebek, read an answer (which is actually a question in the "Jeopardy" show) pertaining to Pope John Paul II. It was a difficult question, and I got it wrong. It made me think of how little I know about the popes of history and of today. How good would I be on "Jeopardy" if the category were Pope Benedict XVI? The new leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI, has now been pontiff for two months. Everyone remembers the sad passing of Pope John Paul II, the anticipation of who the College of Cardinals would elect, and the joyous inauguration of Benedict XVI. But, what have we already forgotten about our new Pope? How well would we score on "Jeopardy?" For starters, I confess the name Joseph Ratzinger (yes, that is the Pope’s birth name) doesn’t ring any bells with me, and I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to serve as a Pope Benedict XVI biographical fact sheet and prepare the readers to become "Jeopardy" champions. The easy facts are always dates, for instance; when the Pope was born (April 16th, 1927), when he became a priest (June 29th, 1951), was selected as a Cardinal (June 27th, 1997), and of course — when Joseph Ratzinger was elected as Pope and chose the name Benedict XVI (April 19th, 2005). What if Alec Trebek said this date — November 30, 2002? Would you think that was the day the Pope presided over his one millionth mass? That would possibly be correct, but that can’t be confirmed since there is no ESPN of Catholic masses, and no one keeps those statistics. The correct answer is Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected as the Dean of the College of Cardinals on November 30, 2002; an important event that helped lead to his election as Pope. Let’s move on to another "Jeopardy" category, Geography of Pope Benedict XVI. He was born in Lower Bavaria, in a town called Marktl am Inn, and then spent his youth in Traunstein. During World War II, Benedict XVI returned to Traunstein... |
...where he was captured by American forces and spent time in a POW camp. After the war, Pope Benedict XVI spent a majority of this life in Munich and Freising. The Pope conducted his undergraduate studies at the University of Munich, and then advanced his education at Freising. Another milestone for Benedict XVI occurred in Freising, when he was ordained a priest at the Cathedral of Freising. Benedict XVI then served as a professor at various universities throughout Germany.
Now its time for some obscure "Double Jeopardy" facts, that are required to obtain "Jeopardy" stardom. Some Ratzinger family trivia is that the Pope’s father was a police officer and his brother is also a priest. In fact, Georg Ratzinger was ordained with Benedict XVI (then Joseph Ratzinger) at the same ceremony. Another interesting tidbit is the mode of transportation Benedict XVI used to get home after the war. He hitched a ride to Munich on a milk truck. Here is one last “Double Jeopardy” fact before the final round; the phrase is "A simple, humble worker." That is how the Pope referred to himself when he learned of his election by the College of Cardinals. To be ready for "Final Jeopardy," our contestants must have the confidence to stare down Ken Jennings — the all-time "Jeopardy" champion. Just imagine you are in 2nd place to Ken Jennings going into the final question. You bet everything. Alex Trebek reads the final answer "The People and House of God in St. Augustine's doctrine of the Church." The "Jeopardy" music we all know starts to play in the background. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Ken Jennings begin to tremble and sweat. You smile with confidence as Alex Trebek reads your answer "What was Pope Benedict XVI’s doctoral thesis entitled?" Congratulations, you are the new "Jeopardy" champion. (The facts of this article were found on the Web sites of the Vatican, CNN, and the BBC) |
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