Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI in 2011, photo by Prphotos
Birth Name: Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger
Date of Birth: 16 April, 1927
Place of Birth: Marktl, Bavaria, Weimar Republic
Date of Death: 31 December, 2022
Place of Death: Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, Vatican City
Ethnicity: German
Pope Benedict XVI was the 265th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, a title he held ex officio as Bishop of Rome, and Sovereign of the Vatican City. He was elected pope, on 19 April, 2005, and resigned from the office, on 28 February, 2013. He was subsequently known as Pope Emeritus. He had been ordained a priest on 29 June, 1951, consecrated on 28 May, 1977, and created cardinal on 27 June, 1977.
Pope Benedict was the son of Maria (Peintner) and Joseph Ratzinger, a police officer. His father was born in Rickering, Winzer, Niederbayern, Bayern. His mother was born in Oberaudorf, Upper Bavaria, Bavaria. His brother, Georg Ratzinger, was a Catholic priest, and was the director of the Regensburger Domspatzen choir. His sister, Maria Ratzinger, managed Cardinal Ratzinger’s household until her death. His great-uncle was priest and politician Georg Ratzinger.
He was a member of the Hitler Youth in the 1940s in Germany, by conscription.
Pope Benedict’s paternal grandfather was Josef Ratzinger (the son of Johann Georg Razinger/Ratzinger and Barbara Perlinger). Josef was born in Winzer, Lower Bavaria, Bavaria. Johann was the son of Johann Georg Räzinger and Theresia David. Barbara was the daughter of Martin Perlinger and Anna Maria.
Pope Benedict’s paternal grandmother was Katharina Schmied (the daughter of Georg Schmid and Magdalena Neymaier). Katharina was born in Oberrötzing, Iggensbach, Deggendorf, Bavaria. Georg was the son of Stephanus Schmidt and Anna Maria Kerl. Magdalena was the daughter of Matthias Neumayr and Anna Maria Ambros.
Pope Benedict’s maternal grandfather was named Isidor Rieger (the son of Maria Anna Rieger). Isidor was born in Welden, Bavarian Swabia, Bavaria.
Pope Benedict’s maternal grandmother was Maria Tauber-Peintner (the daughter of Anton Peter Peintner and Elisabeth Maria Tauber). Pope Benedict’s grandmother Maria was born in Bolzano, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Italy, of German descent. Anton was the son of Josef Peintner and Maria.
Source: Genealogy of Pope Benedict XVI – http://www.geni.com
Follers with all your knowledge on celebrities ethnicities mind if I ask are you a close relative to any celeb on this website? Found out I am a fifth or sixth cousin to Rand Paul :)
Not as far as I know. I only know my fairly recent genealogy.
Are you related to Ron Paul?
He was a horrible pope… glad he quit…
He is Bavarian
Does “European Jewish” on ancestry DNA included Sephardi blood as well?
Probably.
I thought you were Jewish yourself for some reason, maybe because you said “if you happen to find a Carter or Reagan ancestor from the 800’s that was Jewish or something random let me know so I can have a more facts to tell family and friends”.
Yea I like fun facts regardless of which ethnicity. But you are right I practice Judaism because of my maternal grandmother the rest of my grandparents aren’t as far as I know mostly British, Irish, German, and Polish Catholic.
He has Ashkenazi Jewish roots: http://www.thestillman.com/stillmanfiles/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/A-Catholic-Jew-Pontificates-Pope-Benedict-XVIs-Jewish-Ancestry.pdf
I think the story of Pope Benedict XVI’s Jewish ancestry was started by a blogger with an agenda. I see the same family tree circulating around similar blogs (and no reliable sources). I don’t think it’s legitimate.
Follers does any of the U.S. presidents have any traceable Ashkenazi Jewish roots in the past 500-1000 years? I doubt any of them do because it wasn’t recorded on geni.com
I don’t know about 1000, it’s possible, but probably not 500.
On 23andme DNA testing it claims to go back 500 years and A LOT of people have 0%-1% Ashkenazi heritage including a lot in my family.
BTW, Manila, I’m curious if you can find documents which prove either way if Sylvester Stallone’s maternal grandfather was Jewish or not?
It appears that Pope Ratzinger XVI’s ancestor Elisabeth Maria Tauber was conflated with this woman, Betty Tauber, who was not the same person.
http://www.geni.com/people/Betty-Tauber/6000000033373091481
“PLEASE NOTE: despite assertions that have been posted in various articles and sites on the internet, Betty was NOT identical with Elisabeth Maria Tauber, ancestress of Pope Benedict XVI (b. 1927).”