Addresses of Benedict XVI

A Manifesto for Religious and Cultural Dialogue

In his lecture on “Faith, Reason, and Academia”, given at the University of Regensburg on the 12^th of September 2006, Benedict XVI demonstrated the mutual dependency of reason and religion.

by Gerhard Cardinal Müller

An Introduction

“Not to act reasonably is contrary to the nature of God”

In a speech given at Regensburg University’s Aula Magna that attracted worldwide attention, Benedict XVI called for the rescue of reason. The Pope warned against a truncated concept of reason and emphasized the foundation that was needed for intercultural dialogue to take place. The full text of the Pope’s lecture on “Faith, Reason and the University” from 12 September 2006

Full text of the address

Human dignity is not a matter of majority vote

In his historic address in the German Bundestag on 22 September 2011, Pope Benedict XVI reminded his audience that state authority is bound by laws that are not at its command.

by Professor Karl-Heinz Menke

An Introduction

The Ecology of Man 

Benedict XVI’s address before the German parliament became an instant and significant entry in Berlin’s history. He spoke of the foundations of right and coined the phrase “ecology of man”, reminding us that man too has a nature that he must respect and that he cannot manipulate at will. His speech is reproduced here, word for word.

Full text of the address

A defining moment in the history of the United Nations

The address by Benedict XVI at the plenary assembly of the United Nations (UN) in New York on 17^th April 2008 is one of the most important political speeches of the pope. The address serves as an important contribution to understanding the Church’s mission vis-à-vis the world of politics, and in the wider society, of the 21^st century.

by Father ​​​​​Christoph Ohly

An Introduction

Human rights are indivisible

In his address to the United Nations, Benedict XVI warns against an undue softening or illegitimate expansion of human rights and affirms that the right to religious freedom belongs to all human beings.

Full text of the address

Unworldliness: The Programme of “Back to Basics”

Pope Benedict XVI speaks of “unworldliness” not to indicate an attitude of withdrawal from the world, but rather to encourage a spiritual presence in the world. During his speech to Catholics engaged in the life of the Church and society in Freiburg on 25^thSeptember 2011, the pope called for the Church to liberate herself from the captivity of worldliness.

by Dr. Christian Schaller

An Introduction

The roadmap of renewal

In his “Freiburg Speech”, Benedict XVI calls for a radical renewal of the Church, not relying on institutions or clinging to privileges, but casting aside whatever conflicts with the Church’s mission and obscures her witness. This is the path of “unworldliness”, to which the Pope calls the Church. But this does not mean withdrawal from the world –quite the opposite, in fact. The full text of the Pope’s address from 25 September 2011.

Full text of the address

The courage to pursue the catholicity of reason

In his speech in London on 17 September 2010, Benedict XVI emphasises that the “world of reason” and “world of faith” need one another.

by Professor Hanna-Barbara Gerl-Falkovitz

An Introduction

What is religion’s place in political life?

Meeting with representatives of British society, Benedict XVI delivered a ground-breaking speech in Westminster Hall (City of Westminster, 17 September 2010) in which he considered religion’s role in political life and the ethical bases on which political decisions are made.

Full text of the address

The Speech Not Given

The academic year at the Sapienza University of Rome was supposed to open with a speech by the pope. But things took a different turn. Following a series of student protests, the Vatican canceled Benedict XVI’s scheduled visit. The incident, which took place in 2008, reveals a glaring lack of willingness to engage in dialogue in the academic world and underscores the significance of the Sapienza address’s subject matter. Benedict shows why it is indispensable to enquire after the truth and why the wisdom of the great religious traditions cannot be “cast with impunity into the dustbin of the history of ideas.”

by Dr. Thorsten Paprotny

An Introduction

Safeguarding sensibility to truth

In his speech for the Sapienza University of Rome, Benedict XVI emphasizes the fundamental significance of the question of truth and shows how the breakdown of reason can be prevented.

Full text of the address

”Where Was God?”

Theological reflections on Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Auschwitz.

by Professor Jan-Heiner Tück

An Introduction

The extermination of the people of Israel was an attempt to kill God himself

Remembering the victims of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. 
Original text of Pope Benedict XVI’s address at Auschwitz on May 28, 2006.

Full text of the address

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