- Police arrest suspect who set woman on fire in New York subway
- China vows 'cooperation' over ship linked to severed Baltic Sea cables
- Australian tennis star Purcell provisionally suspended for doping
- Asian markets track Wall St rally as US inflation eases rate fears
- Luxury Western goods line Russian stores, three years into sanctions
- Wallace and Gromit return with comic warning about AI dystopia
- Philippine military says will acquire US Typhon missile system
- Afghan bread, the humble centrepiece of every meal
- Honda and Nissan expected to begin merger talks
- 'Draconian' Vietnam internet law heightens free speech fears
- Israeli women mobilise against ultra-Orthodox military exemptions
- Asian markets track Wall St rally as US inflation eases rate worries
- Tens of thousands protest in Serbian capital over fatal train station accident
- Trump vows to 'stop transgender lunacy' as a top priority
- Daniels throws five TDs as Commanders down Eagles, Lions and Vikings win
- 'Who's next?': Misinformation and online threats after US CEO slaying
- Only 12 trucks delivered food, water in North Gaza Governorate since October: Oxfam
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- Melrose Group Publicly Files Complaint to the Ontario Securities Commission
- Langers edge Tiger and son Charlie in PNC Championship playoff
- Explosive batsman Jacobs gets New Zealand call-up for Sri Lanka series
- Holders PSG edge through on penalties in French Cup
- Slovak PM Fico on surprise visit to Kremlin to talk gas deliveries
- Daniels throw five TDs as Commanders down Eagles
- Atalanta fight back to take top spot in Serie A, Roma hit five
- Mancini admits regrets over leaving Italy for Saudi Arabia
- Run machine Ayub shines as Pakistan sweep South Africa
- Slovak PM Fico on surprise visit to Kremlin
- Gaza rescuers say Israeli strikes kill 35
- 'Incredible' Liverpool must stay focused: Slot
- Maresca 'absolutely happy' as title-chasing Chelsea drop points in Everton draw
- Salah happy wherever career ends after inspiring Liverpool rout
- Three and easy as Dortmund move into Bundesliga top six
- Liverpool hit Spurs for six, Man Utd embarrassed by Bournemouth
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- Mbappe back from 'bottom' as Real Madrid down Sevilla
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- France kept on tenterhooks over new government
- Salah stars as rampant Liverpool hit Spurs for six
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- 'Sonic 3' zips to top of N.America box office
- Rome's Trevi Fountain reopens to limited crowds
- Mbappe strikes as Real Madrid down Sevilla
- 'Nervous' Man Utd humiliated by Bournemouth
- Pope again condemns 'cruelty' of Israeli strikes on Gaza
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- Man Utd embarrassed by Bournemouth, Chelsea held at Everton
- France awaits fourth government of the year
Benedict XVI: 'Rottweiler' who resigned scandal-dogged papacy
Benedict XVI, accused of failing to act in German sex abuse cases, was the first pope to resign since the Middle Ages after presiding over a papacy beset by Church infighting and outcry over paedophilia.
The 94-year-old German, known for his conservative views, has lived a quiet life within the Vatican since his shock resignation in February 2013, and is said to be in shaky health.
But the issue of clerical sex abuse has cast long shadows over his retirement and on Thursday he was thrust back into the limelight when a report commissioned by the German church said he failed to stop four clerics accused of abuse.
A German law firm said Benedict failed to take action to stop the priests accused of child sex abuse when he was the archbishop of Munich and Freising from 1977 to 1982.
The former pope has "strictly" denied any responsibility, said lawyer Martin Pusch of Westpfahl Spilker Wastl, which carried out the probe.
Benedict had a troubled term in St Peter's, when he often appeared overwhelmed by the challenges facing a Church that was losing influence and followers.
He came under fire for a string of PR blunders, a perceived lack of charisma and most importantly, his failure to act decisively to end Church cover-ups of clerical sex abuse.
In recent years, an ever-growing number of victims has come forward with testimonies of their suffering, mostly as children, at the hands of priests.
In 2010, he admitted that the Church "did not act quickly or firmly enough to take the necessary action" on an issue that severely tarnished its image.
- Two popes -
The Vatican turmoil took its toll on Benedict's mental and physical state and culminated in his shock resignation announcement, delivered to cardinals in Latin.
"The strength of mind and body... has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognise my incapacity to adequately fulfil the ministry," said Benedict, then 85.
Becoming Pope Emeritus, the soft-spoken Joseph Ratzinger still wears papal white but is rarely seen or heard in public.
Eclipsed by the dynamism and popularity of his successor Francis, Benedict was quoted a year after his resignation as saying that the decision was the result of a mystical experience.
He added that Francis's strengths had helped him understand that it was God's will for him to step aside.
In an interview in March 2021, he said "fanatical" Catholics have repeatedly voiced doubts about whether he stepped down willingly, with some even refusing to accept he's no longer the head of the church.
But he insisted: "There is only one pope".
- 'God's Rottweiler' -
Ratzinger was born on April 16, 1927, in Marktl am Inn, in Bavaria. In 1941, he became a member of the Hitler Youth, as was compulsory for all 14-year-olds under the Nazis.
The future pope was ordained a priest in 1951 and was made a cardinal by 1977.
In 1981, Pope John Paul II asked him to head the Vatican's doctrinal congregation -- once known as the Holy Office of the Inquisition -- a post which gave him ultimate responsibility to investigate abuse cases.
He went on to serve as the Church's chief doctrinal enforcer, earning the nickname "God's Rottweiler" and a reputation as a generally conservative thinker on theological issues.
Benedict was 78 when he succeeded the long-reigning and popular John Paul II in April 2005 -- and almost eight years later, became the first pope since 1415 to resign.
He fought to stem growing secularism in the West and staunchly defended traditional Catholic teaching on abortion, euthanasia and gay marriage.
He angered the Muslim world with a speech in 2006 in which he appeared to endorse the view that Islam is inherently violent, sparking deadly protests in several countries as well as attacks on Christians.
His papacy was also marred by a money-laundering scandal at the Vatican bank, which exposed infighting among Benedict's closest allies.
The pontiff also appeared to have lost control of his household: in 2012, his butler Paolo Gabriele leaked secret papers to the media, an act of betrayal which profoundly saddened the then pontiff.
Benedict as pope "was not really a dogmatic man, but rather a man who was disconnected from the real world," said Jeffrey Klaiber, a religion professor at Lima's Universidad Catolica.
F.Schneider--AMWN