The world was watching a chimney. It’s a strange tradition when you think about it, thousands of people standing in a rainy St. Peter's Square, staring at a small copper pipe. But on April 19, 2005, that smoke turned white. Joseph Ratzinger, a man who had already packed his bags and was ready to retire to a quiet life of writing books and playing the piano, was suddenly the leader of over a billion people.
So, when did Benedict become Pope exactly? The official start of his papacy was that Tuesday afternoon in April, following one of the shortest conclaves in modern history. He was 78 years old. People called him "God’s Rottweiler" because he was a strict defender of Catholic doctrine. But the man who stepped onto that balcony looked, honestly, a little bit overwhelmed.
The Speed of the 2005 Conclave
Most people expected a long, drawn-out fight. After the marathon 26-year papacy of John Paul II, the Cardinals were supposedly split. There were the progressives and the conservatives. The "reformers" and the "traditionalists." But the reality was way more straightforward. It took only four ballots.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected on the second day.
Why so fast? Because Ratzinger had basically been the right-hand man to John Paul II for decades. He knew where all the bodies were buried—metaphorically speaking—within the Vatican administration. He was the Dean of the College of Cardinals. He ran the funeral for the previous Pope, and his sermon was so moving that it basically served as his unofficial job interview. While other Cardinals were campaigning or trying to avoid the spotlight, Ratzinger was just... there. Being the steady hand.
He didn't even want the job. He’d tried to resign from his post as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith multiple times. John Paul II kept saying no. On the day he was elected, Ratzinger later admitted he felt like a "guillotine" had fallen on him. He prayed to God to let the "cup pass," but the votes kept coming in his favor.
The Exact Timeline of Events
If you're looking for the specific timestamps, here is how that historic week shook out:
- April 2, 2005: Pope John Paul II passes away, triggering the "Sede Vacante" (empty chair) period.
- April 18, 2005: The Conclave begins with a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica. The Cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel and take their oaths of secrecy.
- April 19, 2005: At approximately 5:50 PM local time, the white smoke billows. Bells start ringing.
- The Announcement: Cardinal Jorge Medina Estévez steps onto the balcony and utters the famous words, "Habemus Papam."
- April 24, 2005: The formal Papal Inauguration Mass takes place. This is the "official" ceremony, but he was legally Pope the moment he said "Accipio" (I accept) inside the chapel.
What Most People Get Wrong About His Election
There’s this persistent myth that Benedict XVI was a "placeholder" Pope. People thought the Cardinals chose an old man just to give the Church a breather after the high-energy years of the 1980s and 90s.
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That’s kinda nonsense.
The Cardinals knew exactly what they were getting. They didn't want a placeholder; they wanted an intellectual heavyweight who could stabilize the ship. The Church was facing massive internal crises, specifically the burgeoning sexual abuse scandals and a perceived "relativism" in Western culture. Ratzinger wasn't a benchwarmer. He was a powerhouse theologian who had been shaping Church policy since the 1960s.
He took the name Benedict XVI as a nod to Pope Benedict XV, who led the Church through the horrors of World War I. He wanted to be a man of peace, but ironically, his papacy would be defined by some of the most intense internal conflicts the Vatican had seen in centuries.
The Cultural Impact of the Transition
When we ask when did Benedict become Pope, we also have to look at the "vibe shift" in the Vatican. Going from John Paul II—a charismatic, globe-trotting former actor—to Benedict XVI was a massive tonal 180.
Benedict was shy. He was a professor at heart. He preferred the library to the stadium.
I remember the first few months of his papacy were filled with media critiques about his fashion choices (those red shoes!) and his perceived stiffness. But for those who actually read his encyclicals, like Deus Caritas Est (God is Love), they found a surprisingly poetic and gentle thinker. He wasn't just a "hardliner." He was someone deeply worried that the world was losing its soul to consumerism and shallow logic.
He brought back the Latin Mass in a bigger way. He tried to bridge the gap with the Eastern Orthodox Church. He was the first Pope to really start the "Green" movement in the Vatican, installing solar panels and talking about climate change as a moral issue long before it was trendy in religious circles.
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The Shadow of the Past
You can't talk about Benedict’s start without mentioning the controversy. Almost immediately after he was elected, the press went wild over his teenage years in the Hitler Youth.
Context matters here, though it's often ignored.
In Nazi Germany, membership was mandatory for boys his age. He wasn't a "Nazi Pope," as some tabloids disgustingly claimed. He was a conscripted teenager from a family that was actually pretty anti-Nazi. However, the optics were tough for a man trying to lead a global institution. He spent a lot of his early papacy visiting synagogues and traveling to Auschwitz to make it clear where he stood. He was a man of his time, caught in the gears of a terrible history, trying to navigate his way out of it through faith.
The Turning Point: Why 2005 Was Different
Before 2005, the world hadn't seen a papal transition in the era of 24-hour digital news and early social media. The interest was feverish.
When did Benedict become Pope? He became Pope at the exact moment the internet was starting to change how we consume religion. His election was live-blogged. His first words were analyzed in real-time on forums. This level of scrutiny was new. It meant that every gaffe—like his 2006 Regensburg speech that sparked protests in the Muslim world—was amplified instantly.
He was essentially the first "Digital Age" Pope, even if he personally preferred writing with a fountain pen on scrap paper.
The Resignation That Redefined Everything
We usually talk about when someone starts a job, but with Benedict, the ending is just as important. In 2013, he did the unthinkable. He quit.
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He was the first Pope to resign in 600 years.
This completely changed how we look at the date he became Pope. It turned his papacy into a "chapter" rather than a "life sentence." By stepping down, he essentially "de-mystified" the office. He admitted he was an old man who didn't have the strength to do the job anymore.
It was a humble move, honestly. It showed that he cared more about the health of the Church than the prestige of the title. It also set a massive precedent for future Popes (including Pope Francis) who might find themselves too frail to lead.
Key Takeaways from the Era of Benedict XVI
If you are looking to understand the legacy of the man who took over in 2005, keep these points in mind:
- Theology over Personality: He moved the Church away from the "cult of personality" that had grown around John Paul II and back toward a focus on rigorous intellectual study.
- Liturgical Traditionalism: He believed that the way we worship matters. He brought back older traditions because he felt they carried more "weight" and "mystery."
- The Abuse Crisis: While he was criticized for not doing enough, he was actually the one who started the process of defrocking hundreds of priests and establishing stricter rules for the Vatican. He inherited a mess and tried to build a legal framework to fix it.
- The Great Resignation: His departure in 2013 is arguably his most significant act, proving that the Papacy is a service, not just a status.
Actionable Steps for Further Research
If you’re fascinated by this period of history, don't just take a surface-level glance. The history of the Vatican is dense and often stranger than fiction.
- Read "Last Testament": This is a book-length interview Benedict gave after he retired. It is incredibly candid. He talks about the "Vatileaks" scandal, his own doubts, and what really happened behind the scenes in the 2005 conclave.
- Watch the Conclave Footage: You can find the original BBC or CNN broadcasts of the white smoke on YouTube. Watching the transition from "who is it?" to "it's Ratzinger" is a fascinating study in human emotion and history.
- Study the Regensburg Address: If you want to understand why he was so controversial, read the actual transcript of his 2006 speech. Most people only read the headlines, but the actual text is a deep meditation on the relationship between reason and faith.
- Compare the Two Popes: Look at the early writings of Pope Francis versus Benedict XVI. You’ll see a surprising amount of continuity despite their very different public images.
Benedict’s election on April 19, 2005, wasn't just a date on a calendar. It was the moment the Catholic Church decided to double down on its intellectual roots before facing the storm of the 21st century. Whether you agreed with him or not, the "German Shepherd" left a mark on history that won't be erased anytime soon.