Pope Benedict XVI Parents: Meet Maria Ratzinger & Joseph Ratzinger Sr
Samuel Coleman
Published Feb 24, 2026
Pope Benedict XVI is the third and youngest son of Joseph Ratzinger Sr and Maria Ratzinger. He was born on April 16, 1927, in his parent’s home in Marktl, Bavaria, Germany.
Meet Pope Benedict XVI Parents
- Joseph Ratzinger Sr
Joseph Ratzinger Sr served in both the Bavarian State Police and the German national Regular Police before retiring in 1937 to the town of Traunstein. The Sunday Times described the older Ratzinger as “an anti-Nazi whose attempts to rein in Hitler’s Brown Shirts forced the family to move several times”.
- Maria Ratzinger
Maria Ratzinger was the mother of Pope Benedict XVI. Her family was originally from South Tyrol (now Italy).
