Future doctor of the church
Benedict XVI scholars see him as future doctor of the church
Beginning well before he was elected pope in 2005, Pope Benedict XVI made substantial contributions to theology and Catholic thought through his prolific writing, academic lectures and long-form interviews, say scholars who study his work. In the wake of his Dec. 31 death, Benedict has been heralded as one of the most important theologians of the 20th century, one whose scholarship will stand the test of time.
Pope Benedict was “very intellectually gifted,” said Tracey Rowland, a theologian at The University of Notre Dame Australia and author of “Ratzinger’s Faith: The Theology of Pope Benedict XVI,” published in 2008 by Oxford University Press.
“He was a great gift to the church, and I think in the future, he will be a doctor of the church,” she said. “In a hundred years’ time, he will be seen to have laid the foundation for a theological renewal.”