현 교황 베네딕토 16세, 요셉 라칭거는 1977년 뮌헨 교구장에 임명되기 전까지 독일의 주요 대학에서 신학을 연구하고 가르치던 탁월한 신학자였다. 그의 신학적 탁월함은 그를 아직 30대의 젊은 나이에 당시 쾰른 교구장 요셉 프링스 추기경의 자문학자로 제2차 바티칸 공의회에 참여하여 이 공의회의 진행과정에 직간접으로 적지 않은 공헌을 하게 했다. 요셉 라칭거의 명성은 마침내 그를 1981년 로마 교황청 신앙 교리성 장관의 자리에 오르게 했다. 하지만 라칭거는 자신의 신학적 입장에 대해서 대중적인 비난에 자주 직면했다. 그가 자신의 신학적 입장을 뒤바꾼 학문적 변절자라는 비난이었다. 심지어 그가 교회 내에서 출세 가도를 달리기 위해 자신의 학문적 입장을 바꾼 기회주의자라는 비난까지 받아야 했다. 본 논문은 이러한 교황 베네딕토 16세의 신학적 입장을 현대 가톨릭 신학계의 흐름 안에서 파악해보자 한다. 이를 위해 본 논문은 먼저 제2차 바티칸 공의회 개최 당시의 가톨릭교회 내의 주요 신학 그룹을 분류해서 살펴본 다음 그 각각의 신학 그룹과 라칭거의 관계를 들여다 볼 것이다. 이렇게 그가 살았던 시대의 신학적 흐름 안에서 그가 위치하는 자리를 살펴봄으로써 그의 신학적 경향과 입장을 보다 정확하게 이해할 수 있을 것이요, 그에 대한 대중적인 비난의 근거가 대단히 피상적이고 빈약한 것이라는 사실이 드러날 것이다.

The present Pope Benedict XVI, namely Joseph Ratzinger, was a prominent theologian who had studied and taught at main universities in Germany until he was named the Archbishop of Munich in 1977. His prominence in theology enabled him to participate early in his thirties in the Second Vatican Council as an official peritus of Joseph Cardinal Frings, the Archbishop of Cologne and to contribute in direct and indirect ways to the work of the Council. The fame of Joseph Ratzinger as a theologian eventually made Pope John Paul II invite him to Rome in 1981 and appoint him to the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. However, Ratzinger has often been faced with popular criticisms on his own theological position: criticisms that he was an academic turncoat who changed his own theological allegiances. He has even been condemned as the vicar of Bray who changed his academic conviction in order to be on the promotional track in the Church hierarchy. The present article attempts to find out Ratzinger's theological place in the currents of contemporary Catholic theology. For that purpose, it will identify the main theological groups of the times when the Vatican Council II was taking place, and then examine the relations between each of the groups and Ratzinger. By investigating his place and position in his contemporary theological currents, Ratzinger and his theology could be understood more correctly, and thus the popular criticisms against him will be proved very much superficial and groundless.

The present Pope Benedict XVI, namely Joseph Ratzinger, was a prominent theologian who had studied and taught at main universities in Germany until he was named the Archbishop of Munich in 1977. His prominence in theology enabled him to participate early in his thirties in the Second Vatican Council as an official peritus of Joseph Cardinal Frings, the Archbishop of Cologne and to contribute in direct and indirect ways to the work of the Council. The fame of Joseph Ratzinger as a theologian eventually made Pope John Paul II invite him to Rome in 1981 and appoint him to the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. However, Ratzinger has often been faced with popular criticisms on his own theological position: criticisms that he was an academic turncoat who changed his own theological allegiances. He has even been condemned as the vicar of Bray who changed his academic conviction in order to be on the promotional track in the Church hierarchy. The present article attempts to find out Ratzinger's theological place in the currents of contemporary Catholic theology. For that purpose, it will identify the main theological groups of the times when the Vatican Council II was taking place, and then examine the relations between each of the groups and Ratzinger. By investigating his place and position in his contemporary theological currents, Ratzinger and his theology could be understood more correctly, and thus the popular criticisms against him will be proved very much superficial and groundless.

Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger), The Second Vatican Council, Contemporary Catholic Theological Groups, Neo- Thomists, Transcendental Thomism, Ressourcement