In this introspective discussion, Dr. Rudolf J. Siebert, Critical Theorist and Catholic Theologian, discusses with Dr. Dustin J. Byrd the life, work, and legacy of Joseph Ratzinger, i.e., Pope Benedict XVI. Siebert and Ratzinger have many commonalities: they were born the same year; they grew up in Hitler’s Third Reich; they both attended the Hitler Youth; they both were drafted into the Luftwaffenhelfer and later the Wehrmacht; they both were imprisoned in Prisoner-of-War camps; they were both deemed “anti-Nazis” by the Allied forces, and they both entered into the Catholic seminary. However, Siebert chose not to be ordained and had a long and distinguished career in academia – predominately in the United States, whereas Ratzinger chose an academic career within the church and eventually rose to become the 265th Pontiff. This discussion was sponsored by Ekpyrosis Press and the Institute for Critical Social Theory.
