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aged the newly founded Jesuit order to make Ingolstadt the
hub of the Counter-Reformation. The religious strife eventu-
ally escalated into the Thirty Years' War (1618-48), which left
Europe's soil drenched with the blood of millions. During the
conflict, Bavaria's Duke Maximilian I (r 1598-1651) fought
firmly on the side of Catholic emperor Ferdinand II of Habs-
burg, who thanked him by expanding Max's territory and pro-
moting him to
Kurfürst
(prince-elector). With calm restored in
1648 following the signing of the Peace of Westphalia, Bav-
aria - along with much of the rest of central Europe - lay in
Top Five Wittels-
bach Residences:
» Schloss Neuschwanstein
» Munich Residenz
» Schloss Herrenchiemsee
» Schloss Nymphenburg
» Schloss Linderhof
ruins.
The treaty permitted each local ruler to determine the religion of his territory and essen-
tially put the Catholic and Lutheran churches on equal legal footing. Bavaria, of course,
remained staunchly Catholic. In fact, if the baroque church-building boom of the 17th
century is any indication, it seemed to positively revel in its religious zeal.
But beyond Bavaria times were a-changing. The Enlightenment spawned reforms
throughout Europe, first leading to the French Revolution, then the Napoleonic Wars and
ultimately to the demise of the Holy Roman Empire. The ancient Church structure col-
lapsed along with it, prompting the secularisation of Bavarian monasteries after 1803 and,
finally, religious parity. Although Ludwig I restored the monasteries, Protestants have
since enjoyed equal rights throughout Bavaria, even though it remains predominantly
Catholic to this day.
Much to the delight and pride of the population, Bavarian-born Joseph Cardinal
Ratzinger was elected Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. The last German pope was Adrian VI
who ruled from 1522 to 1523.
WE ARE POPE!
'
Habemus papam
.' It was a balmy spring evening in Rome when the world - Catholics and non-
Catholics - held its collective breath. Who would follow in the footsteps of the charismatic Pope
John Paul II who had led the church for 27 years? The man was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger,
henceforth known as Benedict XVI and born on 16 April 1927 in Bavaria's Marktl am Inn. For
the first time in nearly 500 years a German had been elected pope. The following day the headline
of the tabloid German daily
Bild
screamed proudly: '
Wir sind Papst!
' (
We are Pope!
).
Ratzinger's election met with a mix of elation and disappointment. Those who had hoped for a
more progressive and liberal church leader were stunned to find that the job had gone to this
