Was Cardinal Ratzinger really the Grand Inquisitor?
• No. The Cardinal’s actual title was ‘Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith’ — which was formerly known as “Sacred Congregation of the Universal Inquisition.” Pope St. Pius X in 1908 changed the name to the Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office. It received its current name in 1965 with Pope Paul VI. So, while it may carry out the functional duties of the Inquisition, it is no longer known as such — nor does it burn people at the stake. We just call him ‘The Grand Inquisitor’ because in the fevered minds of some progressive Catholics, the good Cardinal assumed a menacing status of Dostoyevskian proportions.
