Defender of the Faith

DEFENDER OF FAITH tells the story of a man whose life's mission was to preserve the Church and its values, but who instead led it into its greatest crisis: Joseph Ratzinger, the German Pope Benedict XVI. After being considered an innovator for a short time in the 1960s, he was instrumental in preserving pure Catholic doctrine during his thirty years within the Vatican. The interviewees in the film, all of whom worked within the clerical system, challenge the officially propagated image of Ratzinger as a "humble scholar". They make clear the role he played in building a system of power in the Vatican that contributed significantly to the loss of trust from which the Catholic Church has suffered for years. To better understand Ratzinger's way of thinking, the film looks at his past. It takes a look at his closest advisors and confidants, many of whom were involved in covering up the global abuse crisis and corruption scandals. Piece by piece, a powerful story with a tragic hero in the leading role unfolds before our eyes. Ratzinger, who saw the truth exclusively in the teachings of the Catholic Church and considered modern society lost, was forced to acknowledge at the height of the crisis that his greatest enemies were in fact not outside but inside the Church, even among his closest confidants. Like the tragic heroes of Renaissance theatre, he found himself surrounded by chaos and enemies at the end. His entire world threatened to fall to pieces. Author and director Christoph Röhl began his research for this film even before Benedict's resignation, not suspecting at the time what dramatic twists were yet to come. Röhl spoke to insiders, confidants, companions, church experts and critics all over the world to get to the bottom of Joseph Ratzinger's complex story. The Vatican granted access to its extensive film and image archive for this film.