This major Compendium consists of a collection of essays on 104 topics in the theology of Joseph Ratzinger, written by 72 international scholars, each one of whom is regarded as an authority on some aspect of the theology of the late Benedict XVI. Each of the essays offers a summary of Ratzinger's thought in a particular field of theology along with a bibliography.

Readers who want to know what Ratzinger thought about particular theological issues can therefore go to the Compendium to obtain both a summary of his ideas on 104 topics along with information about where to find more material if they wish to explore an aspect of Ratzinger's thought further.

This Compendium will make a great present for seminarians, priests, students of theology and Catholics in every vocation of life who care about theological orthodoxy. Each one of the essays has been written at the level of the undergraduate Catholic and does not presuppose specialist theological knowledge. Among the major contributors are Tracey Rowland, Christian Schaller, and Pablo Blanco Sarto.

“The seventy-two people that have come together in the Ratzinger Compendium to make my thinking accessible to the world made me extremely happy, and have encouraged me to dream. I wish you much inspiration and success in your work.”
--Pope Benedict XVI