During the press conference, Bishop Muller emphasized the impact of Pope Benedict’s work as a professor of theology, saying that he “produced an autonomous theological 'opus' which without doubt places him among the most important scholars of the 20th and 21st centuries. For more than 50 years, the name of Joseph Ratzinger has been linked to an original overview of systematic theology."
In order to compile the writings, Bishop Muller explained that he “founded the 'Pope Benedict XVI Institute' in Regensburg. This will house complete documentation on the life, thought and work of Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI, theologian, bishop and pontiff." According to the bishop of Regensburg, Pope Benedict expressed his desire that the 16 volume set be published under the name “Joseph Ratzinger.”
"The aim is to produce as complete as possible a presentation of already- published works, integrated with other texts either unpublished or not yet available in German, following a systematic order which creates a link between chronology and subject matter," Bishop Muller said.