Paul Badde. / Credit: “EWTN News Nightly”/Screenshot
CNA Staff, Nov 10, 2025 / 16:36 pm (CNA).
Paul Badde, author of many well-known books such as “Benedict Up Close,” “The Face of God,” and “The True Icon,” died early Monday morning at the age of 77 after a long illness. Badde was also a veteran contributor to EWTN and CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner.
Badde was born on March 10, 1948, in Schaag, Germany, a small village on the Lower Rhine. He studied philosophy and sociology in Freiburg as well as art history, history, and political science in Frankfurt. Before embarking on a journalistic career, Badde worked as a teacher for several years.
As a journalist, he was known for his work at the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and later at Die Welt. Badde served for many years as a Jerusalem correspondent before moving to Rome. He was also one of the founding editors of Vatican Magazine.
As reported by Die Tagespost, Badde died in his beloved Manoppello in the Italian Abruzzo region. Paul and his wife, Ellen, had five children.
This story was first published by CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
