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.