Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI (Latin: Benedictus PP. XVI; Italian: Benedetto XVI; German: Benedikt XVI; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as pope occurred in the 2005 papal conclave that followed the death of Pope John Paul II. Benedict chose to be known as "Pope emeritus" upon his resignation, and he retained this title until his death in December 2022.Ordained as a priest in 1951 in his native Bavaria, Ratzinger embarked on an academic career and established himself as a highly regarded theologian by the late 1950s. He was appointed a full professor in 1958 at the age of 31. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Pope Benedict XVI has received more than 16,374,818 page views. His biography is available in 144 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 142 in 2019). Pope Benedict XVI is the 33rd most popular religious figure (down from 24th in 2019), the 38th most popular biography from Germany (down from 23rd in 2019) and the 2nd most popular German Religious Figure.

Pope Benedict XVI is most famous for being the head of the Catholic Church from 2005 to 2013. He succeeded Pope John Paul II and was known for his conservative views and theological writings. His papacy was marked by controversies, including criticism for his handling of sexual abuse cases within the Church, but he is also credited with improving Catholic relations with other religions, particularly with Judaism.