1927 - 2022
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.
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Historical Popularity Index (HPI)
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Among religious figures, Pope Benedict XVI ranks 33 out of 2,238. Before him are Saint Barbara, Samson, Martin of Tours, Jonah, Saint Stephen, and John the Apostle. After him are Saint Lucy, Husayn ibn Ali, Queen of Sheba, James, son of Zebedee, Samuel, and Catherine of Alexandria.
300 - 306
HPI: 81.68
Rank: 27
1118 BC - 1078 BC
HPI: 81.67
Rank: 28
316 - 397
HPI: 81.20
Rank: 29
850 BC - 810 BC
HPI: 80.95
Rank: 30
1 - 36
HPI: 80.92
Rank: 31
6 - 100
HPI: 80.89
Rank: 32
1927 - 2022
HPI: 80.78
Rank: 33
283 - 304
HPI: 80.65
Rank: 34
626 - 680
HPI: 80.64
Rank: 35
1000 BC - 1000 BC
HPI: 80.58
Rank: 36
1 - 44
HPI: 80.55
Rank: 37
1100 BC - 1010 BC
HPI: 80.51
Rank: 38
287 - 305
HPI: 80.46
Rank: 39
Among people born in 1927, Pope Benedict XVI ranks 1. After him are Gabriel García Márquez, Ferenc Puskás, Olof Palme, Roger Moore, Gina Lollobrigida, Günter Grass, Bhumibol Adulyadej, Sidney Poitier, Samuel P. Huntington, Peter Falk, and Vladimir Komarov. Among people deceased in 2022, Pope Benedict XVI ranks 4. Before him are Elizabeth II, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Pelé. After him are Luc Montagnier, Jean-Luc Godard, Jiang Zemin, Vangelis, Sidney Poitier, Monica Vitti, Leonid Kravchuk, and Francisco Gento.
1927 - 2022
HPI: 80.78
Rank: 1
1927 - 2014
HPI: 79.79
Rank: 2
1927 - 2006
HPI: 78.44
Rank: 3
1927 - 1986
HPI: 77.24
Rank: 4
1927 - 2017
HPI: 75.87
Rank: 5
1927 - 2023
HPI: 75.16
Rank: 6
1927 - 2015
HPI: 74.96
Rank: 7
1927 - 2016
HPI: 74.87
Rank: 8
1927 - 2022
HPI: 71.81
Rank: 9
1927 - 2008
HPI: 71.60
Rank: 10
1927 - 2011
HPI: 70.65
Rank: 11
1927 - 1967
HPI: 70.23
Rank: 12
1926 - 2022
HPI: 90.46
Rank: 1
1931 - 2022
HPI: 86.13
Rank: 2
1940 - 2022
HPI: 85.54
Rank: 3
1927 - 2022
HPI: 80.78
Rank: 4
1932 - 2022
HPI: 75.96
Rank: 5
1930 - 2022
HPI: 74.15
Rank: 6
1926 - 2022
HPI: 73.39
Rank: 7
1943 - 2022
HPI: 72.11
Rank: 8
1927 - 2022
HPI: 71.81
Rank: 9
1931 - 2022
HPI: 71.60
Rank: 10
1934 - 2022
HPI: 71.34
Rank: 11
1933 - 2022
HPI: 70.07
Rank: 12
Among people born in Germany, Pope Benedict XVI ranks 38 out of 6,142. Before him are Hermann Hesse (1877), Karl Dönitz (1891), Robert Schumann (1810), Friedrich Schiller (1759), Erwin Rommel (1891), and Hermann Göring (1893). After him are Robert Koch (1843), Josef Mengele (1911), Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (912), Alexander von Humboldt (1769), Adolf Eichmann (1906), and Felix Mendelssohn (1809).
1877 - 1962
HPI: 81.43
Rank: 32
1891 - 1980
HPI: 81.39
Rank: 33
1810 - 1856
HPI: 81.35
Rank: 34
1759 - 1805
HPI: 81.34
Rank: 35
1891 - 1944
HPI: 81.13
Rank: 36
1893 - 1946
HPI: 80.86
Rank: 37
1927 - 2022
HPI: 80.78
Rank: 38
1843 - 1910
HPI: 80.51
Rank: 39
1911 - 1979
HPI: 80.38
Rank: 40
912 - 973
HPI: 80.37
Rank: 41
1769 - 1859
HPI: 79.92
Rank: 42
1906 - 1962
HPI: 79.90
Rank: 43
1809 - 1847
HPI: 79.90
Rank: 44
Among religious figures born in Germany, Pope Benedict XVI ranks 2. Before him are Martin Luther (1483). After him are Hildegard of Bingen (1098), Albertus Magnus (1206), Ambrose (340), Pope Joan (null), Philip Melanchthon (1497), Pope Clement II (1005), Pope Damasus II (1000), Thomas à Kempis (1380), Bruno of Cologne (1030), and Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774).
1483 - 1546
HPI: 92.12
Rank: 1
1927 - 2022
HPI: 80.78
Rank: 2
1098 - 1179
HPI: 78.69
Rank: 3
1206 - 1280
HPI: 76.17
Rank: 4
340 - 397
HPI: 73.32
Rank: 5
HPI: 72.40
Rank: 6
1497 - 1560
HPI: 71.31
Rank: 7
1005 - 1047
HPI: 70.20
Rank: 8
1000 - 1048
HPI: 69.74
Rank: 9
1380 - 1471
HPI: 68.30
Rank: 10
1030 - 1101
HPI: 67.85
Rank: 11
1774 - 1824
HPI: 65.73
Rank: 12