Pope Benedict XVI

Born in Bavaria in 1927, Joseph Ratzinger was ordained in 1951 and became a full professor of theology at 31, earning a reputation as a prominent liberal theologian before shifting conservative after 1968. Elevated to cardinal in 1977 despite minimal pastoral experience, he spent a quarter-century as one of John Paul II's closest advisors, steering church doctrine as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Elected pope in April 2005, he took the name Benedict XVI and spent his papacy advocating a return to Christian fundamentals, reviving the Tridentine Mass, and confronting what he saw as the central crisis of the age: moral relativism. His tenure drew criticism over the church's sexual abuse scandals and his stance on condoms in HIV-stricken regions. On 28 February 2013, citing age and health, he became the first pope since 1415 to resign without external pressure, retreating to a Vatican monastery as "pope emeritus" until his death on the last day of 2022.