• Pope Benedict XVI is successor to John Paul II as head of the Roman Catholic Church. He was elected on April 19, 2005 and was inaugurated as the 265th pope on April 24, 2005.

  On May 11, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem to pay his respects to the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust. Though German-born Pope Benedict XVI pledged to do what he could to "ensure that hatred will never reign in the hearts of men again", he did not specifically mention the Holocaust, or offer an apology on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church. Many in attendance were offended by the omission, especially in light of the Pope's recent decision to revoke the excommunication of Holocaust-denying bishop Richard Williamson.Jerusalem Post: Pope under fire for Yad Vashem speech (May 11, 2009)

• Fast Facts

  1. Born: April 16, 1927
  2. Birthplace: Bavaria, Germany
  3. Birth name: Joseph Ratzinger
  4. Former Archbishop of Munich
  5. Elected as Pope April 19, 2005
  6. Inaugurated: April 24, 2005
  7. The 265th pope
  8. Oldest pope at inauguration since Pope Clement XII (1730-1740)
  9. Made a historic visit to the United States from April 15 to 20, 2008
  10. Visited and blessed Ground Zero and lead Mass at Yankee Stadium during his trip

• New Saints

  On April 26, 2009, the pope named the 14th century warrior Nuno Alvares Pereira a saint, because he and his 6,500 Portuguese soldiers defeated over 30,000 Castilians in 1384. Others included Bernardo Tolomei, who died while helping victims of the Great Plague of 1348; and Arcangelo Tadini, Geltrude Comensoli and Caterina Volpicelli, three 19th century Italians for their dedication to prayer and helping the poor.Reuters: Pope creates 5 saints including Portuguese warrior (April 26, 2009)

• Condom Comments

  In March 2009, The Lancet medical journal condemned a comment about condoms that he Pope made during a visit to Africa. The Lancet said that the Pope's comments "publicly distorted scientific evidence" that condoms help prevent HIV and AIDS in order to promote Catholic beliefs.Religion Blog: Prestigious Medical Journal Says Pope's Condom Comments... (March 27, 2009)

• Early Life

  Pope Benedict was born April 16, 1927 in Bavaria, Germany, the youngest child of Joseph and Maria Ratzinger. At five years old he went with a group of young children to great the Cardinal Archbishop of Munich during a visit. He was impressed with the Cardinal's clothes and decided he too wanted to be a cardinal. Pope Benedict worked as an academic theologian, archbishop of Munich, and cardinal before being elected pope. So far he has focused his papacy on the increasing secularization of Europe and North America, calling for a return to Christian values in industrialized nations. He blames the spread of moral relativism, the belief that there is no absolute right or wrong, for this secularization and refers to it as the central problem of the 21st century.

• Blessing Obama

  On January 20, 2009, Pope Benedict sent a telegram to Barack Obama on the day of Obama's inauguration. The Pope offered "prayers that almighty God will grant you unfailing wisdom and strength in the exercise of your high responsibilities."Vatican Radio: Pope Sends Telegram to 44TH US President (January 20, 2009)

• Williamson Controversy

  In February 2009, German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Pope Benedict XVI to take action against Bishop Richard Williamson, a recently rehabilitated bishop who had been excommunicated for his denial of the Holocaust. Merkel demanded that the German Pope firmly reject any denial of the Holocaust's occurrence. Although the Pope did lift the excommunication of Williamson, he made it clear that any denial of the holocaust is "intolerable" especially if it is coming from the clergy.CNN: Pope urged to act on Holocaust-denying bishopBBCNews.com: Pope condemns denial of Holocaust (February 12, 2009) The Pope later said he was not aware of Williamson's denial of the Holocaust.BBC.com: Pope condemns denial of Holocaust (February 12, 2009)

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