Pope Profile

Pope Benedict XVI, officially in Latin Benedictus PP. XVI, born Joseph Ratzinger (born April 16, 1927) is Pope of the Roman Catholic Church since April 19, 2005. In 1981 Cardinal Ratzinger was appointed prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith by Pope John Paul II, made a Cardinal Bishop of the episcopal see of Velletri-Segni in 1993, and was elected Dean of the College of Cardinals in 2002, becoming titular bishop of Ostia. One of the most influential men in the Vatican and a close associate of the late Pope John Paul II, he presided over the funeral of John Paul II and also presided over the Conclave in 2005. During the sede vacante, he was the highest-ranking official in the Catholic Church.
Long considered a front-runner to suceed John Paul II, the College of Cardinals elected him pope on April 19, 2005.