RELIGIOUS FIGURE

Pope Benedict XVI

1927 - 2022

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Pope Benedict XVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2005 until his resignation in 2013. Following his resignation, he chose to be known as "pope emeritus", a title he held until his death on 31 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 when aged 31. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Pope Benedict XVI is the 6th most popular religious figure (up from 49th in 2019), the 3rd most popular biography from Germany (up from 45th in 2019) and the 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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Among RELIGIOUS FIGURES

Among religious figures, Pope Benedict XVI ranks 6 out of 3,187. Before him are Muhammad, Pope Francis, Mary, mother of Jesus, Saint Peter, and Jesus. After him are Moses, Martin Luther, Pope John Paul II, Paul the Apostle, Saint Joseph, and Abraham.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1927, Pope Benedict XVI ranks 1. After him are Gabriel García Márquez, Ferenc Puskás, Bhumibol Adulyadej, Günter Grass, Olof Palme, Gina Lollobrigida, K. Alex Müller, F. Sherwood Rowland, Peter Falk, Roger Moore, and Samuel P. Huntington. Among people deceased in 2022, Pope Benedict XVI ranks 1. After him are Elizabeth II, Pelé, Mikhail Gorbachev, Ivana Trump, Jiang Zemin, Shinzō Abe, Vangelis, Thích Nhất Hạnh, Jean-Luc Godard, Leonid Kravchuk, and Ben Roy Mottelson.

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In Germany

Among people born in Germany, Pope Benedict XVI ranks 3 out of 7,253. Before him are Ludwig van Beethoven (1770), and Albert Einstein (1879). After him are Johann Sebastian Bach (1685), Martin Luther (1483), Karl Marx (1818), Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646), Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777), Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749), Johannes Gutenberg (1394), Friedrich Nietzsche (1844), and Charlemagne (748).

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Among RELIGIOUS FIGURES In Germany

Among religious figures born in Germany, Pope Benedict XVI ranks 1. After him are Martin Luther (1483), Hildegard of Bingen (1098), Ambrose (340), Albertus Magnus (1206), Pope Joan (null), Pope Damasus II (1000), Philip Melanchthon (1497), Pope Clement II (1005), Pope Victor II (1018), Thomas à Kempis (1380), and Bruno of Cologne (1030).

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