Pope Benedict XVI
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Pope Benedict XVI was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from 2005 until his resignation in 2013. Following his resignation, he chose to be known as "pope emeritus", a title
Benedict XVI in 2010
The birthplace of Joseph Alois Ratzinger in Marktl, Bavaria
Palais Holnstein in Munich, the residence of Benedict as Archbishop of Munich and Freising
Cardinal Ratzinger in Rome, 1988
Pope John Paul II
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Pope John Paul II was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death in 2005. He was the first non-Italian pope since Adrian VI in the 16th century,
Pope Benedict XVI
…Vatican stage for a quarter of a century"; he had had an influence "second to none when it came to setting church priorities and directions" as one of John Paul II's closest confidants. Following the death of John Paul II on 2 April 2005, a conclave elected Ratzinger as his successor on 19 April; he chose Benedict…
John Paul II in 1988
The wedding portrait of John Paul II's parents, Emilia and Karol Wojtyła Sr.
Wojtyła on the day of his first communion
Wojtyła (second from right) in a Baudienst forced labour work crew during the occupation of Poland (1939–1945), c. 1941