Pope Benedict XVI

Joseph Ratzinger was elected to the papacy three days after his 78th birthday on 19 April 2005, taking the name Benedict XVI. His unenviable task was to follow the 26 year pontificate of the Polish pontiff, John Paul II. The elderly cardinal was preparing for his retirement before he was thrust into the limelight. Given his age, many presumed the pontificate would be brief. Perhaps a caretaker pope until a suitable candidate could be found from the lively churches of Asia, Latin America or Africa? This new biography, marking the first five years of Benedict¿s tenure, show how the unfolding pontificate has been one of light and shades and of several surprises. As leader of the world¿s 1.24 billion Catholics, Benedict¿s papacy continues to play an important role in the religious sphere as well as on the world political stage. The reader is given a comprehensive pen portrait of the Bavarian pope whose pont ificate has been anything but predictable.