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Pope Benedict XVI arrives for the concluding Mass of the World Youth Day at the Marienfeld near Cologne in August 2005
Image: EPA/PIER PAOLO CITO/dpa/dpaweb/picture-alliance

Pope Benedict XVI

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected head of the Catholic Church in 2005, and was Pope Benedict XVI until he retired in 2013. He stayed true to his conservative path throughout his papacy. He died on December 31, 2022.