Benedict XVI was the 265th POPE of the Catholic Church, serving from 2005 to 2013. He was born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger in Germany in 1927 and was elected POPE in April 2005. He was the first German POPE since the 11th century and the first to resign since Gregory XII in 1415. During his papacy, he focused on issues such as the Church's relationship with other religions, the role of women in the Church, and the need for a more unified Europe.