Pope Benedict was the 265th Pope to be elected by the College of Cardinals to the Papacy in  April 2005, following the death of John Paul II.

Born in 1927 as Joseph Ratzinger, and ordained in 1951, he began his career as an academic, lecturing on threology and religious philosophy, becoming a professor in 1958.

Eyebrows were raised in 1977 whe the relatively inexperienced Ratzinger was appointed as the Archbishop of Munich, and also as a Cardinal.

As he had relatively experience as a practising priest, and was more used to the lecturing halls and studys, Ratzinger gradually worked his way up the hierarchy of the Catholic Church before finally being made Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, a promotion which cemented his position as one of the fore-runners in the upcoming Papal election.

When John Paul II finally succumbed to illness in 2005, Ratzinger was widely tipped as being the favourite to take over control of the Vatican, and to be appointed as the Bishop of Rome (The Pope.)

He was elected swiftly, after just two days of balloting at the Papal Conclave in the Vatican. His first words to the world were as follows, in his Ubiet Orbi address:

"Dear brothers and sisters, after the great Pope John Paul II, the Cardinals have elected me, a simple, humble labourer in the vineyard of the Lord. The fact that the Lord knows how to work and to act even with insufficient instruments comforts me, and above all I entrust myself to your prayers."

Ratzinger chose the name Benedict as his Papal moniker, which translates from the Latin for "blessed."

His papacy marked a return to conservative and strict Papal rule, which had somewhat loosened during Pope John Paul II's time as Pope. He earned a reputation as being fiercely opposed to many progressive liberal stances, including those on abortion and homosexuality.

Pope Benedict became the target of much anger in Ireland following numerous revelations about the systematic cover-up of abuse in Ireland by priests over a sustained period of time.

It emerged that during his time as a Cardinal, Benedict resdied over a number of decisions which covered up the abuse of many Irish children.

Speaking on gay marriage, Benedict said: "sex is no longer a given element of nature, that man has to accept and personally make sense of: it is a social role that we choose for ourselves".

He was criticised from mnay quarters as being far too conservative in his views, and many of his more controversial views gained headlines around the world, particularly in relation to the spread of AIDs, when he told Catholics that condoms make "HIV wrorse."

He is the first Pope to resign since 1415, and speculation is now rife as to why he is stepping down - many believe it may be for health reasons.