Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI (; ; ; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger; ; 16 April 1927) served as Pope of the Catholic Church and as sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2005 until his resignation in 2013. Benedict's election as pope occurred in the 2005 papal conclave that followed the death of Pope John Paul II. The Vatican announced his withdrawal by bestowing him the title Pope Emeritus shortly after his resignation. Ordained as a priest in 1951 in his native Bavaria, Ratzinger had established himself as a highly regarded university theologian by the late 1950s and was
Tharakan (title) Tharakan (title) Tharakan () is an honorific hereditary title which was bestowed upon a handful prominent Saint Thomas Christian families in the erst-while Kingdoms of Travancore and Cochin, currently being the State of Kerala in India. This title of "Tharakan" was given by the Maharaja of Travancore, the Maharaja of Cochin and by the Rajas of the smaller Kingdoms to Nasrani Christian families for their services and contributions. The families which held the title had certain specific monetary obligation to their ruler, i.e. they paid taxes, or Tariff. The word "Tharakan" literally means the holder of document of Raja. They