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
Ratzinger Circle of Alumni annually. The long tradition was not interrupted during the Papacy of Ratzinger, despite his role and commitments. This initiative led the alumni to the creation of a foundation, the Joseph Ratzinger - Pope Benedict XVI foundation and later an award (often referred to the Nobel Prize for theology), given to theologians and philosophers every two years. The 44 members of the Ratzinger Circle of Alumni are: Ratzinger Circle of Alumni The Ratzinger Circle of Alumni is an initiative by former doctoral and post-doctoral students of theologian Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI). The Alumni is composed by former students of