Pope Benedict XVI's birth name was Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger. He was born on April 16, 1927. His native country is Bavaria, Germany and he was born at his parents' home at 8:30 in the morning. Benedict served as pope from 2005 until his resignation in 2013. He was elected pope after the death of Pope John Paul II. Joseph was ordained a priest in 1951. He was considered a very learned theologian and was appointed professor in 1958. His writings defended Catholic doctrine and values. Ratzinger was baptized the same day he was born. He was the third child and also the youngest in a family of three. Benedict's brother also dedicated his life to the Catholic religion and became a priest. Joseph trained in the German infantry. He became a German soldier and served in a prisoner of war camp. A few months later, the United States released him at the end of the war in May 1945. Ratzinger became a professor at the University of Bonn in 1959. He had strong opinions on subjects such as birth control and 'homosexuality. Benedict XVI was elected pope at the age of 78. Since Pope Clement XII, he is the oldest person to be elected pope. He was also the ninth German pope in history. On the balcony of St. Peter's, Benedict spoke his first words to the crowd: “Dear brothers and sisters, after the great Pope John Paul II, the cardinals elected me a simple and humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord. The fact that the Lord knows how to work and act even with insufficient instruments comforts me, and above all I entrust myself to your prayers. In the joy of the risen Lord, confident in his unfailing help, let us move forward. The Lord will help us and Mary, his Most Holy Mother, will be at our side. THANKS. »Joseph was pope during the World First...... middle of newspaper......In December 2012, Benedict joined Twitter. His first tweet was posted on December 12 and read: “Dear friends, I am happy to contact you via Twitter. Thank you for your generous response. I bless you all from my heart. »Benedict has many different hobbies and interests. Benoît speaks German, Italian, Spanish, Latin and English fluently. He also plays the piano and appreciates the composers Beethoven and Mozart. He has a pilot's license and flies the papal helicopter to his summer residence. However, he never learned to drive a car. Benedict loves cats and owns 2. Bavarian potato ravioli with pancake strips is known as his favorite dish. Benedict was the first pope to own an iPod and his childhood stuffed animal is still in his possession. Recently, Benedict celebrated his 81st birthday at the White House and still stays connected on Twitter.