Pope Benedict XVI was the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church.
== Early life: 19271951 ==Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger (German: [jozf alzis ats]), later Pope Benedict XVI (Italian: Benedetto XVI; German: Benedikt XVI) was born on 16 April, Holy Saturday, 1927, at Schulstrae 11, at 8:30 in the morning in his parents' home in Marktl, Bavaria, Germany
 The pope exercises a direct patriarchal role over the Latin Church, which is considered to form the original and still major part of Western Christianity, a heritage of certain beliefs and customs originating in Europe and northwestern Africa, some of which are inherited by many Christian denominations that trace their origins to the Protestant Reformation

