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In Pictures: Benedict XVI’s papal years

A look back at legacy of the recently resigned Pope, who will be remembered for his staunch traditionalism.

Pope Benedict XVI waves to crowds from the window of the main balcony of St Peter(***)s Basilica in Vatican City. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany became the 265th pope of the Roman Catholic Church in April 2005.
Published On 12 Feb 2013
Pope Benedict XVI, who was conscripted in Hilter(***)s Youth Movement in 1941, walks through Auschwitz(***)s gate topped with the Nazi slogan "Arbeit Macht Frei" (work sets you free) during his visit to the former death camp in May 2006. He later sparked raged throughout the Jewish community by reversing the excommunication of four ultra-conservative bishops, one of whom infamously denied the existence of Nazi gas chambers.
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Pope Benedict XVI meets children at Saint Rita(***)s Parish in Cotonou, Benin in November 2011. On his second visit to the African continent, the spiritual leader labelled AIDS as an "ethical problem", backtracking from his controversial statements that blamed condoms for spreading the pandemic.
In September 2010, Pope Benedict XVI made his first visit to the United Kingdom amid tense Anglican-Catholic relations. The Church of England had earlier criticised a move by the Roman Catholic Church to take in dissident Anglicans. Above, his Holiness is pictured in Oscott College, the home of the Seminary of the Archdiocese of Birmingham.
Pope Benedict XVI arrives at the ceremony of beatification for late pope John Paul II, his predecessor, in May 2011 at St Peter(***)s Square at The Vatican. Many pundits say that John Paul II, who was given near-sainthood status at the ceremony, was much more popular and influential than Benedict.
Pope Benedict XVI waves to youth in Bkerke, Lebanon, in September 2012. On the trip, his Holiness appealed for religious freedom in the Middle East, calling it fundamental for stability in a region bloodied by sectarian strife. He had started off his papal career on a delicate foot with regard to Islam, when he appeared to endorse the statements of a 14th-century Byzantine emperor who said the religion brought evil and bloodshed to the world.
A picture from 2006 shows Pope Benedict XVI with his then-butler, Paolo Gabriele. Gabriele made headlines when he was arrested in May 2012 and later charged with stealing the pope(***)s personal correspondence and leaking the documents to a journalist, which put the Vatican(***)s finances under scrutiny. 
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In December 2012, Pope Benedict XVI became the first tweeting pope as he pushed a button on a tablet at the Vatican. By the time he published his first tweet from his Twitter handle @Pontifex, the pope had amassed nearly 1 million followers in the eight languages of his account.
The pope holds a meeting with the Vatican cardinals on Monday, February 11. Benedict XVI announced Monday that he would resign February 28 - the first pontiff to do so in nearly 600 years. The decision sets the stage for a conclave to elect a new pope before the end of March.
A lightning bolt struck St Peter(***)s Dome at the Vatican last night after the pope announced he will resign as leader of the world(***)s 1.2 billion Catholics because his age prevented him from carrying out his duties - an unprecedented move in the modern history of the Catholic Church. He will be remembered for his support of staunch traditionalist positions.