The Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI was a shock to the world. This biography, marking the first five years of Benedict's tenure, shows how the unfolding pontificate had been one of several surprises. As leader of the world's 1.24 billion Catholics, Benedict's papacy played an important role in the religious sphere as well as on the world political stage. The reader is given a comprehensive pen portrait of the Bavarian pope in his first five years during his papacy.