REL 1510 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Universi Dominici Gregis, Pope John Ii, Dean Of The College Of Cardinals
Document Summary
The pope (also known as: the supreme pontiff, the bishop of rome, the. Vicar of christ, and the servant of the servants of god) is the spiritual leader of more than one billion roman catholics worldwide. The most recent pope, john paul ii, was elected in 1978. After one of the longest pontificates (papal reigns) in history, pope john paul ii passed away on april 2, 2005 at. Cardinal joseph ratzinger of germany was elected pope. Benedict xvi on april 19, 2005 after only four votes. The period between the death of one pope and the election of the next is governed by complex and detailed procedures. The meticulous nature of papal elections is by necessity, however, for over the course of the 2,000-year history of the papacy, the period after a pope"s death has often been one of chaos, confusion and corruption.
