"Although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is more or less strong tendency ordered to an intrinsic moral evil, and thus the inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder. "

Pope Stresses a Need for Fundamental Values

Pope Benedict XVI, Joseph Alois Ratzinger, was named the 265th reigning pope and head of the Roman Catholic Church on April 19, 2005 at the age of 78. Ratzinger is the oldest pope since Clement XII in 1730.

RAtzinger was born on Holy Saturday at his parents home. That same evening, as soon as his mother recovered from giving birth, she rushed him to the Easter Vigil Mass to be baptized. His father served in the Bavarian State Police and was described by the Sunday Times of London as "an anti-Nazi whose attempts to rein in Hitler's Sturmabteilung forced the family to move several times. The pope's brother George said: "Our father was a bitter enemy of Nazism because he believed it was in conflict with our faith."

The pope is a close ally of his predecessor, maintaining traditional catholic views on birth control, abortion, and homosexuality. He is known as a conservative with a strong theology background and Catholic social teaching. Before his appointment he served as the Archbishop of Munich and the Dean of the College of Cardinals. His main concern is to bring back the Christian faith by stressing the need for the world, especially Europe, to resort back to "their fundamental values."

Pope Benedict speaks German, Italian, French, English, Spanish, and Latin. He also reads Old Greek and Hebrew. He enjoys Mozart and Beethoven and avidly plays piano.