Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany was elected the 265th pope of the Roman Catholic Church on Tuesdayand took the name Pope Benedict XVI, the Vatican announced.

Ratzinger, who was born on April 16, 1927 in Marktl am Inn in Germany's southern region of Bavaria, gained strong support among cardinals seeking a successor to Pope John Paul II who died on April 2 at the age of 84.

Ratzinger, who becomes the first German pope in nearly 1,000 years, served since 1981 as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He was promoted to the rank of cardinal in June 1977 by Pope Paul VI, three months after being named archbishop of Munich.

The new pope was elected in the conclave attended by 115 voting cardinals which started on Monday.

(Xinhua News Agency April 20, 2005)