Benedict XVI is both a confidant and a mentor

From 1978 to 2005, Pope John Paul II presided over the Catholic Church. His closest friend, confidant, and advisor at the time was Joseph Ratzinger, a cardinal.

One of Benedict's fundamental viewpoints on secularism and rationality may be seen in his lecture on "The Cultural Crisis" in the West, which he gave a day before Pope John Paul II passed away. Ratzinger was widely believed to be the front-runner to succeed Pope John Paul II when he passed away in 2005. In April 2005, 115 participating cardinals voted to elect Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as pope.

Pope Benedict XVI started the process of canonizing Pope John Paul II on May 9, 2005. Typically, the beatification procedure cannot start until five years have passed since a person's passing. Camillo Ruini, the Vicar General of the Diocese of Rome and the man in charge of advancing the cause of canonization for any person who passes away in that diocese, however, noted "special circumstances" that the waiting period could be extended in a meeting with Benedict. exempted. The five-year limit was abandoned and the beatification processes for Pope Pius XII and Pope John XXIII were proclaimed by Pope Paul VI, therefore this has happened before.