Out Of The 10 Most Powerful People In The World, 2 Are Catholic.

                                            By: Don Caldwell


2 of the 10 most powerful people in the world are Catholic.


Excerpts italicized:


#5 Pope Benedict XVI
Age: 83
Title: Pope
Residence: Vatican City
Country of citizenship: Germany


Highest earthly authority for 1.1 billion souls, or one-sixth of world's population. Staunch traditionalist deplores secularism, consumerism and moral relativism, unbending on birth control, gay marriage and ordination of female priests. Despite major gaffes (including lifting the excommunication of a Holocaust-denying Bishop and quoting a 14th-century source that declared the only new things the prophet Mohammed brought were "evil and inhuman"), appears genuinely interested in healing old wounds. In September, not only became the first Pope to visit Westminster Abbey since the Protestant Reformation, but also shook hands with a clergywoman (another first). Widening sexual abuse scandal could undermine moral authority, but increasingly willing to tackle issue head on: "Forgiveness does not substitute for justice." Stylish: Has brought back traditional red, custom-made "pope shoes" and old-school Ecclesiastical headgear.



Raveendran/AFP/Getty Images


#9 Sonia Gandhi
Age: 63
Title: President
Residence: New Delhi
Country of citizenship: India


Despite Italian birth, foreign religion (Roman Catholic) and political reluctance, Gandhi wields unequaled influence over 1.2 billion Indians. Recently elected to record fourth term as head of India's ruling Congress Party, cementing status as true heiress to the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty. Handpicked brainy Sikh economist Manmohan Singh (also a listee) as prime minister. Inspired choice: Singh universally praised as India's best prime minister since Nehru, ideally trained to lead the world's fourth-largest economy in terms of purchasing power into next decade. But Gandhi remains the real power behind the nuclear-tipped throne. Grooming 40-year-old son Rahul for prime minister role.


It is funny that the one that lives in Italy is not Italian, and the one who is Italian does not live in Italy. At the very least it goes to show us all that having faith still matters in tis secular world.

(ORIGINAL LINK)  the-worlds-most-powerful-people-2010: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance