Rounding out the top five of the Forbes World's Most Powerful People list for 2010 is the highest ranked religious figure on the list, Pope Benedict XVI.
The 83-year-old Pope, born Joseph Alois Ratzinger of Germany, was elected as the successor to Pope John Paul II in April of 2005 and chose the pontifical name Benedict, which is derived from the Latin word meaning “the blessed,” in a tribute to Pope Benedict XV and Saint Benedict of Nursia.
With more than a billion members of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI is the “highest earthly authority” for the world's largest Christian church.
The current Pope holds a strong regard for traditional Catholic doctrine and values and has preached the importance of understanding the redemptive powers and love of God. Since his election to the position, Pope Benedict XVI has worked to reintroduce traditional Christian values to the Church.
Forbes Top 5 World's Most Powerful People
According to Forbes, the most powerful person in the world in 2010 is China's president, Hu Jintao.
With the population of China being well over 1.3 billion, Jintao governs over the largest populated country in the world and the world's second-largest economy.
Coming in at second place on Forbes' list is United States President, Barack Obama. Obama was last year's choice for most powerful person in the world but was bumped down a slot on the most recent list due to the shifting of power in the House of Representatives that occurred in the recent U.S. midterm elections.
Earning third place on the list is the King of Saudi Arabia, Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al Saud. The King of Saudi Arabia was a surprise No. 3 choice on the Forbes list; however, the king has his thumb in an absurd amount of the world's oil reserve, something never to be taken lightly.
As Huliq reporter David Hughes pointed out, Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al Saud's ranking is a bit of a surprise because it “puts him one spot behind Barack Obama, and one spot ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin.”
Which leads us to the No. 4 ranked most powerful person, Vladimir Putin. The 58-year-old Russian Prime Minister has much more pull than President Dmitry Medvedev and shows no signs of giving up his power, having already reserved the web address Putin-2012.rf.
Hu Jintao's Toppings Forbes Most Powerful People List Show Power Shifts East
Hu Jintao Tops Forbes Most Powerful List in 2010
Saudi King surprises on Forbes Most Powerful People list
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