When Benedict the 16th became pope in 2005 he had a very hard act to follow. The biggest doubt about him almost a fear was that he would be an amazingly fierce doctrinearian. He loved playing the piano and on summer evenings he would play Mozart through the open windows of Rome. But his growing age and frailty led him to step down from the papacy last year, first time for 600 years.
Our Brazil correspondent
surveys the state of the country, as Lula assumes the presidency precisely 20 years after his first inauguration. We ask why America’s armed forces are facing
recruitment struggles not seen since the Vietnam War. And as
Benedict XVI’s funeral begins, our obituaries editor reflects on his papacy. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of
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