The Papal enforcer

He has been called God's Rottweiler, the Panzer Cardinal and the Pope's Enforcer.

The ultra-orthodox Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was among Pope John Paul II's closest allies and a man who kept the Catholic church on its traditional path.

But he has alienated many liberal followers with his zeal for enforcing church doctrine to the letter.

The new Pope described homosexuality as a 'tendency towards moral evil' and strongly opposed allowing priests to counsel pregnant teenagers on their options.

During the US election campaign, he called for pro-choice politicians to be denied Communion.

He has also argued that Turkey should not be admitted into the European Union.

But in the conservative Alpine foothills of Bavaria, where he grew up, he is a favourite son and many think as Pope he will be a saviour of the faith.

The new Pope was born in Marktl Am Inn in 1927, the son of a policeman.

At the age of 14, he joined the Hitler Youth and in 1943 was drafted as an assistant to a Nazi anti-aircraft unit in Munich.

A year later he was sent to the Austria-Hungary border and risked execution by deserting the army in May 1945.

When he arrived home, American soldiers took him prisoner and held him in a PoW camp for several weeks.

His supporters say his experiences under the Nazis convinced him that the church had to stand up for truth and freedom.

Ratzinger was ordained in 1951 and spent several years teaching theology.

In 1977, he was made bishop of Munich and elevated to cardinal three months later by Pope Paul VI. He is the eighth German to become Pope.