Pope Benedict's efforts to oppose the tide of many secular trends a force he once famously branded as a "dictatorship of relativism" were partly undercut by his struggle to communicate in a rapidly changing media landscape, turbo-charged by the Internet.

WSJ: Pope Defended Church Teachings

Pope Innocent III who, by 1215, had made a name for himself in attempts to ensure secular leaders were subject to religious jurisdiction, annulled the document within months of it being issued.

UNESCO: UK celebrates the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta