October 12, 2008 - Canonizes four new saints, including the first female saint from India.
February 12, 2009 - Makes a statement denouncing anti-Semitism a month after a scandal involving a bishop who denied the death toll of Jews killed in concentration camps during World War II.
March 17-23, 2009 - Makes his first trip to Africa as pope, traveling to Cameroon and Angola, and reaffirms the Catholic Church's ban on condom use.
April 26, 2009 - Names five new saints: Rev. Arcangelo Tadini, Nuno Alvares Pereira, Bernardo Tolomei, Gertrude Comensoli and Caterina Volpicelli.
May 8-15, 2009 - Makes his first trip to the Middle East - making stops in Jordan and Israel to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
July 17, 2009 - Has surgery after breaking his wrist in a fall while on vacation.
August 3, 2009 - The pope signs record deal with Geffen Records to record his songs and prayers to the Virgin Mary.
November 23, 2009 - The pope's new album, "Alma Mater," is released.
June 11, 2010 - During a Mass at Saint Peter's Basilica, the pope asks forgiveness for sexual abuse within the church and promises to do more to stop future incidents.
July 15, 2010 - The Vatican announces the toughening of its laws on priests involved in sexual abuse.
September 16-19, 2010 - The pope travels to England and Scotland, the first official visit to the United Kingdom by a pope. Pope John Paul II made a pastoral visit in 1982.
September 16, 2010 - The pope makes a statement that the Roman Catholic Church has not been vigilant enough or fast enough in responding to the problem of sexual abuse by priests.
June 28, 2011 - The pope sends his first tweet, via the Vatican's Twitter account, to announce the launch of the new Vatican website. The tweet is prepared in advance for the pope, but he presses the send button.
March 26-28, 2012 - The pope visits Cuba. He celebrates Mass in Revolution Plaza and also meets with the country's former leader, Fidel Castro.
May 26, 2012 - The Vatican announces that Pope Benedict XVI's butler Paolo Gabriele has been arrested for illegal possession of confidential documents. He is suspected of leaking documents to journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi, author of the controversial book "Sua Santita."
October 6, 2012 - The pope's former butler, Paolo Gabriele, is convicted of aggravated theft for leaking confidential papal documents and sentenced to 18 months in prison.
October 21, 2012 - Names seven new saints, two of them Americans: 17th century Mohawk Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American, and Marianne Cope, a nun who devoted 30 years of her life helping lepers in Hawaii. The five other new saints are 19th century French Jesuit Jacques Berthieu, Pedro Calungsod of the Philippines, Giovanni Battista Piamarta, Maria Carmen Salles y Barangueras and Anna Schaffer.
November 21, 2012 - The pope's book "Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives" is released. In the book, the pope claims the Christian calendar is based on a mistake by a sixth century monk, who was several years off in his calculation of Jesus' birth date.
December 3, 2012 - The pope's Twitter account goes live in seven languages and has thousands of followers within minutes.
February 11, 2013 - Pope Benedict XVI announces that he will retire, effective February 28th. He cites his "advanced age" as the reason. The last pope to resign was Gregory XII in 1415.
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