Pope Benedict makes Forbes “Most Powerful People” list at #5

He’s just below Bill Gates (#4) and above Ben Bernanke (#6).

The Forbes thumbnail profile:

How’s this for a job description? According to the doctrine of Papal Supremacy, the Pope enjoys “supreme, full, immediate, and universal power” over the souls of 1.2 billion Catholics around the world. They turn to the Vicar of Christ for the final word on life’s most personal decisions, including birth control, abortion, marriage and euthanasia. Of course, the pope faces dissent anyway–recently from “radical feminist” American nuns. As the leader of Vatican City, he’s also a head of state.

Check out who else is on the list here.