Pope Benedict XVI to Resign

By Kim Hjelmgaard
USA Today
February 11, 2013

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/02/11/pope-benedict-xvi-resign/1908779/



He is the first pope to resign in 600 years.

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI announced Monday that he will resign Feb. 28, ending eight years as head of the world's Catholics because the 85-year-old pontiff is too infirm to carry on. He is the first pope to resign in 600 years.

The pope made the announcement in Latin during a meeting of cardinals in Rome. The decision means a conclave of cardinals will be held here, probably in March, to elect a successor.

"After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths due to an advanced age are no longer suited" for the task, he said.

The pope said that "both strength of mind and body are necessary" to oversee the world's 1 billion Catholics, "strengths which in the last few months, have deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me."

"Before Easter (March 31), we will have the new pope," the Rev. Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesman, said at a news conference. "It's not a decision he has just improvised," Lombardi said. "It's a decision he has pondered."

The pope's brother, Georg Ratzinger, said the pontiff had been advised by his doctor not to take any more transatlantic trips and had been considering stepping down for months.

Talking from his home in Regensburg, Germany, Georg Ratzinger said his brother was having increasing difficulty walking and that his resignation was part of a "natural process."

The last pope to resign was Pope Gregory XII, who stepped down in 1415 in a deal to end the Great Western Schism among competing papal claimants.

Born Joseph Ratzinger in Germany in 1927, Benedict entered the seminary at the age of 12. He has said he was unable to avoid becoming a reluctant member of the Hitler Youth. In 1943 he was drafted into the anti-aircraft defense and was later captured by American forces and spent several months as a prisoner of war.

He became Pope in 2005 after the death of John Paul II. Benedict led the church through much of the priest abuse tragedies, and went on to become the first social media pope, tweeting in seven languages.

The pope called his choice to leave "a decision of great importance for the life of the church." Church historian Matthew Bunson said it was announced that the pope will retire to a small monastery where some contemplative nuns live on the Vatican grounds.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued a statement lauding Benedict his eight years of "selfless leadership."

"The Holy Father brought the tender heart of a pastor, the incisive mind of a scholar and the confidence of a soul united with His God in all he did."

The announcement came as a surprise to many Catholics in Rome, though they were aware that the pope was ill.

"My first impression was one of incredulity," said Stefano Marino, 73, an engineer and former director of technical services at the Vatican who helped orchestrate the smoke signal that indicates a new pope is chosen. "On one hand it has to be said he has shown courage by taking responsibility and making such a decision... But he has also showed a weakness that John Paul II did not have – John Paul II made a strength of failing health."

Several hundred people are gathered in St. Peter's Square under grey skies, praying. The curtains were drawn on pope's apartment, on the southern side of the square.

"I was coming here anyway, to pray, I decided to stay longer when I heard the news," said Maria Rosa Martino, 35, a shopkeeper working near the Vatican. "I hope he is not in pain, suffering. He is a holy man. He would not make this decision if he could carry on. I pray for his strength."

Antonio Fiorella, 51, an off-duty security guard, sad he was saddened by the news. "We will not have another pope with a greater faith than Pope Benedict," he said. "I don't know what will happen next."