Pope Benedict XVI of the Roman Catholic Church has decided to resign from his post due to ill health, the Vatican has announced. His decision to step down as leader of the world’s 1.2 billion roman
Catholics is without precedent in nearly six centuries, but Pope
Benedict XVI is 85 and in poor health.
The
Vatican ruled out depression or uncertainty as being behind the
resignation, saying the move was not due to any specific illness, just
advancing age.
- Benedict, born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, is the 265th pope, and began his papacy on April 19, 2005.
- The pope had announced his decision in Latin during a canonisation ceremony on Monday morning, Al Jazeera's Sabina Castelfranco reported from Bologna.
- Castelfranco said the move to resign was "something that we have not seen in modern times".
- Benedict, 85, said that he no longer had the strength to fulfil his duties, due to his advanced age, according to a statement from the Vatican.
- "For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter," he said.
- The senior cardinal of the Vatican will take over Benedict's duties following his stepping down, until a conclave of Catholic Church cardinals can be held to choose his successor.
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