Today, Pope Benedict XVI stunned the world and left the Catholic church reeling when he said that he would resign – the first pope to do so since the middle ages.
The move, announced without warning, will take place on 28 February and leave the papacy vacant until a successor is chosen.
A Vatican spokesman said Benedict's aides were "incredulous" when he told them he would step down because he was too weak to fulfil his duties. He summoned a meeting of cardinals to tell them of "a decision of great importance for the life of the church".
One of those called to hear the announcement, the Mexican prelate Monsignor Oscar Sanchez, said none of the cardinals had expected it. "The pope took a sheet of paper and read from it. He just said that he was resigning and that he would be finishing on February 28," he said.
"The cardinals were just looking at one another. Then the pope got to his feet, gave his benediction and left. It was so simple; the simplest thing imaginable. Extraordinary. Nobody expected it. Then we all left in silence. There was absolute silence … and sadness."
A deeply conservative pope, whose tenure has been overshadowed by sexual abuse scandals, Benedict, 85, leaves with a chequered reputation after a papacy that was at times both conservative and divisive.
One of the organisations representing victims of Catholic clergy in Ireland's notorious orphanages and industrial schools said the outgoing pontiff had broken his promise to offer justice for the crimes of priests and other members of religious orders.
John Kelly, co-founder of Irish Survivors of Child Abuse, said: "In our view we were let down in terms of promises of inquiries, reform and most importantly of all the Vatican continuing not to acknowledge that any priest or religious found guilty of child abuse would face the civil authorities and be tried for their crimes in the courts."
The announcement of Benedict's resignation was immediately followed by intense speculation about his likely successor, with potential contenders including Cardinal Angelo Scola, archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, archbishop of Vienna, and Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the Canadian head of the Vatican's office for bishops.
Georg Ratzinger, the pope's brother, told the German media the papal resignation had been part of a "natural process". "My brother would like to have more rest in his old age," he said, adding that he had been informed of Benedict's plans some months ago.
His successor is expected to be elected by the end of March and possibly for the beginning of holy week on 24 March. Benedict will honour public commitments and engagements until the date of his resignation, after which he will move to a summer residence near Rome and then to a former monastery within Vatican territory.
He will take no part in the process to elect a successor. Cardinals will meet and vote on nominees in a series of ballots until a new pope is chosen.
Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesman, said Benedict had resigned not because of "difficulties in the papacy" or a specific illness but instead a progressive decline in his strength.
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