VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict, in his first public comments since he announced that he would become the first pontiff in centuries to resign, on Wednesday said he was fully aware of the gravity of his decision but confident that it would not
The last pope to resign willingly was Celestine V in 1294 after reigning for only five months, his resignation was known as "the great refusal" and was condemned by the poet Dante in the "Divine Comedy". Gregory XII reluctantly abdicated in 1415 to end
Pope Benedict XVI caught the world by surprise when he announced his resignation as head of the Roman Catholic Church. History shows us just how unusual a decision this actually is Benedict is joining a very small group of popes to outlive the job.
ROME (CNN) â€" Just hours after Pope Benedict XVI announced his decision to retire from the papacy, lighting hit St. Peter's dome at the Vatican. Benedict's resignation was a shock to many of the 1.2 billion Roman Catholics around the world. This is the
ROME (CNN) â€" Just hours after Pope Benedict XVI announced his decision to retire from the papacy, lighting hit St. Peter's dome at the Vatican. Benedict's resignation was a shock to many of the 1.2 billion Roman Catholics around the world. This is the
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