Pope Benedict XVI to resign

Pope Benedict XVI of the Roman Catholic Church has decided to resign from his post due to ill health, the Vatican has announced
"The pope announced that he will leave his ministry at 8:00 pm (19:00 GMT) on February 28," said a Vatican spokesman, Federico Lombardi, on Monday.

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, reported Al Jazeera's Sabina Castelfranco from Bologna. She 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 fulfill 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. The conclave could be held as early as mid-March, as the traditional mourning time that would follow the death of a pope does not have to be observed in this case.

The Vatican said that it expected the period between Benedict's stepping down and the selection of a successor to be "as brief as possible", and that a successor could be elected before Easter celebrations

source:aljazeera