VATICAN CITY
Daily Mail (United Kingdom)
Pope Benedict in shock resignation: Pontiff, 85, is first in 600 years to stand down because he ‘no longer has the strength to carry on’
By Simon Tomlinson and Richard Hartley-parkinson
Pope Benedict XVI is to stand down as leader of the Catholic church, it was announced today.
The 85-year-old Pontiff said his strength was ‘no longer adequate to continue in office due to his advanced age’.
He said: ‘I have had to recognise my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.’
He said he was making the decision in ‘full freedom’ but was ‘fully aware of the gravity of this gesture’.
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