ROME
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Rome, 11 Feb. (AKI) – Italian politicians on Monday voiced shock at Pope Benedict XVI’s announcement at the end of February.
“I am extremely shaken by this,” commented Italy’s outgoing technocrat prime minister Mario Monti, who declined to comment on whether it would change relations between the Vatican and the Italian state.
Pier Luigi Bersani, leader of Italy’s centre-left Democrat party, which is tipped to win national elections later this month, said Benedict’s move may set a new precedent for future pontiffs, who traditionally die in the job.
“This is news of historic importance, that has only happened twice down the centuries,” Bersani commented.
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