A shockwaves around the world.
The first resignation of a Pope in 600 years
Pope Benedict XVI simply decreed, as he approaches his 86th birthday, that he lacks both the physical and mental strength required to carry out the duties required of him. That very act, however, is a mark of the continuing strength of mind of the former Cardinal Josef Ratzinger, who was one of the oldest new popes when he was elected in 2005.