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Meet the men who could succeed Pope Benedict XVI
17 would-be contenders in the race for the papal office.
Your contributions will help us continue to deliver the stories that are important to you
17 would-be contenders in the race for the papal office.
There are currently 209 members of the College of Cardinals – but only 115 of them get a vote in choosing the new pontiff.
The tweets from the @pontifex Twitter account have been removed, with the account dormant awaiting a new pontiff.
Cardinals will now meet to elect a successor, while the 85-year-old former Joseph Ratzinger will be known as ‘Pope Emeritus’.
The pontiff will depart the Vatican later today to spend the next few months at the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo before he returns to the Vatican permanently to live a life of prayer and academic research.
The 85-year-old enjoys an emotional sendoff, explaining his reasons for retiring and taking a final tour of St Peter’s Square.
Details of Pope Benedict’s life after his reign ends have emerged and include him swapping his trademark red shoes for a brown pair. His Fisherman’s Ring will also be destroyed.
La Repubblica says a report presented in December detailed breaches of the ‘sixth and seventh commandments’.
The Vatican said over 50,000 people had turned out to see the pope for his Sunday Angelus, while local authorities put the number at over 100,000.
The Vatican said the operation had nothing to do with the Pope’s decision to resign.
St Malachy – the first Irish saint to be canonised by a pope – had a prophecy concerning every pope between then and now.
Father Ted references ahoy.
The highlights of Pope Benedict XVI’s papacy, from 2005 to today.
The Archbishop of Dublin notes that it had been clear that Benedict XVI’s health had been in decline for the past month.
Or is today’s announcement without precedent?
Enda Kenny clashed with the Catholic Church in the last two years, slamming the “the dysfunction, the disconnection, the elitism that dominates the Vatican today” after the Cloyne report in 2011.
Today’s announcement caught the world unawares. Here’s some of the initial reactions.
The life and times of the 265th Pope.
Fr Georg Ratzinger says his brother’s doctors had advised him against transatlantic travel. “At his age my brother wants more rest.”
He said that his “advanced age” and deteriorating strength were the main reasons for his retirement.
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