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Back to To the Point

To the Point

The Catholic Church Before and After Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI declared today, "I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter." Speaking in Latin, the 85-year old Pope told a group of cardinals that "advanced age" will cause him to resign on the last day of this month.

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By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

Pope Benedict XVI declared today, "I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter." Speaking in Latin, the 85-year old Pope told a group of cardinals that "advanced age" will cause him to resign on the last day of this month. It's the first such action in 600 years, and the Vatican says that one billion Roman Catholics should have a new Pope before Easter. Even close aides reportedly were surprised by the end of an eight-year reign tainted by clerical sex abuse and divided between traditionalists and reformers. We hear more about the decision, the state of the church and the prospect of a new Pope from Africa or Latin America.

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    Warren Olney

    former KCRW broadcaster

  • Sonya Geis with wavy brown hair wearing a black dress with red accents and decorative earrings against a white background.

    Sonya Geis

    Senior Managing Editor

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    Evan George

    Director of Content, News

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    Frances Anderton

    architecture critic and author

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    Rachel Donadio

    Paris-based journalist, contributing writer for The Atlantic

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    Susan Abraham

    Harvard Divinity School

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    David Rosen

    American Jewish Committee

    NewsNationalPolitics
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