Date | 28 February 2013 |
---|---|
Time | 20:00 (CET) |
Cause | Deteriorating strength due to old age and the physical and mental demands of the papacy |
Outcome |
|
The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI took effect on 28 February 2013 at 20:00 CET, following Benedict's announcement of it on 11 February.[1][2][3] It made him the first pope to relinquish the office[note 1] since Gregory XII was forced to resign in 1415[4] to end the Western Schism, and the first pope to voluntarily resign since Celestine V in 1294.[5]
All other popes in the modern era have held the position from election until death.[6] Benedict resigned at the age of 85, citing declining health due to old age.[7] The conclave to select his successor began on 12 March 2013[8] and elected cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, who took the name of Francis.
Benedict chose to be known as "Pope emeritus" upon his resignation, and he retained this title until his death in December 2022.[9][10]
VatRadio_resign
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).Benedict XVI will be "Pontiff emeritus" or "Pope emeritus", as Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., director of the Holy See Press Office, reported in a press conference on the final days of the current pontificate. He will keep the name of "His Holiness, Benedict XVI" and will dress in a simple white cassock without the mozzetta (elbow-length cape).
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