Pope Benedict Resigns

Recently deceased ex-pope Benedict described years of persistent sleeping troubles as the "main reason" behind his shock decision to step down in 2013, according to a German media report Friday.

Pope Benedict the Sixteenth died Saturday at the age of 95, the Vatican announced, almost a decade after he became the first pontiff to resign in six centuries.

Former pope Benedict XVI, who in 2013 became the first pontiff to resign as head of the Catholic Church since the Middle Ages, died on Saturday aged 95, the Vatican announced.

Former Pope Benedict, who died on Saturday aged 95, was the first pontiff in 600 years to resign, leaving behind a Catholic Church battered by sexual abuse scandals, mired in mismanagement and polarised between conservatives and progressives.

The soccer World Cup taking place in Brazil this year indirectly prompted Benedict XVI to bring forward his resignation as pope by a year, his private secretary told a German newspaper on Friday.

A year after his shock resignation, Pope Emeritus Benedict has no regrets and believes history will vindicate his tumultuous and much-criticised papacy, the man closest to him told Reuters in a rare interview.

Former Pope Benedict has said he resigned after "God told me to" during what he called a "mystical experience", a Catholic news agency reported.

Cardinals prayed in St Peter's Basilica on Tuesday ahead of a conclave to elect the next pope with no clear frontrunner after Benedict XVI's historic resignation as leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics left behind a Church beset by scandals.

Catholic cardinals had a final day of talks on Monday before going into lockdown in the Sistine Chapel to elect a new pope after Benedict XVI's shock resignation, with an Italian and a Brazilian among the top contenders.

With no pope and no government, Rome residents could be forgiven for feeling a little apocalyptic after the first papal resignation in 700 years and an Italian election that could bring down the eurozone.

Catholic cardinals begin talks on Monday ahead of a conclave to elect the next pope, following Benedict XVI's historic resignation, as a British cardinal not in attendance admitted to sexual misconduct with priests.

Benedict XVI stunned the world when he announced Feb. 11 he would resign as pope. But in retrospect, all the signs were there, and they even accelerated in recent months. Here's a look at the hints Benedict dropped starting in 2005, his first year as pope, indicating that unlike his predecessors over 600 years, his papacy would end in retirement, n...

The Catholic Church has awoken with no leader following Benedict XVI's resignation, in which he pledged obedience to his successor and described himself as "simply a pilgrim" starting the final part of his life.

As bells tolled and the clock struck 8, the brass-studded wooden doors swung shut on Thursday at this palace in the Italian hills, marking an end to Benedict XVI's papacy and the start of his final journey as a "simple pilgrim."

With Pope Benedict XVI now officially in retirement, Catholic cardinals from around the world begin on Friday the complex, cryptic and uncertain process of picking the next leader of the world's largest church.

Recently deceased ex-pope Benedict described years of persistent sleeping troubles as the "main reason" behind his shock decision to step down in 2013, according to a German media report Friday.

Pope Benedict the Sixteenth died Saturday at the age of 95, the Vatican announced, almost a decade after he became the first pontiff to resign in six centuries.

Former pope Benedict XVI, who in 2013 became the first pontiff to resign as head of the Catholic Church since the Middle Ages, died on Saturday aged 95, the Vatican announced.

Former Pope Benedict, who died on Saturday aged 95, was the first pontiff in 600 years to resign, leaving behind a Catholic Church battered by sexual abuse scandals, mired in mismanagement and polarised between conservatives and progressives.

The soccer World Cup taking place in Brazil this year indirectly prompted Benedict XVI to bring forward his resignation as pope by a year, his private secretary told a German newspaper on Friday.

A year after his shock resignation, Pope Emeritus Benedict has no regrets and believes history will vindicate his tumultuous and much-criticised papacy, the man closest to him told Reuters in a rare interview.

Former Pope Benedict has said he resigned after "God told me to" during what he called a "mystical experience", a Catholic news agency reported.

Cardinals prayed in St Peter's Basilica on Tuesday ahead of a conclave to elect the next pope with no clear frontrunner after Benedict XVI's historic resignation as leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics left behind a Church beset by scandals.

Catholic cardinals had a final day of talks on Monday before going into lockdown in the Sistine Chapel to elect a new pope after Benedict XVI's shock resignation, with an Italian and a Brazilian among the top contenders.

With no pope and no government, Rome residents could be forgiven for feeling a little apocalyptic after the first papal resignation in 700 years and an Italian election that could bring down the eurozone.

Catholic cardinals begin talks on Monday ahead of a conclave to elect the next pope, following Benedict XVI's historic resignation, as a British cardinal not in attendance admitted to sexual misconduct with priests.

Benedict XVI stunned the world when he announced Feb. 11 he would resign as pope. But in retrospect, all the signs were there, and they even accelerated in recent months. Here's a look at the hints Benedict dropped starting in 2005, his first year as pope, indicating that unlike his predecessors over 600 years, his papacy would end in retirement, n...

The Catholic Church has awoken with no leader following Benedict XVI's resignation, in which he pledged obedience to his successor and described himself as "simply a pilgrim" starting the final part of his life.

As bells tolled and the clock struck 8, the brass-studded wooden doors swung shut on Thursday at this palace in the Italian hills, marking an end to Benedict XVI's papacy and the start of his final journey as a "simple pilgrim."

With Pope Benedict XVI now officially in retirement, Catholic cardinals from around the world begin on Friday the complex, cryptic and uncertain process of picking the next leader of the world's largest church.