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Pope Benedict XVI to resign Pope Benedict XVI is the first pontiff to resign in nearly 600 years, saying he no longer has the strength to fulfill the duties of his office.
February 27, 2013
Pope Benedict XVI waves as he arrives on St Peter's square for his last weekly audience at the Vatican. His resignation goes into effect Thursday.
AFP
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AFP/Getty Images
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February 27, 2013
The faithfull fill St Peter's Square ahead of the pope's final general audience. Pope Benedict XVI has been the leader of the Catholic Church for eight years.
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February 27, 2013
Pope Benedict XVI waves from the altar as he arrives on St Peter's Square for his last weekly audience.
AFP
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AFP/GETTY IMAGES
February 27, 2013
Signs and banners dot the crowd that has filled Saint Peter's Square before the pope's last general audience.
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REUTERS
Feb. 13, 2013
Pope Benedict XVI blesses faithful at the end of his weekly general audience at the Paul VI hall at the Vatican. Pope Benedict XVI made his first public appearance Wednesday since announcing his resignation. The pontiff will step down at the end of the month.
AFP
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AFP/Getty Images
May 27, 2006
Pope Benedict XVI greets youths in front of a portrait of Jesus Christ in Krakow, Poland. Benedict’s decision to step down Feb. 28 means that for the first time in almost six centuries, there will be a living former pope looking on as his successor leads the Catholic church.
Wolfgang Rattay
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Reuters
May 28, 2006
Pope Benedict XVI passes the gate as he arrives for a prayer in front of the death wall during a visit to the Auschwitz concentration camp, in Oswiecim, during his last day of a four-day trip to Poland.
Alberto Pizzoli
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AFP/Getty Images
April 15, 2008
President George W. Bush greets Pope Benedict XVI as he arrives at Andrews Air Force Base for the start of a six-day visit to the United States.
James M. Thresher
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The Washington Post
April 17, 2008
Pope Benedict XVI shakes hands after holding Mass at Nationals Park.
Richard A. Lipski
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The Washington Post
April 18, 2008
Former New York Mayor Ed Koch, left, poses for a picture with Pope Benedict XVI and Rabbi Arthur Schneier at the Park East Synagogue in New York.
Seth Wenig
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AP
May 12, 2009
Pope Benedict XVI visits the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, in Jerusalem's old city.
Menahem Kahana
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AFP/Getty Images
May 11, 2009
Pope Benedict plants an olive tree with Israel's President Shimon Peres at the president's residence in Jerusalem.
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Reuters
July 9, 2009
First lady Michelle Obama joins President Obama at the end of a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI. Daughters Malia and Sasha, who accompanied their parents on the trip, also met the pope.
Chris Helgren
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AP
March 25, 2010
Pope Benedict XVI gestures from his popemobile as he leaves a youth gathering in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. When he became pope at age 78, Benedict XVI was the oldest pontiff elected in nearly 300 years.
Gregorio Borgia
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AP
Sept. 18, 2010
Pope Benedict XVI kisses a baby as he arrives in Hyde Park in London.
Matt Cardy
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Getty Images
March 25, 2012
Pope Benedict XVI flies over the Sanctuary of Cristo Rey on his way to celebrate a Mass in Silao, Mexico.
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Osservatore Romano via Reuters
June 8, 2011
A gust of wind lifts Pope Benedict XVI's mantle during the weekly general audience at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican.
Max Rossi
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Reuters
April 8, 2012
Pope Benedict XVI greets the faithful after the Urbi and Orbi blessing at the end of the Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.
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AP
March 25, 2012
Pope Benedict XVI waves from the popemobile wearing a sombrero as he arrives to give a Mass in Bicentennial Park near Silao, Mexico.
Eduardo Verdugo
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AP
April 18, 2012
Pope Benedict XVI waves as he arrives to lead the weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.
Max Rossi
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Reuters
Sept. 14, 2012
Lebanese Druze religious chief Sheikh Naim Hassan, second from right, shakes hands with Pope Benedict XVI during a welcoming ceremony upon his arrival at Beirut International Airport. The pope arrived in Lebanon at the start of a three-day visit, saying the multi-faith country could serve as an example to a troubled Middle East and warning against fundamentalism.
Joseph Eid
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AFP/Getty Images
Sept. 15, 2012
Pope Benedict XVI arrives at Baabda presidential palace near Beirut.
Stefano Rellandini
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Reuters
Nov. 24, 2012
Newly elected Cardinal Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal of India, at center wearing a black suit, is greeted by cardinals during a consistory inside the St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.
Andrew Medichini
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AP
Dec. 12, 2012
Pope Benedict XVI posts his first tweet using an iPad tablet after his Wednesday general audience in Paul VI's Hall at the Vatican.
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Osservatore Romano via Reuters
Dec. 25, 2012
Pope Benedict XVI waves to the faithful as he delivers his Christmas Day message from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.
Franco Origlia
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Getty Images
Jan. 16, 2013
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, right, waits in line for an audience with Pope Benedict XVI after the pontiff's weekly general audience in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican.
Jacquelyn Martin
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AP
Jan. 30, 2013
Pope Benedict XVI receives a jersey with his name as a gift from S.S. Lazio's President Claudio Lotito during his Wednesday general audience in Paul VI hall at the Vatican.
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Osservatore Romano via Reuters
Feb. 3, 2013
Pope Benedict XVI waves during the Angelus prayer in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican.
STefano Rellandini
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Reuters
Feb. 11, 2013
Pope Benedict XVI meets Brazilian bishops in the cathedral of Sao Paulo in Brazil.
Franco Origlia
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Getty Images
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Section:/national/on-faith
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